Rain Slickers and Such

[Tennessee River]

Looking for experienced opinions on rain slicker for a match. What have you liked or disliked about what you have/had. 
 

edit:  Also thinking of staying dry during Posse duties, ex. picking brass, spotting, resetting targets. 

[Garrison Joe, SASS #60708]

If you are needing to shoot in the rain, it's not like much of anything is going to be a joy to wear.  The standard is the yellow "fish oil" slicker.  Plenty long enough to keep your revolvers and leather covered while standing or even sitting.  And pretty waterproof. 

 

good luck, GJ

[Choctaw Jack]

If you have ever shot in the rain without a slicker, you can't  appreciate  how neccessary they really are.

I ahot Land Run one year in the pouring rain wit no slicker. 2 inches of water in the bottom of my guncart, you could see your guns rusting. Never been so wet in my life.

Shot EOT in the rain once, same results.

So , if you don't  have one, do yourself a favor and get a good one.I prefer a saddle slicker, they seem to be cut a little larger.

Choctaw

[Eyesa Horg]

Do you usually go one size larger than your shirt size? IE I wear a large shirt, but my coats and dusters are xl.

[Frontier Lone Rider]

I use the Australian Slicker, but normally I pull it off and put it over the guns because the winds.

 

Having played army for 28 years, and everyone knows that it does not rain on the army, I tend to protect my firearms more than myself.  For whatever reason, officers are not allowed to carry umbrellas, so you just get wet.

 

My carts all have beach umbrellas, and I use grill covers on my cart, but I still will throw the slicker on the firearms.

 

Once your wet, you are wet.

[Tell Sackett SASS 18436]

1 hour ago, Tennessee River said:

Looking for experienced opinions on rain slicker for a match. What have you liked or disliked about what you have/had. 
 

edit:  Also thinking of staying dry during Posse duties, ex. picking brass, spotting, resetting targets. 

If it rains-prepare to be wet! Even with a slicker you’re gonna be wet from sweat!! 
Try and keep the guns dry and yourself best you can!

Oh, and if rain is in the forecast have a LOT of towels on hand!!

[Eyesa Horg]

Yup, most rain gear holds water well.

[Larsen E. Pettifogger, SASS #32933]

Wear um once and throw them away.  Also keeps your cart dry.

 

[Eyesa Horg]

Wild west mercantile had em on sale, or least a few days ago.

[Colorado Coffinmaker]

 

NAH.  None of the Above.  Not even close.  The ONLY effective Rain Gear is labeled "Inn and Suites."  Comfortable, Fit Well, Warm, Dry, and usually Breakfast is included.

 

NO Auntie Agness.  I DO NOT shoot inna Rain.  EVER!!

 

Ah, except when at Grafenwoehr for training exercises.

[Black Hills Barb]

In 2021 it rained the entire weekend of our match.  Those yellow slickers were the most popular.  
It was WET from start to finish and I hope we never repeat that weekend.

[Griff]

EOT 1988 it rained like it'd never done before in April in SoCal... Everyone grumbled and complained, about wet guns, wet clothes, wet feet, and wet hats!  Me, I just smiled and maybe shot the best match of my life... In the old "Black Powder" category, C&B revolvers and BP loads in rifle & shotgun.  I wore an old 50X beaver hat, homemade buckskins and mocassins.   Everything soaked thru to the skin... except my feet!  WalMart plastic bags on over socks to keep feet dry, wool socks to keep feet warm...  the only problem was, I had to keep the buckskins on until they dried... so they didn't shrink!  Although in the intervening years, it seems as tho' they have anyway!

[Abilene, SASS # 27489]

One year when I was working the Texas Jacks / Cimarron tent, a good rain came.  My coworker Dean filled a black trash bag with yellow slickers and walked around hawking them.  Sold quite a few!

 

edit: that was Mule Camp 

[Palmetto Traveller]

TR go see Kitty at Kitty's Kloset at the SC State Match next weekend. She will have a few. Just look for the hot pink tent.

[Jackson Haller]

Australian oilskin duster worked for me! Had the advantage of being 'breathable" so I didn't sweat much.  As for the guns, the holsters were under the slicker and black plastic garbage bags covered the long guns in the cart and the cart floor.  The box on the cart (it was a metal frame cart) with the ammo was a large metal military waterproof ammo container. Just make sure your hat is color proof regarding water; had a black hat early on that was a 'second'; found out after it got rained on and bled blue-black dye on my clothes...

[watab kid]

i have a nice oiled or waxed duster as you like , its probably considered  ausie styled in design , made by a wisconsin SASS shooter , ive worn it but not to shoot - i dont shoot in the rain , at my age i dont need those irritations [cleaning guns and leather and such] but if you do , its what you will need to do , 

 

yes i have the umbrellas for my carts and me , and yes i have my duster and , yes i can do it - but no i wont , just me 

[Imis Twohofon,SASS # 46646]

Wear a big enough hat and you wont need a slicker

 

Imis

[Go West]

Remember Winter Rain? The heavens unloaded on the event and most of us slogged through knee deep mud. The wife and I undressed in the garage daily. We did have the oiled/waxed Australian style slickers which helped keep us warm and dry. Since we normally don't encounter rain that much, they are also good windbreakers for the times when it feels like the wind is coming off glaciers. 

We won't do monthly matches in the rain.

