Paramo enduro windproof and fleece

[sherpa]

i’ve been out for a walk today - couple of hours in steady rain.

i wore the enduro windproof and fleece (smock). the windproof had just been very carefully washed and reproofed.

during the walk the rain beaded up really well throughout the walk, never got close to saturating the material, and the jacket was merely damp after the water was shaken off once i got home.

i was warm and comfortable during the walk. however, there was a cold spot developing....

under the pack shoulders straps (a light day pack no more than 2kg total weight) there was seepage. my right shoulder was damp, the left was WET, including the merino t-shirt i had worn.

this is my usual experience with paramo. like many i view it as a decently weatherproof softshell but their achillies heel is shoulder straps and hip belt contact/pressure.

 

[Jamess]

Your experience is the same as many others on the forum.

Think of the Enduro as a good shower proof windshell and carry a lightweight rainshell to use over the fleece in really wet weather.

I use a precip as my rainshell with my Paramo windshell and fleece because it's a cheap, light, waterproof and has big pit vents to deal with the moisture when I'm working hard.

 

[Robin]

The jacket/pack strap interface is a potential weakness with Paramo. If the pack strap is absorbent, then it soaks up water can then leach through the outer face and pump liner under pressure. In my experience it’s worse with say the Exped Thunder compared with something like a GG Mariposa where the straps don’t really soak up water. It’s happened to me a few times. I generally carry a lightweight hardshell as well as Paramo on a multiday trip. I’ll probably get shouted down, but I regard Paramo as a highly water resistant soft shell rather than a full on waterproof.