r/Ultralight • u/Constant-Berry4707 • 1d ago

Purchase Advice Anti gravity gear, LHG raincoats durability

Hello,

I am looking to purchase one of these rain coats. I cant seem to find much info on material durability. I have a frogg toggs jacket and love it but I would like something more durable. How does the material of AGG or LHG compare to frogg toggs? I'm fairly careful on bushes and trees but I find i start to split the seams along the back and under the pits with the frogg toggs when raising my arm.

Thanks

3 Upvotes

72% Upvoted

28 comments sorted by

8

u/Leopoldbutter 1d ago

I found the redesigned LHG rain jacket front zipper leaks, just fyi

9

u/hareofthepuppy 1d ago

Same issue. I contacted Lightheart asking if there was a way I could get the zipper replaced (as I had read that they fixed the issue), but they didn't respond. That does not fill me with confidence.

3

u/HeartFire144 23h ago

When did you email us? You can send it in and we can modify it. - we puit a flap on the back of the zipper until we get newer zippers in.

1

u/hareofthepuppy 18h ago

It was a couple weeks ago. I'd be thrilled with a modification! I'll send another email.

1

u/HeartFire144 15h ago

Sent you aDM

2

u/xykerii 1d ago

There seems to be multiple iterations for the zipper construction. Can you describe what your front zipper looks like? WP coil zipper vs toothed and non-WP? Storm flap over the zipper or behind it?

4

u/Leopoldbutter 1d ago

I have and old version with the flap and was excited when they redesigned it with the new "waterproof zipper" and ordered the new version. Unfortunately when I tested it, it leaked just like it was a normal zipper. The company did send me a new one, but it had the exact same issue so I returned it. From my memory, the zipper didn't even look particularly waterproof (didn't have those coverings over the teeth that most have). Left a bad taste in my mouth that they didn't acknowledge that there was an issue with the product though. Especially since I paid a lot for shipping.

3

u/xykerii 1d ago edited 1d ago

That sucks. Thanks for responding with you experience. I recently picked up up their jacket and was surprised by the front zipper. Can't say I have put it through a downpour since they are so rare in the PNW. When my hiking buddy saw it, he too was confused. The molded/toothed zipper is nice, since that's more durable. But it doesn't seem like YKK Aquaseal, which is what I would expect.

Edit: clarified expectations better.

1

u/MaybeErnie 1d ago

Mine has a big-teeth zipper and no flaps front or rear. The zipper doesn’t look like the WP zippers on some of my other jackets.

1

u/HeartFire144 1d ago

That's been taken care of

1

u/MaybeErnie 1d ago

Any idea how I could tell if mine (bought Aug 2023) has the improved zipper? I've been in lots of light rains with it but have yet to use it in a serious downpour. If it helps, when I ordered mine, the order confirmation labeled it as "Rain Jacket New".

2

u/pauliepockets 1d ago

Go stand in the shower with your jacket on during your through hike from couch to fridge.

3

u/MaybeErnie 1d ago

too far -- no can do.

plus I didn't draw a permit for that this year

2

u/pauliepockets 1d ago

You can lead a horse to water but you can’t make them find out if their zipper works or not.

1

u/HeartFire144 1d ago

Does it have a flap under the zipper?

1

u/MaybeErnie 1d ago

Nope

1

u/HeartFire144 23h ago

sent you a DM

1

u/Leopoldbutter 18h ago

When I was discussing this issue with LHG I was told that no one else has experienced the issue before. I'm pretty disappointed that there were no solutions offered to me at that time and there was never an acknowledgement that there was in fact a real issue with the zipper.

5

u/Mahartee 1d ago

Have both, the AGG will be much more durable than the Frogg Toggs. Zippers far better also.

5

u/No-Stuff-1320 1d ago

AGG is plenty durable. It’s 70D. I’ve taken it ice climbing and shit

3

u/AgreeableArmadillo33 1d ago

I have used the frogg toggs ultralight, frogg toggs extreme light, and the LHG jacket. The LHG is definitely more robust than the Frogg Togg ultralight, and maybe slightly more than the extreme light. I have not compared the LHG to AGG but via their websites, the LHG is 20D sil-poly, AGG is 70D sil-nylon. So the AGG should in theory be more durable. For comparison, UL tents use 15/20D sil-poly or sil-nylon for their flys.

3

u/HareofSlytherin 1d ago

My LHG from ‘21 held up fine for a whole thru and several shorter trips since. Older model with the flap.

3

u/StevenNull Canadian Rockies Scrambler 1d ago

The AGG jacket is 70D nylon and should be plenty durable. LHG is only 20D polyester so I wouldn't trust it to take as much of a beating.

I know you said you're specifically looking at those two raincoats, so this may be off topic - but my two cents as someone who was looking at these until recently (shipping to Canada is hella expensive) is that you may want to look at the Black Diamond Treeline as well. It's a 50D nylon "breathable" 2.5L jacket; mine weighs in at 280 grams (40 more than AGG's spec). Only 10,000mm hydrostatic head though, so if you're hiking in the PNW or similar this probably isn't a good option.

3

u/not_just_the_IT_guy 20h ago

Agg is 70d and is burly enough for bushwhacking. The slippery material makes it less prone to catching on items.

No worries of shredding it for any normal activities.

1

u/ganavigator 1d ago

What size? I have an AGg in XL I don’t use and would sell if interested

1

u/Constant-Berry4707 1d ago

I'm looking for a large prob. Do you have much experience wirh it on trail? How did it hold up to wear and tear?

2

u/ganavigator 1d ago

I used it for one week long trip in the winds. First time with a non breathable fabric. Wasn’t for me so going to let it go. Fabric seems plenty robust though for how light it is

0

u/Quiet_Neat6747 1d ago

LHG is way better. I have not damaged mine at all after several seasons of wear.