Waterproof coats - expensive or cheap?

DigForVictory

So long as the garment is intact & of passable quality (no taped seams on Goretex - that way lies expensive madness) but a good basic coat, washed & proofed with Nikwax TX10 or the like & reproofed once or twice a year keeps my lads warm, dry & comfortable. They then shred the coat on barbed wire, brambles etc &/or outgrow it, but the charity shops have seen them covered throughout their schooling.
My father has a single layer ventile smock that I can’t afford to replace but it’s light, quiet, & has done over 4 decades. A godfather has a lovingly lanolinised full length wool cloak - he gets catcalls of “Oi, Gandalf” but has the last laugh being warm & dry & noone has the nerve to steal it.

ripplyuk

Just to update, I ended up buying a Columbia OutDry. The main reason being that it doesn’t need re-proofing and can be washed in the machine with normal detergent. I’m fed up with the constant maintenance needed for most jackets to keep them waterproof and the expense of buying nikwax. The downsides are that it looks like a cheap ‘Mac’ and the shape/sizing means it’s not the most flattering. It’s totally waterproof so I don’t regret buying it.