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Re: What counts as 'budget' kit?

 Budget waterproof?Anthing under £100. Simple.

Good luck on trying them out! 

You could always use a poncho? 

Re: What counts as 'budget' kit?

Well what is it used for? You can get a decent jacket for £60 and will be fine for the summer season, I started with all budget gear but when I took the outdoors up as a hobby I needed better kit so I had to buy it all again which was annoying. I always say that if you buy right you buy once,

Something like this is fine on a budget Berghaus Knoydart Waterproof Jacket http://www.gooutdoors.co.uk/knoydart-jacket-p177808

or this

http://www.gooutdoors.co.uk/the-north-face-resolve-mens-waterproof-jacket-p99814

Hope i was of some help anyway.

Re: What counts as 'budget' kit?

Personally I'd avoid the Berghaus RG1 jacket for hillwalking. They're often available at bargain prices around £50 or less which seems great for the Berghaus name.

I have one, it's a fine everyday jacket but, while the jacket is perfectly waterproof and quite breathable, the hood is absolutely useless and offers very little protection from anything other than a shower. If they made the same jacket with a better hood, it would be a good budget option.

If you want something really cheap, I rate the Target Dry range. My daughter has had one for years and it's been brilliant. It's lightweight, packs down very small and seems quite flimsy but she's worn it on several trips to The Lakes and she's stayed dry and warm (with fleece layers underneath) even in cold and wet conditions.

Gelert and Regatta also make some good budget waterproof jackets.

Re: What counts as 'budget' kit?

RamblingJack said:

If this is a good jacket and in your price range, why not buy the jacket AND a decent hat? That combination gives a number of options if and when you come to upgrade.

The point I was trying to make (perhaps badly) is that there are better jackets than the Berghaus RG1 for around the same money (or less) which don't have the kudos of the Berghaus name on them.

For a jacket that costs over £80 at RRP and given that it comes from a company like Berghaus, I think the RG1 should have a very much better hood design. As it happens, I bought mine for around £50 and for that, it's a decent every day jacket (although even at £50 it's pretty basic).

Re: What counts as 'budget' kit?

I am getting a £300+ jacket for under £200 via Nevis Sport, sent down from a Scotland store for a no obligation look. Only one colour is available at that price which just happens to be the colour I want. Not only that, they are sending TWO sizes down for me to try them both for size - what a bargin and what customer service too!

Re: What counts as 'budget' kit?

Some really interesting thoughts, cheers guys. I reckon that checking out sales/ deals is a great way of getting bargains, but I guess there is some cheap and cheerful kit out there that performs well on the hill as well. Gelert does a good jacket, I think it's called the Timor - it won best value award last year in Trail anyway...

Re: What counts as 'budget' kit?

When I first started fell walking, I used to go up in a jacket from asda and a pair of trainers, and yeah I did get a wee bit wet at times, but I didn't die of hypothermia or anything.  Expensive & fancy 'kit' is not needed for walking in this country.

Re: What counts as 'budget' kit?

johndigital said:

surely the biggest decider will be your finances, its all relative to what you can spend. my first jacket was an aldi waterproff with zip out fleece, it is also windproof. 3 years later still have it and wear it for walking the dog. excellent for the price. waterproof trousers were portwest, not breathable but kept the rain out.

shop around read the reviews and get out and enjoy.

 

terrybnd does some great reviews of gear, over a period of time not just 1 day on the hill, sfter all, it could be a great name/brand but if it doesnt perform::-(.

 

hope some of this helps.

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All very true and thanks for the kind words.

In the past 10 months of spending more time out on the hills walking, sleeping under nylon than at home in comfort or in my own bed - I can honestly say very very quickly you see the potential durability of kit.

And yes, it's because it's used often for days on end etc.

So far, I've been quite lucky with gear (not all is blogged about) - only a couple of bits were a bit of a nuisance or let down.

In the main, you'll find budget gear compares quite well out on the hills. The only difference 'really' is comfort. ie, you too sweaty or do the zips have storm flaps (and do they stay in place or eventually folk under and just not cover the zip anymore).

Clothing has been generally fine, waterproofs mixed - tents good (except one that got wrecked on it's first nights use) and shoes OK.

I still go back to gear I owned (and still buy stuff, too) because they're just good. And most of it aint expensive stuff either!

There are some things of course, where money does count - and that's down. As in down feathers in sleep bags etc. Tents, too.

Other than that - whatever you're comfortable with is what counts. Simple as that. And no one can tell you what will make you comfortable or not. That's for you and your pocket to decide, eh?