Galway Bay Rain Gear - 2023 Forum Review

[GolferXY]

Still anticipating my delivery, but the weather has changed and the rains have come.  My current GG rain gear is fashionable and comfortable, but has poor water repelling performance.  It also is too warm when it is a little warm, and provides no warmth when it gets a bit chilly.

So, what I’m really looking for in the Galway Bay gear is pretty simple.  I’ll break it down for easy reading:

Quality – When you pay this much for anything you should expect that the stitching is straight with good symmetry and no loose or missed threads.  When I turn the garment inside-out, I expect to see the pockets are dressed properly so they won’t sag or catch smaller items in the crease at the edge where it meets the front of the jacket.  The collar should sit comfortably whether raised Elvis like or laying flat.  Zippers or other closures should operate perfectly and consistently and of course be taped or otherwise rain-proofed.  Belt loops should be properly sewn on and strong enough to last as long as the pants.

Fit – I’m looking for a comfortable fit at the shoulders, under the arms, and at the neck and neck closure.  Galway Bay advertises that this gear is designed not just to be rain repellent, but useful for those days when rain may threaten but not show up.  In other words, breathable.  So, the jacket must remain a good fit rain or shine.  In the Pacific Northwest, “Rain or Shine” is the definition of golf.  I intend to test out both extremes and everything in between.  This is the perfect time of year for that.

Pants will be interesting as I was fitted for a full 2 inches shorter than my normal 32”.  So I may have “high water” rain gear!  That might actually be a good thing. 

Performance -  Does it keep me dry?  Well, I suppose personal opinion must flavor this.  To me, dry means dry.  If the jacket keeps the rain off for a few holes then soaks through, I won’t consider that a success.  Ideally, it will keep me dry throughout a round under steady light rain.  I’ll also be interested to see how the jacket responds to taking it off and putting it back on.  Does it get sticky?  Does the moisture on the outside bleed through into the interior if you put it into your bag between sprinkles on those days of rain showers with breaks of sunshine?

I guess I’m most curious about the performance of the pants.  As I said, they are shorter than my normal pant, and are designed to be worn as pants and not over your other pants.  Considering this, will they be able to keep me comfortably dry for an entire round and drive home from the course?  If I sit on a wet bench or a cart, what kind of soak-through will I get?  Will they be comfortable enough after a rainy round to sit and have a brew in the lounge with the guys? 

Another consideration is how the gear affects my swing.  All seasonal wear like rain and cold weather gear will restrict the swing to an extent.  This is a function of sizing, fit, material its made of, and swing style.  I’m one of those folks who is usually severely restricted by clothing…I imagine its mostly in my head…so I have high hopes that the Galway Bay gear won’t be so restrictive – especially the pants.

Style – While I’m not a slave to fashion, I do want to look like I’m there to play golf and not clean out a septic tank.  The pictures on the website show a nice looking fabric rather than the plasticky over-suits that I’ve worn in the past.  That will be a big plus.  Also, I’m no former underwear model like one of my golf buddies, but I want the clothes to look good even if I don’t do them justice.

XY

[Josh Parker]

No rain in the forecast this weekend but planning on doing a few test with the pants and jacket.  

 

[Josh Parker]

Be on the lookout for a video after this weekend similar to the one below.  As mentioned with no rain, I want to see how well the jacket and pants keep out water and what better way to give the wife and kids an excuse to throw water at me...

 

Edited September 22 by jdparker
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[WaffleHouseTour]

Did my unboxing today. 

Well, at least I “unboxed” my RC uniform… I’m pretty sure the rain jacket they gave us will not meet the Galway Bay standards for water proofing, breathability or flexibility. 
 

in all seriousness, my gear arrived while I was somewhere over the Atlantic, so that will have to wait a week for me. 

However, as I stated in my intro, I’m very curious as to the care of this rain gear - how do you maintain the repellant nature of the clothing?  Here is what I discovered:  “we recommend washing it in warm water and using a mild detergent. Avoid using too much detergent, as this can reduce the waterproofness of the fabric. You can also use a DWR (durable water repellent) solution to refresh the waterproofness of your rain gear. DWR solutions are available at most outdoor retailers.”  
 

I have used Grangers DWR wash and spray before (easy to find on Amazon and elsewhere, so will plan to do so again.  
The testing will be over in a short period of time but we tester should think about long term updates - how long does it stay water proof. How do regular washing of the pants impact the water proofing…

[GolferXY]

Good call on the durability and care of the waterproofing. That "other" brand states that washing can actually improve the garments waterproofing...a claim I was suspicious of and I can tell you it did NOT. Mine was delivered today, playing tomorrow, unboxing and first review Monday.  Looking forward to this!

