Seeking the most breathable rainjacket

An interesting thread with all of the expected replies.
I'll add my own 2 cents...

"Mark H." wrote:
I'd like to have a lightweight rain jacket/shell in which I don't feel
clammy when cycling distances at a modest pace. Am I seeking the Holy
Grail?

Yes. I agree wit Booker on this completely.

+ Go for a hike (or ride) in warm, humid conditions wearing a hooded nylon
windbreaker with the zippers up and the hood on. You will almost certainly
sweat faster than the plain nylon can breath. The point here is that
GoreTex or similar can do no better. If are active in warm humid
environments you will get wet with sweat.

+ Spend a few hours in a soaking rainstorm wearing non-breathable rain gear
doing some non-sweat producing activity. You will stay dry for an hour,
maybe 2. Then you will notice leakage around the hood, zippers, cuffs and
hems. The point here is that if you spend an extended time in the rain,
you will get.

My conclusion on this is that goal is to stay comfortable, not dry.
Some assorted observations that may agree (or not) with others....
+ Waterproof/Breathable fabrics are more windproof than non laminated
or non-coated fabrics. For cold weather riding, GoreTex is much warmer.

+ Laminates (GoreTex in particular) are more breathable than coatings.

+ Unlined (aka 3-layer) fabrics are more breathable and dry out faster
in the field than lined jackets do. I disagree slightly with Booker on
this one. All clothing sucks when it gets soaked imo and GTX sucks less
than any other similar option.

+ There are 2 strategies to consider. 1) accept being wet from rain and
layer to stay warm. Jobts approach and Booker's approach may both fit into
this category. The british Buffalo System of clothing and modern
softshells take this approach. 2) Wear GTX, wear a light layer under it
and accept getting wet from sweat. There are pros and cons to both
approaches and it varies on conditions. One problem with using softshells
or non waterproof shells over insulating layers in cold wet conditions is
that you end up with wet insulation. If you are camping, this leaves yo
with wet insulation at day's end.

-Dave



I don't know if there really is such a thing. Most all techno fabrics are
promoted now as breathable, some claim more breathable than others, but what
does that mean? If a fabric is really waterproof, not merely water
resistant, how much breathability can it have? Or can it?


All assistance and admonishments welcome.

T.I.A..
Mark

land in arizona.

check this out!

http://www.nws.noaa.gov/radar/latest.../si.kbyx.shtml

wrote:

land in arizona.

is expensive?

relatively cheap bill

Mark H. wrote:
Greetings!

May I have some recommendations for the absolutely most "breathable"
lightweight rain jacket?
I'd like to have a lightweight rain jacket/shell in which I don't feel
clammy when cycling distances at a modest pace. Am I seeking the Holy
Grail?
Mark

I like Gore Tex when it is cold but not wet outside. Low humidity helps
the sweat evaporate. The Mercedes of these jackets I found while living
in Germany. It is from Loeffler, their Colibri jacket, and is really
small and light and packable.
You can get them if you use paypal and buy from a German source:
http://search.ebay.de/colibri_Radspo...tZ9192QQsojsZ1

For serious climbs, my solution is to get wet on the way up, then change
into a dry jersey and put on the Loeffler jacket for the descent. It
rocks.

That being said, the only thing I can stand when riding in heavy rain is
a rain _cape_ which is open at the bottom. It is fine for flats or
rolling terrain.

I do like to use a goretex helmet cover in the rain, with a visor. This
keeps rain out of your eyes.

I also wear nylon euro-style rain overbooties- not the neoprene ones.
They keep some of the water out of your shoes, and keep the muck off of
you.

This all assumes you have a saddle bag or backpack when you are riding
in bad weather for keeping a change of clothes.

For me, Gore Tex Windstopper is the only windproof/water resistant
fabric I can wear for a ride without sweating up inside in the winter.
In the summer, I'm soaked with sweat normally, anyway.

Rob

On Fri, 3 Jun 2005 13:46:27 -0700, "Jay Beattie"
wrote:

I bought an uber-expensive Early Winters first generation Gortex
tent in about 1980, and it was the worst POS I ever owned. It
leaked at the seams, so I sealed the hell out of it -- and then
it started leaking through the body. Condensation was a huge
problem. I had a coat of the same vintage with about the same
problems, except it also delaminated. That stuff got off to a
real rocky start. -- Jay Beattie.

You'll note that no Gore-Tex tents (or at least none that I saw when
looking for a lightweight backpacking tent the other year) are actually
still on the market. If you want breathable, you get cotton or polycotton
and for lightweight you get polyester -- in the better qualities, with big
ass vents against condensation.

Jasper

Jasper Janssen writes:

I bought an uber-expensive Early Winters first generation Gore-tex
tent in about 1980, and it was the worst POS I ever owned. It
leaked at the seams, so I sealed the hell out of it -- and then it
started leaking through the body. Condensation was a huge problem.
I had a coat of the same vintage with about the same problems,
except it also delaminated. That stuff got off to a real rocky
start.

You'll note that no Gore-Tex tents (or at least none that I saw when
looking for a lightweight backpacking tent the other year) are
actually still on the market. If you want breathable, you get
cotton or polycotton and for lightweight you get polyester -- in the
better qualities, with big ass vents against condensation.

There is good reason for the decline in interest in this stuff. From
my experience, Gore-Tex, an industrial product, has no place in
clothing or outdoor equipment. It does not breathe once either inside
or outside cloth cover becomes wet, be that from condensed
perspiration on the inside or rain on the outside. Those who have
used a pillow case as a collapsible flotation device while swimming
know how air proof wet cloth is. It might as well be a rubber.

http://tinyurl.com/ajtr5

Jobst Brandt

Breathable rain jackets are a lie.

There is nothing on earth that is waterproof and will not get you
sweaty when you wear it, especially if you're engaged in physical
activity such as bicycle riding. You may get wet from sweat or from
rain, but you're definitely going to get wet.

Gore-tex schmore-tex!