[Palmetto Traveller]

TR what size do you need?

[Badlands Bob #61228]

I suspect that you are going to need a slicker this weekend if your going to the S.C. match.  

[Reverend P. Babcock Chase]

I don't know about slickers, but when I wear my duster, I can button it behind my back to free up my sixguns for the stage and than button it in the front between stages. 

 

Rev. Chase

[Colorado Coffinmaker]

 

Aw cummon,  think "Inn and Suites."  Lots of times there is Cracker Barrel next door.  Country Fried Steak.  Yum

[Badlands Bob #61228]

Free tip of the day:   Be very careful taking off the slicker on the line when getting ready to shoot.  They have a nasty habit of grabbing a loaded pistol and pulling in out of the holster.  

[Tennessee River]

8 hours ago, Palmetto Traveller said:

TR what size do you need?

From what I’ve read online with various vendors, I am somewhere between a Medium, Large, and Extra Large. Seems they run all over the place. Don’t worry, I’ll get by. 

[Texas Maverick]

16 hours ago, Tennessee River said:

From what I’ve read online with various vendors, I am somewhere between a Medium, Large, and Extra Large. Seems they run all over the place. Don’t worry, I’ll get by. 

I have the cowboy slicker in orange (for just warm rain) and the aussie oilskin coat (for cold windy rainy days) along with just a plain duster (just dry windy days). They are all the same size as my regular coats. All 3 styles seem to run true to size. They all do what they were intended to do and you should be good on whatever you get depending on the coverage you are looking for. 

 

TM 

[watab kid]

wondeer if real cowboys had all those choices ? dont think they carried a shif-a-robe on the pack mule , but then i like your approach here , 

[Texas Maverick]

8 hours ago, watab kid said:

wondeer if real cowboys had all those choices ? dont think they carried a shif-a-robe on the pack mule , but then i like your approach here , 

Well, the oilskin coat was bought when I lived in Denver and I wore it when out elk hunting. Then I moved to Austin and it is usually too heavy for most weather around here. So I bought the duster and it did well until it started to rain so I bought the rain slicker in Oklahoma at Land Run 2 years ago. Now I can cover most all my needs weather wise depending on where I am shooting and the weather being predicted. The old cowboys usually just had a slicker for all conditions from what I have seen and read. It is also great when you have a 41ft 5th wheel when traveling around to different SASS matches and being able to take all 3 coats. LOL 

 

TM

[DeaconKC]

You guys have me wondering about using Scotchguard on my canvas duster. I wonder if it would actually shed some water if raining after that?

[Texas Maverick]

4 minutes ago, DeaconKC said:

You guys have me wondering about using Scotchguard on my canvas duster. I wonder if it would actually shed some water if raining after that?

Who knows, give it a try. Probably depends on how heavy the rain is and how long it lasts. LOL 

 

TM

[Eyesa Horg]

1 hour ago, DeaconKC said:

You guys have me wondering about using Scotchguard on my canvas duster. I wonder if it would actually shed some water if raining after that?

To some extent yes. I used to Scotch Gard my Carhartt coveralls when I was a phone guy. They kept me warm and dry. They were also easier wash, which wasn't very often. But certainly not water proof.

[Choctaw Jack]

I put 4 heavy coats of Scotchgard on my canvas duster before shooting a 3 day match in the rain.

The coating worked for about half of the first day.

Bought a slicker when I got home.

Of course, YMMV.

Choctaw

[Earl Brasse, SASS #3562]

Australian Outback oilskin coat, (the long one not the shorter one) made in the USA. 

I've used it for 30 years, Cowboy shooting & not.

I haven't had to buy another.

Mine fits over my holstered guns well.

 

As to covering my cart, a wooden wagon style, I had a company that made tipis & period tents make a custom cover out of tent canvas.

It was pricey even back then but is excellent for keeping things dry.

If it looks like it might rain, I put it in the truck.

 

I bought a pair of "tin" pants on sale.

I needed them once in the Winter Range Flood year. (again, if it looks like I'll have to shoot in the rain, they go in the truck.

[Tennessee River]

Thanks to everyone for your experience and advice. I bought a pommel slicker and it did ok. No matter what was worn, we all got cold-soaked to the bone today at the SC Bushwhack (you can see what this weather did at the Masters, 90 miles to our South). It was a Carolina Frog Strangler. 

[Texas Maverick]

19 hours ago, Tennessee River said:

 No matter what was worn, we all got cold-soaked to the bone today at the SC Bushwhack (you can see what this weather did at the Masters, 90 miles to our South). It was a Carolina Frog Strangler. 

Yeah, but I would much rather be shooting than playing golf. LOL 

 

TM

[watab kid]

On 4/7/2023 at 9:27 AM, Texas Maverick said:

Well, the oilskin coat was bought when I lived in Denver and I wore it when out elk hunting. Then I moved to Austin and it is usually too heavy for most weather around here. So I bought the duster and it did well until it started to rain so I bought the rain slicker in Oklahoma at Land Run 2 years ago. Now I can cover most all my needs weather wise depending on where I am shooting and the weather being predicted. The old cowboys usually just had a slicker for all conditions from what I have seen and read. It is also great when you have a 41ft 5th wheel when traveling around to different SASS matches and being able to take all 3 coats. LOL 

 

TM

yes indeed you have the range of weather covered and that mobile closet works better than a horse or mule