[Josh Parker]

First test completed, and I have to say, I am quite impressed with the ability to repel water and stay dry!  I wore shorts under the pants to test those as well and everything stayed dry.  The pants are meant to be worn as the primary garment but they do have enough elasticity to fit over shorts.  I will try to see if they work over pants but have a feeling that they will be a little snug.  I think the most important thing to note is that, both the pants and jacket seemed to not soak in any water at all and felt almost dry to the touch once I had removed them. 

I plan on actually getting out to the range or course in them on the next rain to test the length that they remain dry, but for an initial test, they pass with flying colors.  

I agree with the rest of the guys, it's going to be a durability test that is important and if they will continue to remain dry over a longer period of time and use.  So, for everyone's enjoyment on a Sunday, here is a video of my son spaying me with a hose. 

 

 

 

 

 

[WaffleHouseTour]

10 hours ago, jdparker said:

  I wore shorts under the pants to test those as well and everything stayed dry.  The pants are meant to be worn as the primary garment but they do have enough elasticity to fit over shorts. 

Did you order the same waist size as you normally would, or give yourself some room?

[EugeGall]

Update. My package is with UK customs so hopefully get this week

[Josh Parker]

2 hours ago, WaffleHouseTour said:

Did you order the same waist size as you normally would, or give yourself some room?

I ordered the same size that I normally wear.  After reading that they meant for them to be worn as the main garment I wanted to follow that direction.  They do have some elasticity to them but the legs are more tapered and don't have zips at the cuffs.  

[Josh Parker]

On 9/24/2023 at 3:08 PM, jdparker said:

First test completed, and I have to say, I am quite impressed with the ability to repel water and stay dry!  I wore shorts under the pants to test those as well and everything stayed dry.  The pants are meant to be worn as the primary garment but they do have enough elasticity to fit over shorts.  I will try to see if they work over pants but have a feeling that they will be a little snug.  I think the most important thing to note is that, both the pants and jacket seemed to not soak in any water at all and felt almost dry to the touch once I had removed them. 

I plan on actually getting out to the range or course in them on the next rain to test the length that they remain dry, but for an initial test, they pass with flying colors.  

I agree with the rest of the guys, it's going to be a durability test that is important and if they will continue to remain dry over a longer period of time and use.  So, for everyone's enjoyment on a Sunday, here is a video of my son spaying me with a hose. 

 

 

 

 

Ha, the wife decided to tell me after I posted this that I looked like Dr. Evil..... See if I take her golfing anytime soon.  

[GolferXY]

Good morning, Spies!

It rained this morning.  But unlike most days, I was looking forward to it.  Of course!  My new rain gear is here and crying to be worn.  But with this gear, that would be the only dampness I encountered today.

The rain held off for the entire round, but I did get some rain-duty in at the end.  As I walked off the 18th, the skies opened up and I had my chance.  I headed to the driving range and teed it up with the liquid sun falling on my shoulders.

Ok, let’s back up a bit.  I ordered the gear online, using the Galway Bay fitting tool.  I input my height and weight and the tool suggested an XXL jacket and 42 pant. 

 

I got the gear Saturday.  It came in a smaller box than I anticipated, with coat, pants, and gloves neatly and individually wrapped.  The material is soft and feels like cotton with a bit of a coating for waterproofing. 

Looks nice, stitches are clean, the jacket pockets are easily accessed and big enough for a hand and some golf balls.  It was easy to enter the pocket with a gloved hand and pull out those balls.  The pockets are zippered to keep the rain out and the contents in.  The zippers are plastic and with large teeth, less likely to be fouled.  The waterproofing tape is a slightly different color, more gray-blue than black, but hardly noticeable and goes well with the jacket.  The jacket fit perfectly.  The collar was pliable enough not to rub but stiff enough to maintain its collar-up position.

The pants were of the same material and exactly the same color as the jacket.  They have two fairly small front pockets which I prefer so I didn’t have to dig too deep to get my ball, tee, green repair tool, and ball marker.  The two back pockets were deep enough to fit a scoring book, and my rangefinder dropped in and fit easily.  It was easy to retrieve too, even with a gloved hand.  All good so far.

 5 belt loops, with the middle-back loop more robust as this one will receive the most stress.  The pants fit perfectly for length, which was a concern for me since the website fitting tool suggested a 30” length when I usually wear 32”s in my regular pants.  The girth was a bit on the large size.  In fact it was probably 2 inches wider than I expected – the fitting tool stated they would probably fit tight.  However, once I put on my belt they fit awesome!  Very comfortable, lots of room, and movement was not restricted at all…while dry.  More on that later.

