Bikewolf

Before you buy a new (winter) rain shell jacket, hold your $ and read first:Oh, and beware marketing ;-)

sweeks

In my experience there is no such thing as a "waterproof" rain jacket, for the reasons mentioned above ^^. I've also never found a jacket that would *actually* let water vapor out while excluding rain. You wind up wet with your own sweat anyway.

_ForceD_

I concur with ‘sweeks’ above. “Breathable” and “waterproof” can’t coexist in the same garment. If it’s “breathable” that means moisture…and even wind…can get through from the outside. Only plastic/rubber are 100%. Several years ago I purchased a cycling specific rain jacket at a bike expo. It’s made from tuff clear-ish opaque plastic, patterned and sewn into the proper fit for cycling, with zippers, pockets, etc. It’s essentially a trash can liner sewn into a cycling jacket. It’s even got vents sewn into it like other cloth fabric jackets have. But it doesn’t matter. One way or another (rain or perspiration) I’m going to end up wet. I can actually see condensation drips running down the inside of the jacket after I’ve had it on for 10-15 minutes. But the one thing that I consider first is warmth over dryness. When you’re wet in a fabric jacket, the wind is MUCH more of a factor in taking away your warmth. But the plastic jacket is WAY better at keeping your body heat in. I’d rather be wet and warm than dry and cold. Warmth over wetness!

Dan

rumrunn6

if it's cold enough one doesn't have to worry about "waterproof". one of my favorite winter outer layers is a thick North Face brand fleece jacket w/ long pit zips. with the right base & mid layers & those pit zips wide open it can withstand a little bit of anything

winter precip is so changeable, I can't even imagine trying to list all the possibilities. the worst, I think is cold slop, that super wet snow that clings to you. it's both wet & cold. for that I use outer layers top to bottom that are water resistant & layer under, accordingly

it was a wet rainy night last night & as I scurried into the house after work to get cozy I tried to remember how or why I would want to ride in that stuff. but based on past notes by myself, I seem to like it very much

surak

Gore Shakedry. [/Thread]

blacknbluebikes 

What I've found _most_ important is to understand how to care for DWR fabrics. You can find information on this all over the web, though I think that Arcteryx delivers a particularly great How-to on their support site. Also can find good stuff on REI's site. All these "breathable" fabrics are basically sporting a flexible, super-thin film of water resistant "goo" that needs to be a) rejuvenated through a regular wash/dry cycle and b) occasionally re-treated with more DWR stuff. Easy to do, makes a lot of difference, and keeps the garment performing the way it's supposed to perform. When my jackets are "fresh", the water just beads on them, like a well-waxed car. Eventually, I start to see small areas on the fabric where the water is sinking in a little. A DWR refresh process -pretty much just laundering with an additive and a toasty tumble in the drier- fixes it all, back to new.

Riveting

Gore-Tex has been around since 1969, and still is. There's a reason for that. Dig deep into your pockets ($$$$) and get outfitted in the stuff (Gore Windstopper, Gore-Tex ShakeDry, etc..) where ever you can, and never look back.

2_i 

A typical roof does not let water in and simultaneously allows the air to penetrate out. My rain coat for riding has zippers that allow air to get out in the underarm area and that allow the bottom to spread out so that, in particular, air can circulate freely from below. With a liner that coat works in winter too.