Outer shell jackets

Thanks guys
I will check out the drifters gear.  On a positive note though, the Kway Killi is 15 000 mvt[font=Segoe UI, Segoe UI Emoji, Segoe UI Symbol, Helvetica, Arial, sans-serif].  Which is the best i have seen locally, and is better than my current 'disintegrating' jacket.[/font]

Just something to add here - Bold Gear (SA company) makes a rain jacket with a 20K rating for both waterproof and breathability. Likely more of a running jacket, but worth a check out.  I have met a guy that does adventure racing etc and he claims the jacket works. I am not convinced but it is made from eVent (with a good international reputation?) and is locally manufactured. 

I have a Mountain Hardware shell with an e-vent lining, and it works brilliantly. I tend to run hot so I sweat a lot, and this is the best water barrier I've used so far. It still gets clammy on the inside in high humidity conditions, but I've never been wet under the jacket, just a bit clammy in the worst conditions. My only concern is durability, the fabric has torn around my neck area after about 6 years, which I suppose is from stretching it more than anything else. Nothing that a bit of duct tape can't fix  

HI there, sorry coming late into this. My question it this, i need an outer shell jacket, i see Kili Kway is about R2500 and seems pretty robust, BUT, is it warm? And if not, what do you wear for warmth under this? IM trying to stay lean on the clothing but if this jacket is for WIND,rain, ect - then what clothing is worn under it for warmth?

The outer shells tend to get a bit chilly on bare skin, their purpose is however to keep you dry and keep the wind off you, and not necasarily keep you "warm". I normally layer a fleece underneath the shell to keep it off your bare skin and provide some insulation.

You should have a fleece or soft-shell jacket underneath for colder temps, or even a long sleeve polly hiking shirt would help to reduce the feel of the hard shell jackets on bare skin and provide some insulation for moderate temps. I got the KWay Staden soft shell jacket in around May, but have only used it once hiking. Though if you can afford it, the Killi soft shell version for about R2500 seems more soft, flexible and packable..

Here's my setup - Adapt it to suit your own preferences:

For most conditions, I wear a wicking nylon/polyprop type of short sleeve T-shirt (winter & summer the same)
I then cover my arms with arm protectors (white in summer, black in winter).
This suits me well during daytime hiking, but if the wind starts blowing or during the night, I usually put a 100 fleece over this first base layer. If the wind or cold cuts through this, I'll put the outershell on.

Very rarely will I have to wear my down jacket while hiking - I can only remember two times in snow on the escarpment with a lot of wind that I had to wear the down jacket underneath the outer shell. Different story when I stop or start to cool down, then the down jacket is definitely used.

Also consider this fact when you buy your outer shell. Whatever warm jacket you have will need to fit underneath the outer shell.

advocate_gerrie_nel wrote:

Just something to add here - Bold Gear (SA company) makes a rain jacket with a 20K rating for both waterproof and breathability. Likely more of a running jacket, but worth a check out.  I have met a guy that does adventure racing etc and he claims the jacket works. I am not convinced but it is made from eVent (with a good international reputation?) and is locally manufactured. 

I am not aware of any factories in SA that have a license to produce products using eVent. Happy to be proven wring though, but I know of a few that claim to have this license when in act it is a lie. Just double-check before purchase.

Serious wrote:

I got the KWay Staden soft shell jacket in around May, but have only used it once hiking. Though if you can afford it, the Killi soft shell version for about R2500 seems more soft, flexible and packable..

I'm curious, how do you find it for/as...
Wind resistence?
Remaining acceptably dry (it's wicking capabilities) whilst on the move?
Shedding drizzle?

Thoughts in general.

thanks.

@Carl

Very wind resistant.
Haven't used it while hiking or in drizzle. Not sure you would want to get it wet for any extended period of time though, it takes time to dry after washing it. I would rather use a water proof shell if it started drizzling for extended period of time.