50 Words or Less
Sunice rain gear is a standard in the waterproof game and should be considered an industry benchmark.
Introduction
Living in the Chicagoland area, playing golf in wet and rainy conditions is a requirement if you want to play on a regular basis. For me specifically, taking a rain check means I may not see the course for quite awhile, so I’m going to do everything in my power to get out and play my round. As such, quality rain gear is an essential in my golf closet so I put a set of Sunice rain gear (Carleton jacket & Linton pants) to the test to see how it would hold up on the course as well as off the course.
Performance
The most important aspects of a good set of rain gear is how dry it keeps you, and how restrictive it is. It’s not uncommon to encounter situations where you have gear that’s completely waterproof, but it’s so bulky and cumbersome that you can’t properly swing the club with a full range of motion. The answer to the bulk issue is the make the jacket and pants out of a lighter and/or thinner material, but then you quickly lose your “waterproofness” and get soggy awfully quick. This struggle to find the perfect balance is the main reason I’m usually skeptical for any functional on-course use of rain gear, but I found Sunice‘s products to be one of the better balanced performers I’ve encountered.
To test how well the Sunice Carleton jacket and Linton pants held out the water, I wore them in a variety of conditions. I wore them on the golf course in wet and raining conditions and stayed dry. To be fair, I was only golfing in conditions reasonable enough to hold onto a club. Though that was a fair test, I figured it was worthwhile to put the Sunice gear up against more extreme conditions as well. To do so, I wore the jacket and pants in a handful of torrential downpours while I commuted to the day job. This involves walking to the train station, waiting outside for the train, walking to the office, then repeating that on the way home. I stayed totally dry, even in the usual leak areas around the neck and the cuffs because of features like Sunice’s patented V collar with its neoprene finish and the lycra cuffs that form a sort of seal at the end of the sleeve. As of writing this review, I’m actually currently regretting not wearing my Sunice rain suit today because I got completely drenched in the morning and I’ve been totally waterlogged all day.
So I’ve established that I was able to keep really dry in “unrealistic golf weather,” but how was swinging a club in the Sunice gear? Honestly, it was extremely easy. I’m not going to sit here and try to convince you that I felt like I wasn’t even wearing a second layer of clothing, but even with wearing an additional pair of pants and solid rain jacket, the design of the clothing and the materials make it so you don’t have the usual swing restrictions and can maintain a full range of motion without getting wet. Not only is swinging the club a positive experience, but you also don’t get overheated like you might wearing some other rain gear that essentially feels like a glorified plastic garbage bag with zero breathability.
Style
Wearing a rain suit over your clothes is hardly going to be the next trend down a Milan runway, but Sunice really seems to understand you still want to look classy and athletic when it comes time don the waterproofs. There’s enough accenting in the Carleton jacket to give it a modest flare that looks cool but doesn’t scream out for attention. The full setup of jacket and pants also does not give you an overly bulky appearance and has a nice fit which is another rarity in the arena of golf waterproofs.
Value
The waterproof rain apparel market is at the high end dollar-wise for golf apparel, but for good reason. Not only is it not cheap to make performance apparel that’s comfortable and waterproof, but it’s also a category that you don’t want to spare expenses. Simply put, if you are someone that has a need to invest in waterproof golf clothing, it is a worthwhile area to make sure that investment counts and you do it right. Sunice has a wide range of price offerings for both jacket and pants depending on your application and what level of performance you’re looking for. The Linton pants have an MSRP of $129.99 and you can currently find the Carleton jacket for about $129 to $170 which is a great deal. Frankly, I’ve had super expensive waterproofs, and I’ve had the cheap stuff, but Sunice is by far at the top of the list when it comes to bang for your buck in this market. As mentioned earlier, I get double use out of the gear in my daily life and on the golf course so it makes the investment even easier to justify.
Conclusion
As I mentioned before, if you’re a golfer that needs to invest in some waterproof rain gear, it’s something you want to make sure you get right and don’t skimp on it. If you go the route of buying a Sunice rain suit, you will surely not regret that decision, and you’ll have some of the best rain gear on the market. For me personally, it’s a double win because I don’t just have a nice rain suit for those rainy Chicago golf rounds, but I have nice waterproof gear to use on a day-to-day basis. Looking at the 7 day forecast, it looks like I’m going to need to break out my Sunice rain suit a few more times before the week is up.
Bill plays Scott Readman Concepts putters and accessories.
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Sunice appears to change the model identification of their waterproof golf jackets frequently. They previously offered jackets with a lifetime waterproof warranty but now appear to only offer jackets with a 3 year warranty. They have been unable to say whether the models with the lifetime warranty will be offered once again.