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we'll be camping fairly soon, and with the bad weather we've been getting i'd like to get a new pair of waterproofs. money's rather tight at the mo. so anything below the £30 range would be great, plus ones that are super lightweight and breathable/comfortable too (men's and women's).

manythanks xxb

Quote: Originally posted by brenroamin on 03/7/2007

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we'll be camping fairly soon, and with the bad weather we've been getting i'd like to get a new pair of waterproofs. money's rather tight at the mo. so anything below the £30 range would be great, plus ones that are super lightweight and breathable/comfortable too (men's and women's).

manythanks xxb

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Unfortunately, you are going to get what you pay for. Anything from companies like Mountain Equipment will do what they claim of it. Ordinary waterproofs tend to leave you as wet inside the wretched things because they cannot "wick" the moisture away. I'm still not sure about Goretex based clothing because it is sooo expensive.

Some people I know have washed some of the Nikwax products into their clothing and reckon that they worked.

I have still use waxed cotton as an outer jacket and trousers made in a material that dries very rapidly: Don't despise Wellies because they're good at protecting your lower bits - LOL

It rather depends on what you want them for.

I usually only use mine when hiking, they arent breathable and I paid about a tenner for them from Millets about three years ago. However, condensation does form on the inside, but seeing as I usually wear shorts underneath in the summer that doesn't bother me, and in colder months I walk in a pair of US BDU trs (combat trs) that are extremely quick to dry and tend to wick away the moisture very quickly.

I know it's not really an answer, but it may give you some food for thought

Definately go for breathable ones if you can.

Millets and blacks are reasonable on price I got some from milletts last year less than £30 peter storm i think, http://www.millets.co.uk/millets.storefront/product/041456.aspx?breadcrumbs=MIL%20SS06%20Womens%20Clothing;MIL%20SS06%20Womens%20Trousers%20and%20Skirts

also try go outdoors, but you need to buy a discount card.

http://www.ukcampsite.co.uk/redirect.asp?redir=http://www.gooutdoors.co.uk/5020436473709

Jules

http://www.ukcampsite.co.uk/redirect.asp?redir=http://www.gooutdoors.co.uk/1000000239409

hi all: many thanks for everyone's replies. due to a mistake on buying some Helly Hanson ladies ones for about £40 last year for my daughter's DofE, she got one use out of them and found a rip on her backside, so with that experience in mind, i am really dubious about parting money on brands that don't always live up to their name! i have some Nikwax stuff for me to reproof some extemely tight ladies Paramo ones, but am not sure whether they'll work, coz they didn't seem very waterproof when i bought them yrs ago. it's such a chore to find out which ones are the best when the stuff i've bought in the past have nearly always let me down..

cheers, brenxx

Army surplus shops are excellent for cheap waterproofs.  I've been using a pair of army surplus (brand new) waterproof overtrousers for camping and my cycle commute to work for ages and they only cost £8, just plain olive green and lightweight.  There's loads of sites on the net if you haven't a shop nearby.

Quote: Originally posted by Club Joker on 04/7/2007

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Regatta do budget priced breathable waterproofs, available from quite a few shops, seen `em for around £10 - £15 for a pair of trousers, same for the jackets. Breathable is a must !

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thanks for everyone's replies.. i'll go and check out the Regatta ones and hopefully they're still in supply since the downpours we've been having... cheers, xxbren