Atmospheric Altus Poncho

[cailinnua]

Hi everyone,

I suppose this is mianly aimed at the Irish folk on here! Just wonderiong if anyone has managed to find an 'Atmospheric Altus Poncho' in Ireland? Or if there is a good website that could be used in Ireland?

Go raibh maith agaibh.

 

[cailinnua]

Should have added-if not the atmospheric poncho, is there any other one that you might recommend?

 

[Shellfox]

Hi Cailinnua,
I didn't find that poncho in Ireland but I did buy one one this website http://www.barrabes.com and they didn't charge me much for postage to Ireland. I actually received it really quickly.. Hope this helps a little!..
Michelle..

 

[Shellfox]

Hey I just noticed from another post that you are walking in April, I'm not leaving until the end of may so if you'd like to borrow my poncho your welcome to it.. I'm 6ft tall so bought a large but if this would fit you too I'd be happy to share it with you..

 

[BlackDog]

The Ferrino Trekker doesn't look as long as the Altus and the weight is about the same.

 

[Cal & Glen]

Can anyone advise if there is a stockist for the altus in australia? I am going on Camino Norte on April 2nd, so have left my run a bit late to get one sent from Spain. Any other brands that people has had success with ?
Thanks : )

 

[sharon w]

Hi Cal and Glen,
You can pick one up when you arrive in Spain.
Sharon

 

[tchiki]

You can pick one up when you arrive in Spain.

I've read somewhere, that you should be able to get them in SJPP as well.

Yes, available in the "Boutique du Pelerin" in StJPP.
http://directioncompostelle.com

 

[WayWalker63]

Ping,

Where did your wife get her Ferrino poncho? I am going to be in Ireland this October and would love to check into this if possible for my Camino trip September 2013. Long way away but I figure I could use the coat in Ireland as well as here at home.

Thanks!

 

[gittiharre]

Both my husband and I set off with Altus Ponchos on the Le Puy route, we could not understand why I stayed dry and his ended up sodden inside. Eventually we compared our two coats and found they differed. Mine felt a little stiffer was made from polyamide, had Velcro wrist bands. His was polyester, elastic sleeves and had the words "rain series "written on it and frankly turned out to be useless, even the pack got wet, the coat clung to his legs and rain was running into his shoes. Both are labelled as Altus. In SJPP I went to the pilgrim shop in Rue de Citadelle and they stock the rain series type, normal at 470 grams and lite at 250 grams. My one seems to be an older model.
So when I have raved about my Altus in the past, I no longer do in relation to the rain series model.
At the moment I am in Paris and have been checking out outdoor stores for other options, so far no luck. There is a La Fuma poncho, which zips up the front which looks quite good, in Navarrenx I saw a Ferrino poncho/coat which looked much better quality than the Altus, but is also heavy at 470 grams.
Basically all rainwear seems to have it's limitations....still trying to find the perfect solution....any thoughts anyone?
Cheers, Gitti

 

[BoldenMD]

Thanks for the mention of the Ferrino. I was about to order an Altus so that I would have it ahead of time but found a Ferrino on Amazon for a good price (and free shipping). It is slightly heavy, but I am impressed with the quality. Waiting for a rainstorm here so I can go test it out. Thought about going over to Lafayette Square Park and standing in a fountain, but the Secret Service might not like that...

 

[Deleted member 3000]

Waiting for a rainstorm

Head for the shower! It is a good place to find out the difference between water resistant and waterproof.

 

[BlackDog]

Mine felt a little stiffer was made from polyamide, had Velcro wrist bands. His was polyester, elastic sleeves and had the words "rain series "written on it and frankly turned out to be useless, even the pack got wet, the coat clung to his legs and rain was running into his shoes. Both are labelled as Altus. In SJPP I went to the pilgrim shop in Rue de Citadelle and they stock the rain series type, normal at 470 grams and lite at 250 grams. My one seems to be an older model.

Mine is the same as yours with the word 'impermeable' on the bag. Bought in a sale this year but manufactured in 2009.

 

[Deleted member 3000]

Altus makes two models, the regular and the light. The light is ripstop nylon; the regular just plain nylon. The weight difference is not large, a couple of ounces, but every ounce counts! Leave the bag behind and save a bit more weight.

http://www.altus.es/modelos.php?idioma= ... men3=71503

 

[judyhath]

Ferrino has a poncho that's pretty much the same as the Altus ponco. My wife has one, and its nice.

Ping,
Has your wife used the Ferrino poncho? Is it truly waterproof?

