I have a pair of RedLedge as well. I really like the pants. Full zips and easy to slip on / off. They have hung in there through 3 seasons and are pretty tough.

"Cliff Jacobson mentions using 2 rain jackets at times, one under his pfd and if necessary, one over. ugh. rambling on..."

I can put my rain parka on over my PFD, and just barely catch the bottom of the zipper and the first snap.  that works well when you are out in the middle of a lake in the wind and don't want to take your PFD off to put the rain gear on - also give a lot of venting that way - especially nice when you get those on and off and on again rain days - maybe something to consider when you buy your rain jacket.

I have lots of different rain gear - as far as rain pants go, I have an old pair of Red Ledge Thunderlight full zip that I like better than my Marmot Precip pants or my REI rain pants - Red Ledge may be a better option than Frogg Togs with a  middle of the road price.

I recommended these to a father-son duo that wanted me to take them in with my son on this last trip a week or so ago. They both put holes in the pants from just normal usage around camp and paddling. The Toggs were on sale at Joe's (Maplewood in MPS) for 20 bucks. I didn't think they would hold up but at least the father-son duo wouldn't be out a lot of cash for one-trip raingear -- which we ended up needing. I had some over-the-boot waders which I completely destroyed on one 7-day trip into the Q last May. Just sayin'

In August of 2014 my sister purchased some Frogg raingear for her trip.  It seems very light and felt like paper.  It didn't rain much during our trip so I have no comment on how it performed in the rain.  But we took a bathroom break and she proceeded to put a hole in the jacket when she came in contact with some dry branches.  I don't think Frogg rain gear would hold up to hard use.

The real issue with most raingear is, how wet do you want to get? And how quick do you want to get wet?

Congrats to ST sneaking in his word of the day.

Back in the year 1999 or 2000 I bought the first generation of Frogg Toggs.  Bare bones model with bibs, no pockets , the feel of thin paper and the campfire spark resistance of even thinner paper.  A demo at the Indianapolis Sport Show sold me when they were pushing steam from a tea pot through the material and suspending a cup of water in another piece.  The new technology failed on the welded seams in the crotch of the bibs the first day of my trip that year.  A rainy spring with a rental canoe and tractor seats that did not drain well.  Once I located the company, which was no small task, they admitted the engineering flaw and promptly sent me not one but two complete replacements of both jacket and bibs.

I have worn out several sets since then.  The newer models with more bells and whistles have not worked as well.  My most recent Frogg Toggs set had more robust fabric with waterproof zippered pockets, cargo pockets, pockets to roll the hood up in and zippered bibs and jacket that leak horribly in an all day rain where the water tends to pond in your lap when sitting in a canoe.
My current set is a pair of Grunden breathable bibs with no zippers and the jacket mentioned above.  Seems to be OK.  Or maybe I should say “seams” to be OK.

MossBack

Quote:


I'd rather spend the money on a couple of NUBILE portage monkeys to FAN me 

ST: maybe a veskimo will end up on your wish list 
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So DriDucks is the lighter version of frogg toggs that i used. seems fragile but i used it 2 years with no damage. very breathable and stayed very dry. 
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I tend to run "hot" so if I do wear rain gear and I'm portaging, I vent it as much as possible and I avoid long sleeve fleece, opting for just a fleece vest that I can unzip as well. Your core is what gets hot/cold and your armpit area is a heat pump so I like the pit zip option.

I also like my rain gear "loose' as in I buy it big enough I can put it on OVER my PFD. You can always cinch up the waist/close zippers but for me having the rain gear loose allows maximum air circulation when I want it.

I really don't think ANY piece of rain gear works the best in ALL conditions. You just have to find one that fits YOUR needs the majority of the time.

In my mind, keeping water out and dry inside is easy, get good 'breathable' rain gear and use it.  If it gets too warm portaging or whatever, unzip the vents and it's all good. but in reality the last 2 years has been like walking a tightrope trying to stay dry.  Last year i sweat profusely on a portage with no way to stay dry.  Under the rain gear all 'quick dry' non absorbent clothes.  then the temp dropped and it's a wet cold paddle to make camp.   i wonder if in those conditions it would be good to have something non-absorbent next to the skin and in addition, something sacrificially absorbent just under the rain-gear that can come off before hitting the water.
5 years ago i used a pair of something like frog toggs (dift brand, not as thick, don't recall the name).  about 20.00 for pants and jacket, advertised 'breathable'.  That trip it rained a lot for about 4 days.  I stayed very dry and comfortable in that set of gear with no pass thru pockets and zippered pant bottoms. It was overall warmer than most rainy June trips.  Durability may be an issue, but that stuff handled the water well.  Cliff Jacobson mentions using 2 rain jackets at times, one under his pfd and if necessary, one over. ugh. rambling on...