ridgeline monsoon smock

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redandroe

Well-Known Member
Hi,

I just bought the ridgeline monsoon smock and roar trousers.

Does anyone else have trouble with sweating up in them and under clothing getting soaked?

Using them in conditions that were noit too bad the other day and became dangerously cold due to the under clothing getting soaked!
 
The trick for me was just to wear a single layer of "technical" clothing underneath. Something that wicks the moisture away. Anything else used to get wet and stay wet.
 
redandroe said:
Hi,

I just bought the ridgeline monsoon smock and roar trousers.

Does anyone else have trouble with sweating up in them and under clothing getting soaked?

Using them in conditions that were noit too bad the other day and became dangerously cold due to the under clothing getting soaked!
Click to expand...


There is NO easy answer to this perennial problem. Anything waterproof no matter how expensive or
'high-tech' the material is going to make you wet underneath. The trick is to select suitable under garments and 'layer' appropriately. Layers of Merino of different thickness do it for me. When you stop and remain motionless at least they keep you warm unlike polypropylene. Oh,- and you need to be able to predict weather/wind conditions at any given time on your foray plus amount and duration of uphill exercise. NOT easy.
I think one is either a sweaty person or not. My 74 year old hill-farmer friend seems not to, and says he never has been, and I can't keep up with him on the hill. Me,-I break out into a sweat just looking at my wife's fresh lemon sponge pudding!
Finally, I don't like smocks. You can't open a full length zip to ventilate, and if you've got knitted cuffs you're really bu66ered.
 
...hilst I'm one of those people who breaks out in a sweat standing still...even when stripped down to racing weight. I agree entirely on layering...less is more
 
Hello
Hello,

Good to see informative posts from people on this regarding wearing the correct undergarments when wearing breathable clothing.

I wear Endura Bah Bah base layers (a cycling brand for wearing under waterproof cycling jackets) and find it brilliant for wicking perspiration away.

Please see official manufacturer test reports on the Monsoon fabric which shows its breathability, and waterproof rating.

Of course it is not going to be as breathable as a top spec Harkila garment using Gore membranes, but it's not the price either.

ridgelinefabrictest.jpg
 
I use my Ridgeline Smock for sitting in high seats only I have never had any issues or problems as yet.

I have not used it for walk / stalk yet but will definitely take on the tips above if I ever do.

Its a good garment especially at the price!
 
Here comes the standard message but...

Most stuff that is totally waterproof will sweat you, some seem worse than others.

Over the last few years I've moved to mil surplus windproof smocks with waterproofing washed into them for my stalking, and even for most of my fishing. They aren't 100% waterproof but this means that they are very breathable and so if I am stalking, rather than in a high seat for example, I find that I'm drier and warmer than I would be with a 100% waterproof jacket as I don't get that clamy cold thing going on when I stop or when it gets colder. It is also the case that a suitably treated mil surplus smock is waterproof enough for most stalking and if you bid carefully on somewhere like ebay the total cost of giving one a try is £10 - £15 plus the waterproofing of your choice. If you don't like it you can stick it back on ebay and get your money back.

In saying all of this it is, of course, important what you wear underneath as the smock may shed the rain and deflect the wind but it doesn't have much in the way of insulation properties. So, don't wear anything cotton close to your skin for example.
 
I find it a great foul weather garment, but by buggery you don`t half get soaking dragging a beast off the hill whilst wearing it.


Breathable, not even remotely. Still great though.
 
caorach said:
Here comes the standard message but...

Most stuff that is totally waterproof will sweat you, some seem worse than others.

Over the last few years I've moved to mil surplus windproof smocks with waterproofing washed into them for my stalking, and even for most of my fishing. They aren't 100% waterproof but this means that they are very breathable and so if I am stalking, rather than in a high seat for example, I find that I'm drier and warmer than I would be with a 100% waterproof jacket as I don't get that clamy cold thing going on when I stop or when it gets colder. It is also the case that a suitably treated mil surplus smock is waterproof enough for most stalking and if you bid carefully on somewhere like ebay the total cost of giving one a try is £10 - £15 plus the waterproofing of your choice. If you don't like it you can stick it back on ebay and get your money back.

In saying all of this it is, of course, important what you wear underneath as the smock may shed the rain and deflect the wind but it doesn't have much in the way of insulation properties. So, don't wear anything cotton close to your skin for example.
Click to expand...

I agree 100% after years of fruitless experimenting. My polycotton windproof camo jacket (UK forces) was £20 brand new from Ebay and what a superb design with proper pockets in all the right places. Used Nikwax on it and experimenting with rubbing in Fjall Raven's Greenland wax into the shoulder areas.
 
PAULT said:
Ridgeline smock.
Click to expand...
Probably, but it is not going to make the smock less sweaty. Anything with a Goretex or similar membrane incorporated should'nt need any extra waterproofing. Nikwax might even prevent proper operation of the membrane breathing properly, and is primarily for an absorbent fabric. I'm happy to be corrected if this is incorrect?
 
A friend of mine had a ridgeline monsoon and yes his monsoon was indeed inside of his smock! It was pretty disgusting to be honest and he is not a sweaty person. I was tempted in one until that revalation as I like to be able to use my clothing to walk in! I did however buy the roar trousers for non active stalking, sitting out in an evening every so often as they are smart but if you do try and walk in them they get too wet!

I was out on a long day out recently and realised just how much I was unzipping and zipping back up my prohunter jacket; without really thinking about I was regulating my body heat with the zip and so 'venting moisture' not that I have ever had a problem with moisture and the prohunter, it wicks away beautifully!

And that it seems in the problem with a smock, you just cant vent as easily, add in a bad breathability and you will get moist. Which is a reason I absolutely love my Swazi Tahr, it is a smock I cannot really vent it much by unzipping, but I am yet to get moist even when walking long distances. Perfect garnment for me, but yes, double the price.
 
I have had one {note past tense} and actually quite liked it but like others have said, you must layer carefully . . .wear too many layers and you will get soaked from the inside out . . .in terms of waterproofing . . .mine was 100% waterproof even shooting it with the hose, it still didn't leak.

If your sitting on a quad, stalking slowly in cold wet weather, maybe a high seat, yes its a good jacket. . . . .beating at the pheasants / grouse, walking up a hill, dragging a beast out of the woods, anything that generates a bit of a sweat forget it !!!
 
Breathability is a relative term - not a fabric fault, more a mismatch of expectations. Under layers help greatly.

So glad I'm not the only guy who goes 0-melt down in 4 seconds flat. On that basis, a real ( personal ) bug bear that many otherwise great outdoor jackets dont either feature or at least offer the option of vent zips.

The Deer Hunter Ram jacket and Jakti Pro suit are great in this regard and dont seem to sacrifice much in terms of repelling wet weather.

The Ridgeline and the Swazi and Tempest etc etc all appeal greatly, but unless I wear JUST the jacket and nowt else ( the Court Order was very specific about this :oops: ) then I'm doomed to a sweaty hell in any of them.

​It 'd be a good day when the sweaty ones of the world are taken into account....
 
redandroe said:
Hi,

I just bought the ridgeline monsoon smock and roar trousers.

Does anyone else have trouble with sweating up in them and under clothing getting soaked?

Using them in conditions that were noit too bad the other day and became dangerously cold due to the under clothing getting soaked!
Click to expand...

Wore mine for the first time today.Not a hard walk bu stoked inside by the ens.Reminds me of wearing a Barbour.
 
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