 

[Deleted member 3000]

The Ferrino is as waterproof as the Altus, but a poncho cannot be said to be waterproof; only the fabric and seams can be waterproof. I have a rainsuit that is waterproof, and I can stand in the shower with no water getting through. With a poncho, my lower half gets soaked!

The lite version of the Ferrino is not built to cover a backpack, so the weight of the Ferrino and Altus is about the same for backpack coverage. I think that the Ferrino is more expensive than the Altus.

 

[alipilgrim]

I bought a Ferrino poncho in Leon a couple of years ago and it is only water-resistant, not waterproof. While on the camino I couldn't understand why I was so damp on the inside but as it only rained for a day or two after I bought it I never worried too much about it, I guess I thought it was sweat. This year I stood in the shower in both my Ferrino and then my new Altus to compare them and realized that the Ferrino definitely leaked! Needless to say, I took the Altus on this year's camino.

They do sell waterproofing soap - has anyone tried this?

 

[BoldenMD]

Tried out my Ferrino in the shower for a good 20 minutes. It's definitely waterproof, but has good ventilation under the arms and on the chest. The seams are taped. The wrists are elastic and velcro. The front has a zipper and velcro. I ordered the large. I'm about 5' 11'' and it hangs midway down my calves. I paid $58 total from Amazon (http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B005G2AKQ6/?tag=casaivar02-20), although it looks like the ones in stock now (two left, it says) are running slightly more with 4 to 6 weeks of shipping time. That compares to about $52, plus shipping, from Barrabes, since I wanted to have it in hand ahead of time.

 

[gittiharre]

Ferrino make 3 different Ponchos, the coatlike one with sleeves, blue outside and silver inside looks really good and is waterproof and meant to be breathable it weighs 450 gramsc costs around 45 Euro, the lighter one at 300 grams is more of a cape and is only water repellent, it costs close to 100 Euros. There is a 3rd plasticy looking option, did not look into this, but I saw all 3 at a little shop in Navarrenx, called Le Poisson Roy. The guy there said he would send them to people and that it would be possible to pay by credit card. I have his phone no and email address if anyone wants it, send me a PM. Cheers, Gitti

 

[BlackDog]

Altus makes two models, the regular and the light. The light is ripstop nylon; the regular just plain nylon. The weight difference is not large, a couple of ounces, but every ounce counts! Leave the bag behind and save a bit more weight.

http://www.altus.es/modelos.php?idioma= ... men3=71503

The light makes no mention of the space for a backpack. Is it different in that respect?

 

[gittiharre]

The light also has a space for a backpack, I looked at it at SJPP. Gitti

 

[gittiharre]

My cousins just tried on their new Altus Ponchos, not the lite variety. The ordinary post 2009 ones that are made of Polyester with the words rainseries written on them on the outside. It rained steadily and after 1 hour or so they were wet inside, not from condensation, but from rain coming through. They are frankly useless and just not the same quality as the older polyamide model. Having been an Altus fan in the past I no longer recommend it at all. The shape and design is great, but the fabric they now use a disaster. Look for other ponchos such as La Fuma or the Ferrino model which is shaped like the Altus and costs 45 Euros or so. These are however not available in St Jean Pied de Port.

 

[camelle]

Well, this news about the Altus poncho sucks.... I have one on order in SJPdP but if it doesn't keep the rain out, what do I do? I leave 6 weeks from today and where can I get a poncho that keeps me dry???

 

[alipilgrim]

it looks like different people are having different experiences with their rain ponchos. The Altus I ordered this past winter worked perfectly this spring. I just looked and my Altus is the Rain Series and my Ferrino (that leaked) is the Trekker series. Good luck!!

 

[camelle]

PingHansen,
Thanks for your suggestion. I have emailed Pierre and asked if I could get the older model. I hope he still has some! I will also check youtube for seam sealing. Don't we love these little curve balls? Everything will work out, I'm sure.

Ellen

 

[gittiharre]

Raidlight do a Wrap Rain Poncho VET096. It is made of polyamide and something else, breathable and seems to have a higher rain protection rating than most other ponchos. It weighs 250 grams and opens down the front like the Altus, it also has sleeves. It costs around 90 Euros, you can order it from http://www.raidlight.com
A friend of mine bought one, but not sure yet how he found it, he is still walking through Corsica.

