Thread: Quiet waterproof jacket and pants for North island bush hunting recommendations

I am looking for a waterproof, breathable set of pants, and a jacket for wet bush hunting. Most rain coats are too noisy when brushing against wet bush, so I have been considering
Hunters Element downpour Elite, and Huntech saddle jacket and pants, which are both supposed to be waterproof and quiet.

Does anyone on this forum have either of these, and if so are they all they are cracked up to be ?

Can anyone recommend any other brands or models, that are quiet, and 100% waterproof and breathable ?

Originally Posted by Rockyw

...quiet, and 100% waterproof and breathable ?

Add durable to that list and you have the Holy Grail. Good luck, watching with interest.

Don’t think it exists really. Atleast not waterproof and quiet. Always found they don’t stay waterproof when pushing through wet bush.

Good thermal base layer makes it feel OK even when you are wet.

Spent 40 years looking for this. Somewhere along the line I just got used to getting wet. As long as you are warm, you can put up with being wet.

Jacket doesn’t need to absolutely quiet. Just wear an old hunting top over top of waterproof gear, problem solved.

I silicone/white spirits coated my sc 'sika' top (multilayer fleece fabric) for bush hunting on wet days.
Not waterproof, but it is long with a hood and neck guard that makes it bearable on the wet days. Silent though!
Old sc brushed face waterproof pants treated the same under my fleece huntech gaiters. Silent also as almost no leg exposed between gaiters and sika top.

Originally Posted by Rockyw

I am looking for a waterproof, breathable set of pants, and a jacket for wet bush hunting. Most rain coats are too noisy when brushing against wet bush, so I have been considering
Hunters Element downpour Elite, and Huntech saddle jacket and pants, which are both supposed to be waterproof and quiet.

Does anyone on this forum have either of these, and if so are they all they are cracked up to be ?

Can anyone recommend any other brands or models, that are quiet, and 100% waterproof and breathable ?

What’s your budget?

I’ve got a micklagaard anorak and trousers, also a Swazi tahr xp anorak and overtrousers. Can’t remember the last time I used the Swazi stuff.


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What @wekaman said. Get used to being wet. But it's often worth it!

Practically any rain jacket you use in the bush unless it is literally rubber construction is going to develop micro holes, which will lead to damp. Regardless, rain jackets have a static head limit (how much water they can handle before they soak through), so you will find after an hour or two in wet bush, your probably going to be wet anyway.

I do use a Swazi Rifleman light weight rain jacket when hunting in the bush. It's comfortable, light and when it wets through, drys out quick back at camp. Otherwise, Swandri (wool) will get wet but still be warm, or Swazi Hood 500 gram fleece hooded top, which also will soak through, but also provide warmth

My budget is $500 for the right jacket

Swazi windriver is a fleece outer, super quiet. They claim it's not waterproof because the seams aren't sealed but I've walked out in a thunderstorm and it didn't leak a drop.
It's pretty warm is one drawback, the other is the outer fleece, while it doesn't leak, gets soaked. A large is about 1.2kg dry, but I reckon it's about 3-4 kg soaked.

Micklagaard is astonishingly good, but fuck me is it warm. If the temperature is in double digits just don't.

Even if some miracle jacket exists that won’t let water in? regardless of it’s so called breathability rating you’ll sweat and end up wet anyway. Go for warmth/layering.

I got the swazi ones. Pretty good. They don't hold up to long days in the snow so I may end up selling mine and going to a alpine climbing set

A diving wetsuit. OP didn’t say anything about breathability. You’ll be dry and quiet. Perfect lol