Waterproof Jacket

ejls2

Hi all,

One of my colleagues would like to buy her partner a very good waterproof/cold weather jacket as part of his birthday present. He is a keen mountain biker (I think of the general trail riding persuasion) and she has asked me what I'd recommend.

As road cycling is my main focus, I'd go for an Assos Air Jack 851 if money were no object but I guess it would probably be a bit fragile for dealing with off road abuse.

If anyone has any recommendations for a good jacket that's a little bit tougher I'd be extreemly grateful.

Cheers,

Ed

keith

From what iv heard, most of the Gore gear is good, personally i use an Altura jacket that has taken one or two spills and has kept in good condition.

dawnophile

I used to work in a shop selling walking gear etc, so I can give some advice about materials. As to specific jackets, i'm probably not the best source of information.

It goes like this:

Most cheap jackets are a material (probably man-made eg polyester) with a polyurethane (PU) layer plastered over it. This other material should be providing the durability, the PU provides the waterproofing. The trouble with PU is that although it is waterproof, the breathability isn't so hot. Basically, you get wet from your own sweat.

Gore produce expensive jackets made from gore-tex. This is a clever breathable layer (also plastered onto nylon or polyester etc.) that is made from polytetraflouroethylene (PTFE). This is waterproof and very breathable. Trouble is, (don't quote me on this bit) body oils excreted used to make the layer drag in water on early examples. To combat this, gore apparently put PU over the top. Hence reducing the breathability.

Another company produces eVENT. Fibres are impregnated with hydrophobic (proteins?) which push water away from the face fabric. It's touted as the most breathable thing going, and therefore, the best. Product reps for other companies say it is more breathable, but only in a certain lab under certain conditions in a village called frumpington felchbury etc. etc.

Personally, i've used gore-tex and eVENT, and i'd say that eVENT is better, but doesn't hold it's waterproofing for very long, requiring regular re-proofing. It isn't as super-breathable as all that either. I get sweaty in mine.

That said, my now out of date Montane Air jacket (semi bike specific) is superb. It weighs 300g, and it's seen a few crashes.

Any brand touting another name of waterproof fabric is probably pertaining to their own PU layer.

My advice is buy a waterproof layer according to your price point. Steer clear of 'supalite' and similar jackets (like mine...) as they aren't all that tough really. (They are good to shove in your pack though).
If you want a tough jacket, you should be looking at what outer fabric the layer is bonded to. 'Ripstop' and so on are names bandied around, but you can probably tell more from just feeling the fabric. Bike jackets usually have a longer tail to cover your posterior from mud, and a shorter front so it doesn't get in the way.

Search around for deals. My hideously expensive Montane jacket (£175) was snapped up for £85 (from a competing shop!)

I hope that was of some help...

ejls2

Hi all,

Many thanks to you both!

dawnophile, that has to be one of the best explainations I've ever read on a forum! Many thanks for going into so much detail. I'll pass all of this on to my colleague.

Cheers,

Ed

Dr_Death

....and the Gore jackets a very good.


I have the Path for winter duties - seems good so far and a lightweight Paclite that just stays in my bag from spring to Autumn and has been very very good so far.