I think they look good.  My golf buddy’s wife said she thought they were attractive and was interested in the women’s line.  She doesn’t golf but likes to walk the course with us for exercise and wants some good rain gear, too. 

I played 18 in the warm, clammy conditions and was pretty comfortable.  Temps ranged from 60-65 degrees fahrenheit with cloudy skies and damp grass.  The clothes were comfortable for the entire round, though towards the end they started to get a bit warm from body heat.  The pants started to be a bit sticky on my knees but not enough to sweat or be uncomfortable.

Now, back to the range.  Are they waterproof?

 

There was a soft but constant rain while I hit some balls.  There was no restriction in the shoulders or waist, and the sound of the material was muted and not at all distracting.  The pants did bind up just a bit at the knees, but performed significantly better than any other pants I’ve worn, rain or regular.  I was out there for about half an hour and when I left I was still dry.  I wore the gear home in the car, and was still dry when I got home.  In fact, I wore the pants the rest of the evening as they had dried off completely in the 30 minutes it took to drive home.

I laundered the clothes and they practically dried themselves.  I’m looking at another go this week with heavier rain forecast when I can put the gloves to good use.

 

[rkj427]

@jdparker and @GolferXY

Great introductions and videos showing the waterproof capabilities of the Galway products. 

As I mentioned, I have a set and have used them with great results, but it is really cool that both of you were able to show or demonstrate to other's here how well they fit and work at keeping you dry in wet conditions.  

[GolferXY]

1 hour ago, rkj427 said:

@jdparker and @GolferXY

Great introductions and videos showing the waterproof capabilities of the Galway products. 

As I mentioned, I have a set and have used them with great results, but it is really cool that both of you were able to show or demonstrate to other's here how well they fit and work at keeping you dry in wet conditions.  

Thanks rkj.  How long have you had the Galway Bay gear?  I have the Hawthorn II  jacket and Seagrove II pants.  It's be interesting to compare the fit and style of the various offerings.

[rkj427]

1 hour ago, GolferXY said:

Thanks rkj.  How long have you had the Galway Bay gear?  I have the Hawthorn II  jacket and Seagrove II pants.  It's be interesting to compare the fit and style of the various offerings.

I have the long sleeved, lined jacket, and the chino pants.

Have had them 2 golf seasons, and the first season they saw plenty of action, as I played out of state, and it rained 4 out of the 5 days we played.

I played last November here in Michigan with them on, on a day where it rained lightly, then turned to snowflakes and never had an issue.

Also, I ordered them in the same size I wear in jackets or shirts, XL, and pant the same size as jeans or dress pants I wear, and they fit perfectly and are comfortable.

[Josh Parker]

9 hours ago, rkj427 said:

I have the long sleeved, lined jacket, and the chino pants.

Have had them 2 golf seasons, and the first season they saw plenty of action, as I played out of state, and it rained 4 out of the 5 days we played.

I played last November here in Michigan with them on, on a day where it rained lightly, then turned to snowflakes and never had an issue.

Also, I ordered them in the same size I wear in jackets or shirts, XL, and pant the same size as jeans or dress pants I wear, and they fit perfectly and are comfortable.

What type of maintenance have you done with them after each use?  

[rkj427]

2 hours ago, jdparker said:

What type of maintenance have you done with them after each use?  

Just normal wash per their directions. I have not had to add any other "coating" or other additional "waterproofing type" enhancement product and they still repel water similar to when brand new.

Actually, as I continue to play later into October and November here, I will wear them more often than I have this past summer, and can update if there are any changes, but I honestly do not think they will degrade in the weatherproofing they have.

I am more than happy with this product, especially when you compare the pricing to other big name brands, and the quality and durability they have shown so far.

[Josh Parker]

7 minutes ago, rkj427 said:

Just normal wash per their directions. I have not had to add any other "coating" or other additional "waterproofing type" enhancement product and they still repel water similar to when brand new.

Actually, as I continue to play later into October and November here, I will wear them more often than I have this past summer, and can update if there are any changes, but I honestly do not think they will degrade in the weatherproofing they have.

I am more than happy with this product, especially when you compare the pricing to other big name brands, and the quality and durability they have shown so far.

That's great to know. It's one of the test I want to really explore.  

[Alan Scalzi]

 

Just let the gloves dry and the are back to soft and new feel!

[EugeGall]

My package is still with UK Customs. I don’t think it’s shipping from Colombia, but customs have sniffer dogs all over it, well that’s my story. I think the fact it says the word “gear” has them ecited. Just as well the sender is not called Escobar, LOL  

[Josh Parker]

Plan on testing the gloves out tomorrow. Going to soak them in a bucket of water and go hit a bucket at the driving range to see how easy/hard it is to hold a club and actually swing normally.