When working at reviving your
Altus, given the age, think about first using the nikwax wash to remove any soaps, dirt or other residue. Then use the waterproofing DWR product. I find that allowing a thorough dry time for an application, I see better results for older gear if I double the number of applications.
The Frogg Toggs is
not water resistant, the material of the FT is both waterproof and breathable, so that use of 'water resistant' is weird.
Both Jill and I, and our backpacks stayed dry. On two days of the Ingles, there was a fairly hard wind, and we stayed dry during those conditions as well. I've used ponchos while backpacking for a number of years now. Using the Frogg Toggs specifically, I have used it for the mileage equivalent of two
Camino Frances. It performs very well.
I am puzzled by comments about traditional ponchos like the Frogg Toggs or the zPacks or the US military issue, etc being unwieldy or unusable in winds, because when worn correctly and properly configured to use when it is windy, it is every bit as controllable as the rain-jacket/poncho hybrids, like an
Altus-style.
Having used both the hybrids and the traditional, my preference toward the traditional stems from my preference to NOT have long, non-breathable sleeves, and also the weight and compactness. I find that while both hybrids and traditional both are
much easier to deploy than rain jackets, a traditional poncho is slightly easier and takes less manipulation to put on, or to remove and to store in a side pocket of my backpack.
Caution: Personal Preference Process of Purchase Story Ahead. Your mileage may vary.
While I was working with Jill to get her prepared and outfitted for Camino Ingles last October, I had her try out both my
Altus and my Frogg Toggs during the months or pre-Camino prep and planning. In our high hilly terrain where we live, high winds are a common part of life, and heavy breezes are the norm with intermittent calms. Jill had a a perfect situation for deciding which style or rain-gear she preferred to use, Jacket, or Poncho, or Hybrid.
Jill rejected the rain jacket/pants option after using it on a 15 mile walk during intermittent rain in moderate temperatures. I had her use the most highly breathable and lightweight jackets available (Zpacks). She did not like how hot and condensation-wet she got.
But most of all, she became irritated by the process of putting on and then taking of the rain gear. In the intermittent rain during that 5.5 hour walk, she did not like the need to repeatedly stop and remove her pack in order to put the jacket on, and then the same process to take it off (sometimes the pants, too)
And she became really cranky at me, as she watched me grab my poncho from its side pocket and slip it on in a matter of 15 seconds, with just a slight pause, while were walking.
For slip-on rain-gear, the choice was not as straight forward for her. At first she seemed to prefer the hybrid, but then found that, like me, she did not like long sleeves and the length. While the longer length was a fixable size issue, and the sleeves could be trimmed down and modified, Jill simply found she preferred the traditional poncho better.
