Waterproof jacket

[Humanbeersponge]

I tend to stick to Goretex for waterproofs. Have an old Gore jacket for the MTB and a Gore Shakedry (to delicate for off-road) which is an unbelievable piece of kit.

 

[jezza]

I've found over the years that all breathable jackets aren't very breathable once wetted out ..,and for that reason I've always gone for pertex ...it's more breathable and yet you do get a little wetter but it's soo much lighter . You don't get cold as it's windproof so it's warm water underneath....

Just my experience...

 

[Binhill1]

I've found over the years that all breathable jackets aren't very breathable once wetted out ..,and for that reason I've always gone for pertex ...it's more breathable and yet you do get a little wetter but it's soo much lighter . You don't get cold as it's windproof so it's warm water underneath....

Just my experience...

You see someone with a new goretex jacket the water runs off it . Doesn't last long like that . Used to say goretex good for about 6 washes . I've got five all bought for hillwalking . I throw nothing away 1986 first one was bought it's twice as thick as the others and a lot more hardwaring . I've never bought in to the reproofing so can't comment. I use a old one if it's really cold on bike and it's so windproof. Most my cycling jackets would be pertex . Trouble I find is when you find one you like they usually change the spec or discontinue it.

 

[Growmac]

I've never found a hardshell jacket that works very well for biking. I use an Endura hardshell if absolutely necessary in the summer, and it's fine but it's sweaty.

For UK winters I can't recommend Paramo enough. A 100% waterproof soft-shell, I just wear it all the time. Ignore their marketing, it's absolutely no good once the temperature is above about 10 degrees, but below that it's incredibly comfortable, well vented, adjustable, and not the slightest bit sweaty despite being 100% waterproof. I wear it with a long sleeved jersey underneath from -5 to +10 and am completely comfortable and dry.

Edited to add: I wear it for about 6 hours of riding a week over the winter, out in all weathers. I ended a six hour ride in Wales in pouring rain in January with a completely dry shirt underneath.

I wash it about every 6 weeks using TechWash, and reproof about every three months with Nikwax proofer. I also have a 15 year old Paramo jacket that would still be fine if the zip wasn't broken, must get that mended. The newer jackets are lighter, which is a mixed blessing.

Expensive, you do need to keep it proofed, but for me nothing else comes close.

 

[Binhill1]

I've never found a hardshell jacket that works very well for biking. I use an Endura hardshell if absolutely necessary in the summer, and it's fine but it's sweaty.

For UK winters I can't recommend Paramo enough. A 100% waterproof soft-shell, I just wear it all the time. Ignore their marketing, it's absolutely no good once the temperature is above about 10 degrees, but below that it's incredibly comfortable, well vented, adjustable, and not the slightest bit sweaty despite being 100% waterproof. I wear it with a long sleeved jersey underneath from -5 to +10 and am completely comfortable and dry.

Edited to add: I wear it for about 6 hours of riding a week over the winter, out in all weathers. I ended a six hour ride in Wales in pouring rain in January with a completely dry shirt underneath.

I wash it about every 6 weeks using TechWash, and reproof about every three months with Nikwax proofer. I also have a 15 year old Paramo jacket that would still be fine if the zip wasn't broken, must get that mended. The newer jackets are lighter, which is a mixed blessing.

Expensive, you do need to keep it proofed, but for me nothing else comes close.

My friends swear by paramo . I always thought it was too hot for me as I had a smock and I don’t suffer from cold too much. I noticed in cold or rain hill walking if we stopped for something to eat goretex people put on another top Paramo people didn't have to. So yes for Paramo but I get too muddy.

 

[JeepingNet]

Two months ago bought the Outdoor Research Foray 2 jacket and love it. It is not an MTB-specific jacket but excellent all around. The pit zips are amazing and layers well, which is what I was looking for. It is also an excellent price, and I even got it on sale.

So far, I've used it for fat biking as a shell over my soft shell or a base layer, depending on the temperature. It's been on a few snowshoeing trips (where I used it in the poncho configuration), and currently on vacation in Florida and just used it to walk to the store in the rain. It is a bit too tight to be layered over my down 800 puff jacket, but that is to be expected.

My only issue with it so far is it doesn't come with a way to pack it up into itself. I might still buy the 7mesh Northwoods shell as more of a strap to the bike backup. I wanted the 7mesh co-pilot, but the lack of pit zips made me skip it.

Men's Foray II GORE-TEX® Jacket

Long hailed as the one rain jacket for every activity, this best-selling GORE-TEX waterproof jacket is made even better this season. Now for more people in more sizes, you'll love its refined fit, modernized design, and more versatile waterproof protection with famous TorsoFlo™ venting.

www.outdoorresearch.com

Men's Northwoods Windshell | 7mesh

A hooded, pack-down wind-protective jacket made for cool starts and late finishes, featuring innovative on-bike storage straps.

7mesh.com

 

[Growmac]

My friends swear by paramo . I always thought it was too hot for me as I had a smock and I don’t suffer from cold too much. I noticed in cold or rain hill walking if we stopped for something to eat goretex people put on another top Paramo people didn't have to. So yes for Paramo but I get too muddy.

Paramo handles the mud better than a hard shell IMO. I do find that I get hot when I stop as I'm relying on the vents to control temperature when moving, but that's probably a +ve not a -ve.

 

[Binhill1]

Paramo handles the mud better than a hard shell IMO. I do find that I get hot when I stop as I'm relying on the vents to control temperature when moving, but that's probably a +ve not a -ve.

Trouble is drying or washing something as hi tech as that gear twice a week I don't think it would last . If I was a millionaire and had 7 jackets it wouldn't be a problem.

 

[Growmac]

Trouble is drying or washing something as hi tech as that gear twice a week I don't think it would last . If I was a millionaire and had 7 jackets it wouldn't be a problem.

You can't wash any waterproof jacket twice a week, they'd all die! I hose mine off after the ride, it gets rinse washed every 2-3 weeks, proper washed every 6 weeks or so, and re-proofed every quarter. My older Paramo is 15 I think? The zip's buggered but the jacket's fine.

 

[Binhill1]

You can't wash any waterproof jacket twice a week, they'd all die! I hose mine off after the ride, it gets rinse washed every 2-3 weeks, proper washed every 6 weeks or so, and re-proofed every quarter. My older Paramo is 15 I think? The zip's buggered but the jacket's fine.

Totally agree I rotate jackets if it's still wet when i want to go out . Not so much mud since I got mudhugger . Roll on summer

 

[Binhill1]

Not a jacket but swear by these at £25 from army surplus and just cut legs off. Not a great cycling fit but with the galases they are OK. I have gore ones as well which are a great fit but thin as paper and have a few holes already.