 

[cecelia]

Hi everyone,
I just want to add to the comments about the Altus poncho. I ordered 2 from Spain, not knowing there were two different types. Ours turned out to be the rain series ones with the elastic cuffs. I love everything about it EXCEPT the fact that it NOT waterproof - not even light rain proof.
When we first got the raincoats I squirted the hose on mine on the clothesline and it seemed fine. Yesterday we walked in the rain and got wet on the arms. Today (after a warm night in the house for the raincoats) we walked and were completely drenched within an hour - and it's not even raining very hard. This was not about the seams - it is the material. It gets wet first where it touches you -eg arms, but before long it was wet all over - and all under
Although I see this experience is different from alipilgrim's above - My recommendation - stay away from the Rain Series Altus. If you can't get the other one get something else.
Buen camino

 

[gittiharre]

Thank you Cecilia, your experiences confirm ours completely. It is definetely the fabric of the Rainseries Altus which is not rain proof and also makes you perspire like mad. I have never been so wet inside any raingear in my life. Gitti

 

[camelle]

I just got home from the Camino and had bought the old version of the Altus poncho. We had 2 days of rain and it didn't take that long for my arms and around my neck and shoulders to be completely wet. I was not impressed with the Altus at all. This is the one with the velcro at the wrists and supposed to be so good? Had an awesome Camino despite this though!

Ellen

 

[grayland]

Never had a leak of any type with the "old" Altus.
My only complaint is no "cut thru" so you can access inner clothing and pockets.
Used mine since 2009

 

[Kitsambler]

I recently acquired one of the Ferrino Trekkers, and here's my report.

This coat/poncho has a more flowing. looser fit than the typical coat, but not as loos as a poncho. I have a S/M size, and am 67 inches (170 cm) tall. The hem comes just below my knee in front, about the same length as the poncho used previously. This is short enough to make me ponder the possible use of gaiters or rain pants. The sleeves are pleasantly long, with elasticized cuffs. The hood fits well, and does not assume you are wearing a helmet, as so many mountaineering jackets do these days. There are chest vents, but no pockets, slits-for-pocket-access, etc. The full-length zipper is well constructed, not too heavy nor too light. The extra fabric in the back fits easily over my 48L Osprey Exos pack, and there are three snaps arrayed across the back to fold the excess fabric out of the way if you are not wearing a pack. The coat seems well made, light but sturdy. The interior is lined with some sort of aluminized, shiny material that is most likely heat reflective; I wonder about that in warm weather. Otherwise, I am quite happy with this item.

 

[cecelia]

Hi everyone,
This message is for anyone who does want to buy an Altus. I live on the west coast of Canada which as you all know is not just around the corner from Spain. I ordered two ponchos this past weekend (late Saturday night specifically) from Barrabes after I made my comments above about our experience with the Altus RainSeries. Then I noticed the comment that said Barrabes only have one type and it's the light one. So I quickly emailed them to ask them if they could make sure that the ones they sent were either the heavier ones or not to send them at all as we already have the RainSeries and they don't work etc., etc.
They emailed me back on Sunday to say that they have both types but had a problem in the past because both types had the same barcode when they came from Altus. At any rate they said they would double check the order to make sure the correct ones were sent.
The ponchos were sent Monday and arrived this morning (Thursday!!) I live on the Sunshine Coast - a 40 minute ferry ride from Vancouver and I don't even get orders from Vancouver that fast. And I got another email from Barrabes saying that they hoped the ponchos were what I wanted but if they weren't to be sure to let them know and if necessary send them back. Excellent customer service - and FAST!
20 km walk tomorrow to test them out in the rain so I'll write the next chapter after that.

 

[MML]

Hi, just noticed your message and I'm also from Canada and trying to order the Altus poncho from the Barrabes website... after I enter my address, I'm getting asked for an ID/Business Number, and I'm not sure what to enter just wondering how you dealt with this? thanks,
Margaret
(Canada)

 

[paigehamm]

What email did you use? I ordered and it has been a while and I want to check in. Thanks for the helpful info!

 

[MML]

i used my hotmail.com email... do you think that's why they're asking for a business# ?

 

[paigehamm]

I used 111223333 aas my business id. When I looked online it said it's your social so I formatted it to reflect 9 digits. Still didn't work. I went on the Spanish website and viola - it finally worked. Still worried but within 3 days I received my quality poncho. Hope this helps.

 

[MML]

Thanks Paige! You're right it worked on the Spanish site... and with the help of Google Translate I was able to navigate my way through So it's on the way and I signed up with my mobile for a free text when it ships, we'll see if that works too.