Natural clothing

[PH]

When I'm moving this slowly in these winds and snow and ice, the minimal breathability provided by the holes needed for my extremities and by opening vents seems good enough.

But a whole extra garment just for really low speeds in snow and ice doesn't seem like a great use of resources...

Don't worry. It gets worn for things other than cycling too.

Yes me too, when it's as cold as it has been recently I'm riding in the coat that would normally be too warm for riding but is used a lot off the bike.

[pjclinch]

Just noticed that Vulpine are doing Ventile stuff too, though quite frankly at 'avin'-a-larf prices.

Currently in a sale and reduced to £315 (The similar mac in he epic cotton is reduced to £133)
Is that still a 'avin'-a-larf price? I don't know, if it was something I wanted and I thought it would last a lot of years it's a price I would pay.

Fair points. I think someone's extracting the urine when they're charging a lot more for something that is functionally identical to an alternative, but "functionally identical" depends a lot on what you think the functions are. From my POV a £20 Casio is "functionally equivalent" to a £2000 Bling Watch because it says the same time, but the owner of a Bling Watch almost certainly sees value in it where I don't (it's essentially jewellery, which is clearly valued by a lot of people even if much of it doesn't push my buttons).

In this case the Vulpine doesn't strike me as doing much more than the (not cheap) Hilltrek, but then again we're in to fashion to at least some degree, about which I know very little (less than that, my daughter would tell me).

If you like it and you have the money, it's worth it. If you want a cotton waterproof coat but are not much fussed beyond that, you can get that for less.

Pete.

[elPedro666]

This just popped up on my Facebook feed, currently on offer and doubtless lovely, but the question of 'seeing the value' posed above is again very relevant I think!

https://demonframeworks.com/product/jackets/

I'm a trendy consumer. Just look at my wobbly using hovercraft full of eels.

[thirdcrank]

At this point I'll mention the Musto Ventile Arctic parka.

This style of Musto coat was made in three grades, of which the Ventile version was the most expensive. I only know about it because I picked up the least-expensive version in Goretex at their York outlet during the Black Friday sale in 2015. My version had begun life in the £700+ range and had been reduced to half price. When I decided - after a lot of agonising that I could thoyle that much hard-earned - I was pleasantly surprised to learn that the sign "Up to a furthe 20% off selected items" included this coat so it "only" set me back something a shade under £270 (which is why I used the expression "least-expensive."

The Ventile version has remained at full price. It's some sort of a limited edition but not moving fast.

FWIW, when I bought mine there was a chap trying on one of the middle-priced ones, pretty much like mine but with the gold level of Primaloft. On the fashion point, it was bright red and covered in reflective Musto ads. That chap's wife was encouraging him to splash out "You'll kick yourself later if you don't buy it" and she explained to me that he was a keen sailor. Must logos all over your coat probably carry more kudos in those circles than mine. The harshest conditions mine has protected me from were watching my grandson playing soccer in Queensbury. Worth every penny.

And, unlike the Ventile version it's washable.

http://www.musto.com/en_GB/ventile-arct ... ts-jackets

[Bmblbzzz]

And, unlike the Ventile version it's washable.

http://www.musto.com/en_GB/ventile-arct ... ts-jackets

I think that must be because of the fur trimming. Ventile is washable, as you'd expect of cotton.

[thirdcrank]

I was going by the vendor's own instructions in my link:

Care instructions
Dry clean only
Contains non-textile parts of animal origin
Fur only - dry clean medium heat with any solvent except trichloroethylene

The fur collar zips off for separate cleaning. FWIW, the care instructions on the label in my Goretex one say cold wash only and no dry cleaning.

[rotavator]

Hilltrek recommend dry cleaning for their Ventile jackets.

[Bmblbzzz]

The label on mine says "Handwash with care using Granger's pure liquid soap".

[deliquium]

Hilltrek recommend dry cleaning for their Ventile jackets.

The label on mine says "Handwash with care using Granger's pure liquid soap".

The label on my November 2017 Hilltrek single Ventile 'Greenspot' says "PROFESSIONALLY DRY CLEAN USING A GENTLE PROCESS"

Which is a bit of a bummer as the high collar gets grubby (it's red) quite quickly from an energetic cycling sweaty back of neck

[Bmblbzzz]

Hmm, I can't remember quite which year I bought mine but they've obviously changed their instructions since then.

[LollyKat]

My Hilltrek jacket is about 20 years old. It is double layer - the outside is Ventile but the inner is ordinary cotton gaberdene. The washing instructions are:

"Handwash only; Warm (40deg C); Warm rinse, hand-hot final rinse; Drip Dry; Warm iron."

I bought it for walking but haven't used it a huge amount; it is very comfortable to wear but is not proof against prolonged rain, gets very heavy when wet and takes ages to dry out.

[pjclinch]

My Hilltrek jacket is about 20 years old. It is double layer - the outside is Ventile but the inner is ordinary cotton gaberdene.
<snip>
I bought it for walking but haven't used it a huge amount; it is very comfortable to wear but is not proof against prolonged rain, gets very heavy when wet and takes ages to dry out.

AIUI you need double-layer Ventile to be waterproof, but single layer should be okay as showerproof. The current Hilltrek catalogue has both double and single Ventile options.

Pete.

[rotavator]

Just to clarify my rather bald statement; I called into Hilltrek's shop on on 24 Feb 2018 to have a look at their Ventile jackets and when I asked about how to clean them, they said that they should be dry cleaned. However, it is quite possible that their advice has changed or that I was given the wrong advice!

[LollyKat]

My Hilltrek jacket is about 20 years old. It is double layer - the outside is Ventile but the inner is ordinary cotton gaberdene.
<snip>
I bought it for walking but haven't used it a huge amount; it is very comfortable to wear but is not proof against prolonged rain, gets very heavy when wet and takes ages to dry out.

AIUI you need double-layer Ventile to be waterproof, but single layer should be okay as showerproof. The current Hilltrek catalogue has both double and single Ventile options.

Pete.

With mine the rain tends to come in via the seams - the stitching thread looks synthetic so perhaps it doesn't swell enough to fill the holes. I once applied seam seal which helped though it didn't look great, but it's worn off by now.

[thirdcrank]

I understand that water causes the fibres in Ventile to swell, making it to a certain extent impervious. I don't have any problem with the concept, but I'm unclear why the fabric benefits from treatment with waterproofing potions which I would have thought would reduce the swelling of the fibres through getting wet. ie If it needs to get wet to work, why stop it getting wet? I also understand that if the material of a garment is sopping wet, then any breathability is compromised and condensation is increased so I don't need that bit explaining.