# Rain gear/Outerwear



## PenguiNet (Dec 15, 2010)

hello, i would like the community's suggestions on a good jacket for paramedics.

my company simply does not provide one to my liking (too bulky and not exactly waterproof and the stowaway hood is a joke).

the customizable watershed jacket looks nice. http://www.gowatershed.com/home/  i've toyed with the configurator for one with a hood and of decent length

i love the look of the paramedic jackets worn on the show third watch, but they look like they have stowaway hoods as well (but probably better quality than my company's)...i'm not sure who makes them.

thanks!

p.s. price is not a concern at this point...just polling for the widest variety of suggestions at this time


----------



## lex (Dec 15, 2010)

I LOVE our jackets, at least as much as one can love a big, red, reflective piece of clothing. Until most services in the province our main jacket is just a shell. We do have fleeces that go under neath it, or can be worn alone, but they are from two different companies, not one of the three in ones that most people seem to have. Anyway, I have fairly long arms and was able to get a jacket that is long enough for me while not being so big that I am uncomfortable working with the bulk of it. The hood does stowaway which might not be what you are looking for, but I have found that it is large enough, and also has a good enough tie system that it can be worn without getting in the way in just about any situation. The other nice thing about the hoods is the little beak that it has so that the water does not drip right into your eyes like many of them do. 

At the moment I have the company name available, aside from thinking that it is an American based company. But by replying now this thread will show up in my e-mails and I will remember to check when I get into the office tomorow. 

Good luck in your search!


----------



## TransportJockey (Dec 15, 2010)

My foul weather/night jacket is a 5.11 reflective parka. Comfortable and bright


----------



## MrBrown (Dec 15, 2010)

We have a big reflective yellow fluro jacket with "AMBULANCE" on the back, which Brown normally wears day-to-day anyway.


----------



## socalmedic (Dec 15, 2010)

whats your price range?


----------



## MrBrown (Dec 15, 2010)

socalmedic said:


> whats your price range?



Depends what Mrs Brown's divorce lawyer is going to charge.


----------



## PenguiNet (Dec 15, 2010)

Thanks for the input, fellows!  Would appreciate some brand names when convenient so I can take a look.


----------



## lex (Dec 16, 2010)

I think I finally found it. It took some serious searching but I've believe that our jacket is a Gore-tex material and that it is put out by a company Cascade Wear Ltd., based out of Vancouver, British Columbia. The specific jacket that I think we have is the Moto/Traffic Gore-Tex Jacket, in red with black. I believe we paid approximately $300 per jacket but that could have been due to the quantity that we ordered. 

Hope this helps.


----------



## NomadicMedic (Dec 16, 2010)

For what it's worth, I wear the Blauer EMS coat. Warm, reflective and looks good. 


http://www.blauer.com/product-detail/76


----------



## TraprMike (Jan 5, 2011)

jtpaintball70 said:


> My foul weather/night jacket is a 5.11 reflective parka. Comfortable and bright



^^THIS
 if it is ANSI 3, if buying a work jacket might as well get a compliant one for roadside work. why spend $250 on a nice warm jacket, and then have to put a 15 bux vest over it?


----------



## JJR512 (Jan 6, 2011)

TraprMike said:


> ^^THIS
> if it is ANSI 3, if buying a work jacket might as well get a compliant one for roadside work. why spend $250 on a nice warm jacket, and then have to put a 15 bux vest over it?



Not all 5.11 jackets are ANSI Class III. Some, like this one, are Class II.

That particular model, although found in the Law Enforcement section of their website, is just as useful for Fire/EMS as LE. It is actually currently being examined by Howard County Fire & Rescue as a replacement for the Blauer 9970-1 which has been their standard issue jacket since the previous winter. What my source inside the quartermaster's office has informed me of is that if this 5.11 jacket had been available at the time they were searching for a new jacket, they most likely would have picked it instead of the Blauer. It has a much, much better liner and more functional pockets. It's also less expensive.

But as I said, it's Class II, but so is the Blauer. HCFR's regulations only require Class II, though. In fact, the policy still requires a Class II vest (currently a Blauer model, not sure if it's the 342 or 343) to be worn; no exception is made for the hi-viz jacket. Of course, I've never seen anyone in the field where the vest over the hi-viz jacket and nobody's ever gotten in trouble for it, at least not to my knowledge. Just a case of old policy not having caught up with newer gear yet, I suppose. But the point is that this county feels Class II is acceptable, and personally, I don't see much difference between Class II and III, anyway. Both the 5.11 and Blauer jackets seem like they'd be visible from 360º, and with all the other flashing lights and scene lights and engines placed as buffers and whatnot, I don't think that at least for this county's situation there's any real practical benefit to specifying Class III.


----------



## TraprMike (Jan 8, 2011)

*this topic has been a subject of my time the past few weeks*

from this link, http://www.labsafety.com/refinfo/printpage.htm?page=/refinfo/ezfacts/ezf153.htm, it says Class 2 These garments are for workers who work near roadways where traffic exceeds 25 mph and need greater visibility in inclement weather. So, does this mean up to 55mph? or  just "above 25? 

I've been looking at this coat from Fleet Farm, http://www.fleetfarm.com/catalog/product_detail/clothing-accessories/men-s-workwear/high-visibility-clothing/utility-pro-wear-hivis-bomber-jacket

Buddy of mine has that 5.11 coat you listed, it's very warm, very bright, but it's a ANSI II coat. He and his crew are ok with the 2 rating.

and JJ, some of the most fanciest coats, might look like they are class 3, but reading further in the description, they are rated at 2. You really have to read the whole advertisment about these things. 

Like I said earlier, my mind is going numb reading about   ANSI 107 vs. 207  and III vs. II coats and vests...


----------



## JJR512 (Jan 8, 2011)

TraprMike said:


> and JJ, some of the most fanciest coats, might look like they are class 3, but reading further in the description, they are rated at 2. You really have to read the whole advertisment about these things.



Uh, yeah, I did actually state explicitly in my post that they are Class II, not III.


----------



## TraprMike (Jan 8, 2011)

ok Terminator, anything you say


----------



## JJR512 (Jan 8, 2011)

TraprMike said:


> ok Terminator, anything you say



No, not anything I say. Just because I say it doesn't automatically mean it's right. But when I say a jacket is rated as Class II, it's pretty redundant for you to tell me that even though a jacket may look like Class III, it's actually Class II which I would have realized if only I had looked at the copy. Doesn't the fact that I already stated it's rated as Class II tell you I already did read the copy?

ANSI 207 applies only to safety vests. It has no classes. Here is a good, simple explanation of the differences between the three main 107 classes: http://www.vinatronics.com/vinatronics/downloads/p61.pdf


----------



## Trauma_Junkie (Jan 14, 2011)

I have a 5.11 Tactical Responder Parka. I don't prefer the hood on most jackets so being able to take out the hood with the zipper is a nice change. My only issue with it: the description stated that it was "waterproof" when in fact it wasn't. I like the parka though so I just treated it with a spray to remedy that. All in all I am content with it.


----------

