Paramo Pajaro jacket - any experiences?

[Stormflex]

I tend to try and not spend vast amounts of money on outdoor clothing - as long as it is comfortable and functional. I tend to go for Craghoppers Kiwi trousers, including the lined ones for cold days. And up top, have managed to pick up a few Paramo items cheap - Cambia base, Mountain Pull-On, Fuera windproof smock. Even my Lowe Alpine Sabre 35 I picked up for £30.

I'm now after a new jacket. I really like the look of the Pajaro for it's bellow hip pockets. But, would like to hear what users think of it before I take the plunge!

The alternative, although not waterproof, would be a SAS-style smock, in olive as opposed to DPM. At £50-60 they're an attractive alternative. Although I haven't figured out why the one from SASS Kit is £125!!!

I've also looked, on the Internet, at Fjallraven Montt (not sure I like the whole wax idea though) and West Winds Antarctic Smock (really don't know what to think of it).

Any comments appreciated. Or thoughts on others to look at.

Cheers

Rich

 

[TallMikeM]

how about a cheapish lightweight wetproof to put on over your fuera for when the rain gets really heavy? That's what I do, and it works well.

 

[GST138]

I have a lot of paramo kit for walking etc and find it great, it is repairable, and can be reproofed so will not wear out, however I do not know how tough it would be in the woods. As you have a fuera windproof how about getting the tiaga fleece which is waterproof and with a fuera over the top will be windproof, the only bit that would not be totally waterproof would be the hood, I hvae both and the fleece really is waterproof you will be amazed, just my two penneth


Gary

 

[Fin]

I've got one and use it for winter hiking.

It's a great jacket and the bellows pockets are great but be careful as it's not an all rounder IMO. It's too warm for most summer situations and it won't react well to campfire sparks.

It does have plenty of carrying capacity, under arm zipped vents, a fully adjustable hood and, like Gary said, it's easily cleaned and reproofed so it'll last you ages. It's the jacket I wear most days, but if I'm specifically going overnighting or rabbit hunting then I'll wear either ventile or an issue arctic smock.

 

[Surrey Yeoman]

The Pajaro is a nice looking jacket, but I found it too warm to wear in anything other than cold winter weather. A mild spring or late autumn day and it got too sweaty for me, even with all the vents open. Another thing I found was that it was quite high maintenace and needed to be washed and reproofed at least twice, preferrably three times a year to keep it waterproof. In the end, I sold it on and went back to Goretex.

Just my tuppence worth!

 

[Stormflex]

Cheers for your feedback guys - all interesting and worth consideration.

1) Yeah, thought about something like the British Army gore-tex - seen them on ebay for £20-£25. Cheap enough to have stuffed in the rucksack for when you get caught out.

2) Hadn't looked at the Taiga fleece before but quite interesting. Is it heavyweight? Is it the kind of thing you only get out on the coldest of days or do you get good use of it autumn through spring?

3/4) I have read comments before about Paramo jackets being a bit on the warm side. I don't want to spend the money on something I'm only going to wear a handful of times each year. Apart from a cold spell before Christmas, it's been very mild down here in Hampshire.

Ultimately, I want something that is going to be a bit of an all rounder. I don't really practice bushcraft (fire sparks aren't therefore an issue but I guess moving through the woods could be) but just enjoy the outdoors, in a variety of ways. Dog walking, rummaging around to identify fungi/plants, looking at birds/wildlife through the bins, visiting some of the Hampshire Wildlife Trust nature reserves, some longer walks through the New Forest, etc.

Key is that it has some level of easily accessible storage. I get fed up stopping to take my pack off to find (or put away) gloves, hat, notebook, digi camera, field guide, etc. And, ideally offers some weather protection. Oh, and I'm generally not into the whole DPM look.

After some more looking around the Artkis 1015 waterproof smock (in olive) looks great but at £200....

Thanks again

Rich