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Long Term
Report - Sierra Designs Hurricane youth rainwear
Name:
Arron Robinson
Age: 34
Gender: Male
Height: 5' 9.5" (1.77 m)
Weight: 230 lb (104.3 kg)
Email address: mouserar-at-gmail-dot-com
City, State, Country: Dallas, Georgia, USA |
Name:
Zach Robinson
Age: 12
Gender: Male
Height: 5' 1" (1.55 m)
Weight: 110 lb (50 kg)
City, State, Country: Dallas, Georgia, USA
Date: 2 March 2006 |
Arron's
Backpacking
Background:
Camping and hiking since 11, I've been
in a constant search for the perfect balance between usability,
durability and weight. These days my camping is generally a mix of Boy
Scout style crew camping, kayak or canoe camping or light to mid weight
hiking. I generally carry 20-25 lb (9-11.3 kg) and sleep in a hammock
system.
Zach's Backpacking background: Zach has been hiking with his
parents since he was about 6 months old. He moved out of his parent's
tent when he was 6 years old. He started in the Boy Scouts a
couple of years ago. He generally carries 20 lb (9 kg) of gear when
backpacking and prefers to hang from trees while awake or when
sleeping.
Product
information:
Manufacturer:
Sierra Designs
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Measured Specifications: |
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| Jacket
Size: |
Youth
XL |
| Jacket
Weight: |
9
oz (259 g)
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| Jacket
Color: |
Black |
| Pant
Size: |
Youth
XL |
| Pant
Weight: |
5.5
oz (154 g)
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| Pant
Color: |
Charcoal |
| Shell
Material: |
Hurricane
LT fabric |
| MSRP: |
Jacket:39.95
USD / Pants: 24.95 USD |
| URL: |
http://www.sierradesigns.com |
The
Sierra Designs
Hurricane youth rainwear provides a high end solution to a generally
overlooked crowd, that of the youth who are brought along on many of
their parents' crazy trips.
The
Hurricane
rainwear reviewed in this report is a waterproof and breathable jacket and pants which are sold separately. They
offer all of the high end features of adult rainwear. Fully taped
seams, lightweight, breathable materials and a small pack size.
In the Long Term
component of this test series, we wanted to actually see a fair amount
of rain, as it has been fairly dry this winter. Fortunately we were not
disappointed.
The Hurricane rainsuit was used for a couple of day hikes as well as a weekend backpacking trip.
The trip was in mid February on the Pine Mountain Trail in central
Georgia. Temperatures ranged between a balmy high of 50 F (10 C) and a
low of 32 F (0 C). It rained darn near continuously, only stopping in
the afternoon on the second day long enough to set up camp.
Zach has found
the Hurricane rain suit to be a good addition to his normal gear. He is
able to wear it over a fleece midlayer andwas able to vent easily. At the
times where is was not raining, he would remove the jacket and stuff it
into the mesh pocket of his pack, allowing it to dry, or at least not
get his gear wet.
He said a number of times during the last trip that he was surprised
that he was staying warm, as the weather was definitely miserable. He
went so far as to say that he was too hot, at which point, he would
unzip the jacket to cool off.
Another point he made about the Hurricane rainsuit was that the
material did get somewhat clammy against the skin. I am wondering
if it was simply too cold and rainy for the breathability of the
fabric to keep up with the condensation going on under the suit.
When starting
this test series, we sat down and came up with a set of things that we
would look for in raingear. The specific
issues we are hoping to determine are:
- Adaptability:
- Will the rain suit allow for some amount of
layering? Zach
is able to layer set of microfleece thermals underneath the rainsuit.
Due to the size, he cannot add much more, but in most cases, this is
all that is needed. The cut of the suit is ample enough that if he had
not grown so much in the last 4 months, it would not have been a
problem to layer further, if it had been needed.
- Durability:
- My son has inherited my inability to baby gear.
He is, perhaps because of his age, very tough on everything he owns.
Will the Hurricane rain gear hold up to the punishment? He
has hiked in undergrowth, briars, as well as normal rough play in the
suit without any damage or wear to the fabric. It looks as if the
construction is holding up well. After 10 days camping, using the
rainsuit as an outer layer and at least as many dayhikes, the suit has
a few scratches, but nothing effecting performance.
- Comfort:
- Will he sweat inside of the suit or will he notice
condensation? Throughout
the testing in moderate rainfall, he has been very comfortable in the
Hurricane suit. Moisture has not built up in a noticeable way. As
heavier rainfall was encountered, Zach noticed that he was starting to
get wet inside of the suit. It is possible that we reached the
limitations of the particular fabrics used in the rainsuit.
- Warmth:
- Will the Hurricane suit allow for proper
temperature regulation? Yes, with very little effort on his part. Unzipping the jacket generally allows for venting and getting cooled off.
Impressions After Long Term Testing:[back to top]
The
Sierra Designs Hurricane has been a good lightweight option that was
previously unavailable to
kids. Zach has really enjoyed the test and is looking into buying a new
set of Hurricane rainwear to replace the set he tested and has outgrown.
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Excitement:
- They stuff down really small.
- They are light.
- They breathe well in moderate weather.
- The materials hold up to scuffing and wear quite well.
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Concerns:
- Lack of reliable sizing information is a problem.
- In colder weather, in heavier rainfall, condensation became an issue.
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Thanks
to
Backpackgeartest.org
and Sierra Designs for the opportunity to
share our experiences!
Read more reviews of Sierra Designs gear
Read more gear reviews by arron robinson
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