Hey,

Got a question... I'm looking for a jacket to take to Canada when I go at the end of next week. I'll be going from Vancouver and around up to the Rockies and back again on a tour, so I won't be doing much other than some hiking and going to see the glacier and some horse riding... (Also something that looks good for wearing just around town when I'm back home for the Melbourne winter.)

So I'm looking for a jacket that fits these specs:

* For a female/unisex
* Lightweight
* Rolls up to a very small size to put in a suitcase or day pack
* Waterproof
* Windproof
* Breathable
* Soft material but durable enough to scrunch up in the case

Does anyone have suggestions?

URL links to a page that shows the jacket (and specs) would be fantastic, but otherwise this is the info I'm after:

Brand, Name, Weight, Price, Colour Info, Fabric Info.

Thanks heaps!! ^_^

BTW, these are some jackets I've been suggested already (any opinions on any of these would be great, too, if you've worn them yourself!):

Lady Strider - http://www.bluemanna.com.au/shop/pro...B900E01820068C

Torrentshell Jacket - http://store.yahoo.com/patagonia-au/83615.html

Vibe XCR Gore-Tex Jacket - http://www.paddypallin.com.au/store/...trCatCode1=001

Latitude Women's - http://www.mcewings.co.nz/macpac/tra...html#LatitudeW

Getaway Womens Gore-Tex Jacket - http://www.paddypallin.com.au/store/...trCatCode1=001

Helium Womens Gore-Tex Jacket - http://www.paddypallin.com.au/store/...trCatCode1=001

[This message has been edited by Kunoichi (edited 06-07-2001).]

Any of those jackets would be fine. Remember, you will be visiting Canada in the summer, so you should be more prepared for rain rather than cold weather. You will also need something that will wick away moisture from your body during your hikes.

Have a good time.

Those ones are all shells, so the warmth they provide are by stopping the wind, or so the people at the various shops say...

I've heard that Gore-Tex is the best for keeping out the rain and getting any trapped wetness out fast...

At the moment (until I go into the shop and check them out and try them on (last time I was in a big rush to get from shop to shop!)), I'm leaning more towards either the Vibe or the Latitude.

They both seem very similar!

Try a North Face Mountain Jacket.

You will pay through the nose (mine was $320 about 4 yrs ago), but you will have something that you can use to stay dry in the shower (literally), and that will last you forever. My North Face jacket may well be my single favorite possession. This is an outer shell, which can be combined with an inner layer from North Face or any other merchant.

Message edited to add link: http://www.thenorthface.com/code/pro..._standard.html

Best way to get a good price is to call up ski shops and try to negotiate -- shouldn't be that difficult in the summer. They may not be allowed to advertise lower prices, but they can usually be talked down.

[This message has been edited by pynchonesque (edited 06-07-2001).]

Thanks for the suggestion, I shall look into it...

(BTW, I'm in Australia, so it's becoming winter at the moment... I don't think I'll be able to talk them down at all...)

Just realized that you're in Australia -- you could get on the phone and make arrangements to pick up the jacket right after you land in Vancouver, from a shop there? Not sure how much time you have left, but you could also order it from a US or Canadian store and have it shipped to your Vancouver hotel for your arrival. Perhaps the logistics of this are getting too complicated, but I saved a bundle (about $70, I think) by getting my North Face jacket over the phone from some tiny obscure ski shop in the Upper Peninsula (Michigan), instead of at the big-city North Face stores.

I would, if things were going smoothly for me at the moment, but things in relation to getting my airline tickets are a nightmare, with only one week and two days (only four of the working days), and I don't have my tickets yet. Despite the fact that I paid 100% of the cost in January.

I don't think I could handle ordering things overseas at the moment. I don't even know if I'll be able to get to the the USA or Canada right now.

Especially after the phone call I just had... Maybe Qantas will sent the tickets to Contiki on Wednesday next week, who will then maybe sent them to my travel agent on Thursday, so I will maybe get them on Friday. Maybe. I leave on Sunday and things don't travel on the weekend. Too many 'maybe's in there for my liking. And I've been calling and e-mailing almost every day since the 21st of May ... when I *should* have gotten my tickets. ;_;

If you have one spare hour in Vancouver I have a suggestion for you. Go to Mountain Equipment Co-op (MEC) at 130 West Broadway, its not far from the downtown hotels. They have an excellent selection of their gore-tex jackets that rival any other makers at a fraction of the price. You will have to pay a one time $5.00 membership fee but they do have a good mail order program.

If you walk around Vancouver on a rainy day you'll see more people with something on from MEC than without. Every one in our family has at least one gore-tex jacket of theirs.

www.mec.ca

[This message has been edited by mpc1 (edited 06-10-2001).]

I've checked out their site, and sent off an e-mail to them ... hm, I don't know if we'll be just going through Vancouver, or actually able to get out and see the city on the first day. I have a feeling that we'll just be picking up people from Vancouver, and driving straight on to Whistler. (I start in Seattle, not Vancouver...)

Agree with the Mountain Equipment Co-op comments above. I just purchased a lightweight "Flashpoint" jacket from them, and am pleased with the good quality of the jacket, and excellent customer service--I ordered it from their catalog, and it arrived very quickly.
You also may want to check out the jackets on the Tilley Originals website. They also make fine outdoor clothing, and I think they also have a store in Vancouver.

bj-21.

Definitely check out the North Face Mountain Lite Gore Tex jacket (which is a lighter weight version of the regular Mountain jacket). I paid about $250 three years ago and still use it for almost every trip I take. Having a waterproof shell is really nice. Works great with layers, although I would not bring it with me to a hot and humid destination. You can often find North Face at 20-30% off the suggested retail price if you are patient. I actually bought mine over the phone from a shop many states away after doing an Internet search three-ish years ago using the key words: North Face Mountain Lite Sale Discount or something along those lines.

Mountain Co-Op is also a great company. They have good quality gear and the prices are right (especially now that the Canadian dollar is weak). I still have a rucksack that I traded a fellow traveler for a decade ago.

Seems pynchonesque's link was to the Mountain Light version of the North Face jacket. Three years ago, there was the regular and the light versions, the regular being used more for expeditions and the light more for trails etc. I also use the light for skiing.

Thanks for all the suggestions, everyone!

I decided that I don't have the time (or the luck!) to be able to go shopping when I am in Vancouver, so I went with the AUD$399 (minus 10% discount for joining the seller's club for a year for $16) Women's Latitude jacket.

Thanks again! ^_^

------------------
Kun-chan...

PS - Can you go and have a look at these URLs and tell me what you think at [email protected]?

http://www.thekeep.org/~kunoichi/kunoichi/ax_images/
http://milesbar.com/join.asp?id=MBG1198
http://www.emailcash.com.au/join.asp?refer=C60997
http://www.igougo.com/planning/journ...p?GuideID=4076

BTW - Can you also have a look at my latest articles at:
http://www.thekeep.org/~kunoichi/kunoichi/themestream/