Had a full day out in the hills on Saturday, and it was blatantly obvious that my “boil in a bag” jacket and layers just don’t cut it. We were drowned, happy as, but drowned none the less after 8 or so hours out in it.

Does a jacket exist that is created for this ridiculous purpose.

It was “best ride ever” mind you.

A top end Gortex jacket will keep out the worst of it (and cost £200-300) but if you have too many / wrong type of layers underneath you’ll still feel hot, it was very wet and windy but also quite warm in Hampshire.

We spent quite a bit of time in the pub, pushing our planned hike on Saturday back 4 hours to avoid the worst of the rain and wind and the ride planned for Sunday turned into a short road ride which I skipped. When the weather is that bad I either ride in the woods out of the worst of the rain, try and ride in a better weather window before/after or just don’t bother.

No everything wets out if rained on long enough unless you pass out in your oilskins

As Marin says.

You can’t stay dry in those conditions, for that period of time. You’ll either get wet from rain penetrating, or far more likely, wet from your own sweat condensing on the inside of the jacket quicker than it can percolate through it. You can stay warm though.

Flexibility can make for much improved rides on very wet days. As has been said, staying in the woods, staying low and staying on the sheltered side of the hill can all lessen the severity of the weather.

Having the right kit also helps massively, but beyond a certain point, modern plastic breathables just won’t work well enough to deal with your own body’s moisture output.

warm and wet is just uncomfy, cold and wet is the thing to be worried about.

In addition to the OP’s quandry, am I right in thinking (well, it seems obvious but you never know) that if your gore-tex is wet on the outside surface, no amount of breathability will let you sweat out?

Reference Scienceofficer – obviously having a range of spare jackets to hand helps 😉

If you’re willing to splurge you could get something in Ventile? But as said, it’s the water from the inside that causes most of the issues. I usually work on riding at an easier pace, with less layers and very breathable outer layer – venting when I can – but that only works for so long.

The real strength of goretex IME is that when it isn’t raining, you can dry out quite effectively. So it works well for a cold windy day with (or without) showers. In non-stop pouring rain you’re basically going to get wet if you are exercising, but a stiffer shell material (which you typically get on fairly high end equipment, as long as you aren’t paying for lightness) is still more comfortable, probably due to better air gaps between it and under-layers.

I was thinking along the lines of:

http://www.chevincycles.com/clothing/jackets/waterproof/endura-mt500-waterproof-jacket-ii.html

Or Altura attack?????

Any experience of these?

We do head into the woods regularly, but nothing beats going “up there”

I can recommend the Madison Addict. Just check the fit is good for you, I’ve got a medium which is a good fit, if very slightly neat. However the large was massive on me

I gave up long ago really, everything gets wet. I find it better to embrace, hence t shirt on Saturdays ride. I find I overheat in a jacket, even on cold days, which makes life more uncomfortable than ever. I’ve only had one ride in the last few years where I gave up after 7km, it just wasn’t worth it.

Also, spending £300+ on a jacket, to then fall off and rip, rendering it useless, just doesn’t make sense to me. Really, unless I rode half the year in rain would I bother. I tend to now work out whether the ride will be worth it, both training and enjoyment wise. Saturday’s ride for example was riding new trails, in a new area, and was awesome, with a good group. Finished in the pub next to the fire.

I’ve got an attack jacket, and as above, it’s very good when it’s freezing cold, however when warm, the sweat build up does get to you. This past weekend it was freakishly warm for the conditions. It is very waterproof and comfy, so is my go to jacket on the warmer days (Gore soft shell for the really cold days) and keeps the wind chill off really nicely as well. Just don’t expect to stay dry!

I’ve got an old model mt500 and rate it.

Breathable enough and pretty bomb-proof rain wise.

dmorts, by “neat” do you mean tight/small??

I’m 6’2″ and about 40″-41″ chest, and would usually buy an XL size outer jacket.

The Madison certainly looks the part.

Ahem.

http://singletrackworld.com/reviews/group-test-lightweight-waterproof-jackets/

In my experience….If It’s peeing down & your’e flogging on, ya gonna get wet. If It’s not raining & your’e flogging on, you’ll stay dry ish. If your’e stood still & it’s hoying down, you’ll stay dry.

Doesn’t matter how much you spend.

eVent.

Waterproof, windproof, more breathable. And, for days like this weekend past (Warm, windy, wet in NW Hampshire!) even better if it has pit zips.

Harder to find jackets made of it these days, as everyone thinks waterpoof/breathable = GoreTex. Gore’s fine, but for active/warmer use, eVent is just better in my experience.

