Well, I haven't selected the Next Ultimate Raincoat yet. I've got several candidates in mind, however. The photos all have links embedded to go to the seller's websites.
If readers have first-hand experience with any of these products (good or bad, I want to know!) please leave notes in the comments.
I already have the full-length "big sister" to this jacket:
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Outback Trading Oilskin Swagman, from State Line Tack. $149.99, free shipping |
* Waterproof:
yes
* Breathable:
no, but it doesn't "sweat" either
* Pit zips:
no
* Pockets:
yes
* Hood:
yes
* Cover my butt while mounted:
yes
* Room under the jacket for extra layers:
yes
* Purple?:
no
Notes: this coat weighs a ton! Also, you don't machine wash it, rather, just hose it off. I suppose if it gets stinky, I should just wrap it around a wet dog so it smells comforting?
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| Muddy Creek Short Coat, $99 plus shipping |
* Waterproof:
yes
* Breathable:
yes
* Pit zips:
no (but the manufacturer says that the fit is so loose that pit zips are not needed)
* Pockets:
yes
* Hood:
yes
* Cover my butt while mounted:
yes
* Room under the jacket for extra layers:
yes
* Purple?:
no, although I have petitioned Muddy Creek to explore colors!
Notes: I haven't actually touched it and don't know firsthand about the quality of the GoreTex. As has been stated elsewhere, there's GoreTex and Cheap GoreTex, and it's hard to tell which is which from an online photo.
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| Grunden's Weather Boss Hooded Parka, $101.95 + shipping |
* Waterproof:
yes
* Breathable:
yes
* Pit zips:
not sure, probably no
* Pockets:
yes
* Hood:
yes
* Cover my butt while mounted:
yes
* Room under the jacket for extra layers:
yes
* Purple?:
no
Notes: This coat is sold at a local fishery supply house...and raingear on a fishing boat is not intended to keep out a little drizzle between the boat and the bus-stop; rather, it's designed to keep the freakin' ocean out, for hours at a time, for days on end. Grunden's claims that this jacket is also breathable. It's not fashionable, that's for sure, and it certainly doesn't come in a sissy color like purple, but I might be able to give that up in order to stay warm and dry. It's also not much more flattering than a garbage sack, which is what my friend who crews fishing boats recommended I use instead of a fancy coat.
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| Carhartt Women's Waterproof Jacket, $119 plus shipping |
* Waterproof:
yes
* Breathable:
yes
* Pit zips:
no
* Pockets:
yes
* Hood:
yes
* Cover my butt while mounted:
not quite
* Room under the jacket for extra layers:
yes
* Purple?:
no
Notes: I actually already own this Carhartt jacket, and use it for non-horsey activities in the Swamp. It
does keep me very dry, however, the lack of pit-zips is sometimes a problem. This jacket is just exactly the wrong length for riding. There's a snap in front that bangs on my right leg every time my horse strides forward with her right front leg. In a 15-mile training ride, that results in a lovely grape-sized bruise, which isn't ideal. Also, it doesn't quite cover my bum.
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| Carhartt Men's Waterproof Breathable Coat $124.99 + shipping |
* Waterproof:
yes
* Breathable:
yes
* Pit zips:
no
* Pockets:
yes
* Hood:
yes
* Cover my butt while mounted:
yes
* Room under the jacket for extra layers:
yes
* Purple?:
no
Notes: Here's the big-brother to the Carhartt jacket...and it's a men's design. I'm going to try this one on (the local hardware store carries it), but I fear that it will either be huge in the belly-region in order to fit over my girl-butt, or get hung up on my hippy-hip-hips. I am very much shaped like a girl.
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| blurry picture! LL Bean 3-in-1 Weather Challenger $179, free shipping |
* Waterproof:
yes
* Breathable:
yes * Pit zips:
yes? not sure
* Pockets:
yes
* Hood:
yes
* Cover my butt while mounted:
yes
* Room under the jacket for extra layers:
yes
* Purple?:
yes!
Notes: This one turned up in my search just this evening. It's more money that I
want to spend have budgeted, but I might just wait for a month or two to save my shekels and order it, because it really looks like a good match for me. And not just because it's purple, either (although seriously, that doesn't hurt). The reviewers on the LL Bean website talk about using this for walking treks in Ireland, and I have it on good authority that Ireland is just another word for Swampland.
