Recommendation for water resistant jacket..!!

blakeya

Hi, im in the market for a water resistant jacket and seeking info regarding the best value for money garment.
All help and advice mucho appreciated.
Kind regards
Andy

toasty

More money = more breathable fabrics. Depends what you want it for. Endura/Altura/Gore etc loads of solid brands, each with equivalent models at each price notch. Once you hit about £100-£200 you see some proper breathable fabrics, beyond that they plateau out a bit.

Any lower and they'll be less breathable, right down to a £5 mac, which is equally valid for keeping you dry.

One 80

i got a £20 muddyfox from sports direct which is listed as breathable which it is on the body but the arms are not so they get sweat soaked which im not happy with so like you are looking for something fully breathable but affordable. so il be reading this with interest.

omegas

Most cheap jackets are sold as breathable meshed lined or breathable vented, not to be confused with breathable fabric. A lot of the boil in the bag jackets you end up as wet on the inside that they are not worth wearing.

blakeya

So...whats the best value for money, breathable fabric, water resistant jacket out there? The internet is light on reviews and id prefer to take the advice of BR riders with the know how!
Rgds
Andy

Long_Time_Lurker

I use a Gore Alp-X SO it I want water resistance and not fully waterproof. Works well on a grim, grey day like today. Wouldn't use it in a full downpout though as the zips aren't fully sealed.
Designed for XC MTBing so a little more roomy that usual Gore tops. Also has removeable sleeves for when it gets too hot too.
(I also tried the North Face Muddy Tracks sleeves off thing, but the zips were far too small and the zip itself was feeble.)

YeehaaMcgee

There isn;t really any jacket at any price, that is both properly breathable, and properly waterproof. There's always a compromise to be made.
You could have for example, a jacket that keeps the worst off, but is pretty breathable, or one that is impermeable to water, but will leave you boiled in the bag.
Cycling just generates too much heat for any breathable material to cope with - on all but the coldest days.

cooldad

Only thing I've found that works is an old cycling jacket, waterproof on the front, shoulders and top of the arms, the rest is some sort of knit.
Keeps the worst of the rain off as long as you're moving forward, and breathes fine.

YeehaaMcgee

your back would get soaked though. And you're effectively wearing a jacket made up almost entirely of a geography teacher's elbow patches, by the sound of it.

mountaingoatimnot

Well the more you pay the better the jacket technology you'll get, but it is diminishing returns. I played an awful lot of golf years ago and went through all sorts of 'high' end waterproof suits, all based on Goretex technology. It was only when i finally stumped up silly money for Galvin Green ones that i truly found a waterproof suit that breathed and an outer fabric that didnt mop up rainwater and become ten times heavier !

There are over 400 jacket reviews on this site - look at those, at and above your budget (always some on sale !), to narrow your options.

cooldad

YeehaaMcgee wrote:

your back would get soaked though. And you're effectively wearing a jacket made up almost entirely of a geography teacher's elbow patches, by the sound of it.

At the mega speed I ride, the rain is horizontal. So as long as I don't stop...
If it's raining hard enough it does get wet, but stays warm, like merino.
Anything else I've tried I get wetter from the sweat than the rain.
Best thing is forget trying to stay bone dry, and have a hot shower afterwards.

Obviously I realise this is difficult in Wales, but once they give you indoor plumbing you'll be OK.

apreading

I find a gilet works best - its a bit more roady than MTB I guess, but its the arms I hate getting sweaty and slimy on a jacket. Happier for my arms to get wet/muddy and dry out by themselves. Actually I generally get jackets that convert into a gilet by removing the arms - Gore Phantom and Cannondale Morphis. Also tried the Altura Transformer but the fit didnt work for me.

Yet to find a breathable jacket that is waterproof...

YeehaaMcgee

apreading wrote:

Yet to find a breathable jacket that is waterproof...

I've had several, but none of them can cope with something like cycling, or running. Many of them are fine when just hiking or whatnot.

blakeya

Doesnt need to be waterproof, just resist a shower. Also happy for arms to get wet i guess.

DodgeT

Better off with a softshell then I reckon. I wear one for all but heavy rain and it copes just fine, very breathable.

Failing that, budgie smugglers and your bare skin. Best material for being waterproof and breathable aparently. Skin that is, not the smugglers.

passout

I'd go for highly breathable windproof / shower proof (not water proof) jacket by Gore. A gilet is handy for summer too.

DodgeT

You don't need to go mad cost wise too, mine is the same as this http://www.gooutdoors.co.uk/regatta-windcrest-half-zip-softshell-top-p200141 and as mentioned, it is fine in anything other than a heavy downpour.
Unless its particularly warm, i either just wear the top, or if colder, put a base underneath it and it does me for probably 90% of the riding I do.
Other 5% is just a t shirt, other rainproof jacket.

allthegearnoidea

ive got a madison jacket, cant remember the jacket name but know it retailed at £99, alledgedly breathable, large pit zips etc, Good jacket, not too bad for boil in the bag, light and easily stowable, also have a montane velo jobby that compacts to a tennis ball size, great for showers but not so good for prolongued use,
i got a softshell from Dare2b beginning of the winter, its more a skiing one as it has a hood but have to say, riding in it is very comfortable, cheap in the sale too!!! £25ish i seem to remember, bit too warm for this time of year but great for night riding or winter, they have quite a bit in the upto70% sale at the mo too, worth a look ( http://www.dare2b.com )

milt

Gavin green the best and u only need base layer underneath even in the coldest of conditions

Leigh Rough Riders

blakeya wrote:

Hi, im in the market for a water resistant jacket and seeking info regarding the best value for money garment.
All help and advice mucho appreciated.
Kind regards
Andy

Aldi Crane winter cycle jacket. Around £16, and a great jacket. Can be used all year round but maybe it not for very cold weather. I suspect they will be in Aldi again around end of September and then again in spring. Be quick because they normally sell out the same day.

jakjtb

Mbuk could do with doing a feature on this. I'm in the market for a new jacket but there are that many that advertise the same stuff for too varied prices

thelonegroover

I'd go for a soft shell with a good DWR, one without a membrane. It's the membrane that makes you sweat. Arc'teryx are very good.

YeehaaMcgee

Nope, it's activity that makes you sweat.

delta5

If you're going to spend around £200 check out the Paramo Quito Jacket. In many years of hiking / photography / mtb I've been through quite a few outers. I sweat like a pig, and the 'Nikwax Analogy' fabric is by far the best I've used wrt the balance of breathability / waterproofing. It's made from very lightweight fabric so doesn't provide much insulation, but that suits me as I generate a huge amount of heat, and use base-layers if its that cold anyway. Analogy beats Gortex hands down, as long as you wash with Nikwax Tech Wash and reapply the Nikwax TX Direct waterproofing stuff fairly regularly (maybe every 6 - 8 weeks in wet weather, like now) . The Quito is well designed for cycling - my only gripe is that the hood can't be folded away so once in a while it decides to act like a drag chute :-) (one day I'm going perform a hoodectomy on the bloody thing).

YeehaaMcgee

I have heard fantastic stuff about Paramo - Hopefully I will be able to afford a decent Paramo coat one day.