Showers Pass make a very good one, which will probably be the next one when my excellent Bontrager Packable gives up the ghost.
Men's Elite 2.1 Jacket

Bought one of these off the classifieds and wore it for the first time yesterday in really stormy conditions up Garburn Pass did a great job wore a long sleeve and a short sleeve howies merino top with it and was perfect was about 8 degrees hood was perfect! Would not pay £200 for it !
[url=https://flic.kr/p/zXcpF4]Untitled[/url] by Richard Munro, on Flickr

What is it postierich ?

http://singletrackworld.com/forum/topic/new-berghaus-velum-ii-gore-tex-waterproof-jacket-for-cycling-climbing-hiking-1

Latest Goretex isn’t significantly different from event (which is still widely used, you won’t have a problem finding a jacket made from it, if that’s what you want). Polartec Neoshell is better than both imo, but not so widely used. Paramo also an option for when it gets colder.

I run hot and I find eVent the best one for breathability. But also, accept that when you’re working hard over a long period of time in wet weather – especially UK wet which is rarely that cold IME, you’re going to get damp.
A base layer helps here, as does good venting on all the layers you’re wearing.

Sometimes I think a windproof with layers is better than a waterproof – breathability is better but the layers keep the damp off your skin and the windproofing stops the wind from chilling you down

More vents. I have never found a jacket to be breathable enough when I’m exercising, but my Altura Attack has massive pit zips so I can cool off fairly well. It also makes a jacket much more versatile as it can cover a much greater temperature range.

I reckon eVent is the fabric of choice for breathability and durability. Active shell as used in the Berghaus jacket I tested runs it close. Several hours in the sopping wet rain and you will get damp. I like Helly Hansen warm base layers as they keep me at a good temperature even when damp. I was wearing the Berghaus for several hours today and the only real dampness was in the arms which I would attribute to the capillary action of wet gloves and water getting up the sleeves. I was still comfortable though.

I really fancy trying Neoshell as it gets a good name in the walking press.

The Rab I recommended is an excellent jacket with the added bonus of packing down to a tiny size. The Keela is damn fine too. Keela have some interesting stuff to say about fabrics like Gore Tex which is worth a read.

dmorts, by “neat” do you mean tight/small??

I’m 6’2″ and about 40″-41″ chest, and would usually buy an XL size outer jacket.

The Madison certainly looks the part.

More not being baggy in fit. I’m a medium normally and I ended up with a medium of the Madison jacket.

Cheers guys: ordered the Madison from Evans (cheapest in a black XL)

Check out the Dare2b stuff. Really impressed with the quality and very often at cheap prices on their sale section on the site.

I’ve got a Rab Neo Guide jacket, that I managed to pick up from their warehouse sale for peanuts, which I am totally enamoured with.

It did its job during the coast to coast, had 3 days of torrential rain and, despite my bum being wet, my torso was lovely and dry. I just rode with a base layer underneath, as it was pretty warm, and managed not to get too sweaty….which is impressive as I run hot and tend to ride in t-shirt and shorts all year round. Also, as it’s a mountaineering jacket, the hood is massive and designed to be used over a climbing helmet.

Try a Buffalo jacket. I have the Buffalo Teclite shirt and it’s perfect when its less that 10 degrees. The more common Special 6 is a bit too warm for cycling. They are not waterproof but highly breathable and keep you feeling warm and comfortable as long as you are active. Massive ventilation zips down both sides. Wear it on its own or over a merino base layer when it gets colder.

It’s a totally different concept to wearing waterproofs but it works for me!

Just picked up my Madison addict jacket from Evans. Nice fit, it’s a large and seems to fit like a normal large. Seems nice quality too.

If it’s warm-ish but wet, you want a gilet tbh- keep the body warm and dry, let the arms be wet and radiate. Most of them have mesh backs though, which is a shame.

Altura Attack is my Big Waterproof, it’s got immense zipped vents, it’s all-day waterproof, and very breathable but inevitably it’s warm so it needs to be pretty chilly before it’s an option. And slightly umpleasant against skin too. But for your daft November enduros in a blizzard and such it’s awesome.

We were issued with the Special 6’s when they first started making them.
Great as if you get soaked you just turn it inside out and have the pertex against your skin with the wind drying the pile without losing body heat.
Still got mine and the trousers – but by god are they warm!

fellow buffalo fan here …

was out wearing just an active shirt up top on sunday – had the vents on the side open , was wet but warm even with the wind blowing mad.

Hope you didn’t pay the advertised price Postie 😉

A buffalo? Is it the 80’s again?

Goretex pro jacket here, lightest, most breathable jacket I’ve ever had but mild, wet conditions like last weekend are going to be a challenge for anything.

goretex and derivitives ime don’t last….. i have one i keep for certain types of riding where i cant have the bulk of the buffalo.

id rather not be replacing expensive jackets every 20 minutes when the waterproofness has worn out thanks.

And here’s a left field option for you…. I ought one full price for road bike riding then they came up half price in the sale do I bought a second in trail friendly green……..
A Vulpine Rain Jacket…..made from Epic Cotton….. Was out in the rain on Saturday in it with the recommended merino base layer and was despite the rain and mud etc pretty much bone dry both from sweat within but also no water ingress. At no point did I suffer any overheat/ boil in the bag discomfort which has been a first in 20 odd years of MTBing. It’s a washable, tumble dry able durable fabric cut for cycling.
I’m a convert for sure, no more boil in the bag for me from now on!