I have a Gore Phantom jacket, which is a nice jacket, comfortable, well made etc.. but I find I get pretty sweaty in it, and therefore wet. Used mostly on the road by the way.

I wear a base layer under it, or if colder a base a plus short sleeved lycra roadie shirt.

What is the MOST breathable winter jacket?

No jacket at all. 😆

It’s always gonna be a balance between breathability and warmth/windproofness. Something like a Montane Velo will be relatively breathable – especially as they now have vents at the back. However, it adds little in the way of insulation.

What kind of base layer are you using? Avoid merino as that just holds too much moisture.

This is my base layer Kipsta

66% polyester , 29% polyamide, 5% elasthane.

Goretex products are terrible at breathing…

Event fabric is good but is a noisy material…

Personally have a Rab neoshell jacket, not cycling specific, but amazing breathability

Paramo. End of thread.

Get a windproof jersey with non windproof back. I think Endura and Altura do them. Running shops too.

Long sleeve arcteryx phase is all I wear on the coldest days. Brilliant at keeping the sweat away, but i run very hot.

Try a PERTEX top, as long as you are moving it should be breathable.

I have an old Mountain Montane Petex top and has three vents, which helps.

Montane Dyno

Montane Photon is very breathable, uses the pertex shield and is very thin and very waterproof.

Anything with pitzips, I use a very cheap decathlon soft shell jacket that not in the slightest breathable but the pitzips mean it more use (not sweaty) than my eVent waterproof & get used more due to that.

..and you don’t have to buy a cheap jacket to get them Altura/Bontrager (CF’s favorite) and others have eVent jackets with pitzips.

Paramo. End of thread.

This

If it’s just for winter and maybe late Autumn/early Spring, you will not get a more breathable genuinely weatherproof jacket. When I first used Paramo, my experience compared to Gore Tex and eVent was like when you use good disc brakes after years of struggling through winter with V brakes. In my experience there is nothing as breathable that you’d still be happy to call a waterproof.

what cynic-al said, get yourself a windproof jersey or jacket and carry a lightweight waterproof if you expect rain.

get yourself a windproof jersey or jacket and carry a lightweight waterproof if you expect rain.

Why take 2 jackets when 1 will do the same jobs just as effectively? Paramo. Anyone suggesting anything better than Paramo for winter cycling probably hasn’t tried it 🙂

Paramo. If you run warm it’s definitely only for winter, but nothing else comes even close in breathability.

Why take 2 jackets when 1 will do the same jobs just as effectively?

Because one won’t. Anything that is waterproof is going to be nowhere as breathable as a windproof. My windproofs keep me warm in light drizzle and I have a ‘race cape’ that packs the size of a satsuma in my back pocket/camelbak/saddlebag if it turns particularly unpleasant – and then I don’t mind ‘stewing’. I don’t want to be riding round in my own mobile sauna when its cold and dry outside.

EDIT: and equally importantly for me, none of the three windproofs I’ve got cost more than £50 and my tried and trusted waterproof is an aldi/lidl special for less than a tenner. Paramo = £150++??

The OP mentioned Gore jackets, so I didn’t think budget was an issue. I’m a sweaty so-and-so and was very pleasantly surprised how breathable Paramo is. I’ve even worn it when I know it definitely isn’t going to rain, it’s that good.

On re-reading it,my previous post seems a bit ‘arsey’, sorry about that. Each to their own I suppose. I’m happy with my set-up, you’re happy with yours, everyone’s happy!
If I were to go down the ‘one jacket’ route and I had a bit of spare cash hanging about then those Paramos (the Velez I presume) look interesting.

Paramo.

I don’t think the OP is after waterproof, therefore what cynic-al said makes most sense.

I don’t actually wear my Paramo Velez (full-on waterproof) for MTBing except in exceptional circumstances – I ride in a short sleeve base layer over a long sleeve base layer plus a Paramo Fuera (windproof) if it’s colder, with a tiny Pocket Rocket waterproof always in my Camelbak. But I live and mostly ride near the south coast and run warm. The Velez is just as breathable as any windproof and more breathable than many softshells but as in the winter I usually get (very) muddy I prefer to keep the Velez for non-bike outdoor stuff.

I run pretty hot and work hard on most rides, from what I hear there are about 3 days a year when it’s cold enough for Paramo to work for me.

It would be nice to try it to see what all the fuss is about.

I bought a Velez as a winter jacket with the idea that I might wear it for rides on really cold (Aberdeenshire) rides. But actually I’ve found it’s much more versatile than I expected and I’m happy using it (with just a merino base layer) on lots of chilly days, even if there is no chance of rain.

I love my Gore oxygen softshell for winter nice and warm but no sweat

most breathable jacket i have is an Assos Airblock, the reason is that the front is windproof but the back is a heavy roubaix type lycra. I believe Giordana, Castelli etc offer similar.

Don’t bother with any full windproof jacket you don’t need it, and only use waterproofs when it is raining.

this is what I use: http://www.google.co.uk/url?sa=t&rct=j&q=&esrc=s&source=web&cd=4&cad=rja&sqi=2&ved=0CFEQtwIwAw&url=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.youtube.com%2Fwatch%3Fv%3DXYQ1zA6zqBI&ei=KF6pUJnNCJDNswbI7oCADw&usg=AFQjCNERegNYrBwQnO4vlZQQSdKXpmWFzQ&sig2=9mS-AnryeB1uyb5piyMhHw

never lets me down.

Personally have a Rab neoshell jacket, not cycling specific, but amazing breathability

I’ve got one too and it’s a simply fantastic jacket.

As far as I’m aware, Polartec Neoshell is the most breathable waterproof fabric on the market, but still relatively few jackets actually using it. The newest Gore Active Shell is also very good.

Cheers folks.

Quite some recommendations for Paramo then? 🙂

I’m not seeking a rainjacket, or hardshell, or necessarily a windproof.. I’m after a roadie type winter jacket for cold/icy temperatures that b-r-e-a-t-h-e-s exceptionally well.

When I ride I sweat, and when I go downhill, or briefly stop then restart I’m freezing because of the wet, cold condensed sweat.

I’ll check out Paramo and Assos – any other recommendations still welcome! :D.

More – thinner – layers might help. The further the damp base layer is away from the cold external air, the less likely your sweat will “over-cool” you. This is one of the reasons I like Paramo since it is made up of a few layers. In spite of you saying you don’t want a waterproof I’d still encourage you to borrow it to try.

Assos Habu or Bonka depending on how much warmth you need

I wear scott paclite ontop of a widproof scott midlayer. Works a treat

Try looking at a rab vapour lite, super breathable and warm

Rab vapour rise lite if you run warm or rab vapour rise for more warmth

For roadbiking, I have an Assos sJ.13 luftSchutz shell, it’s unbelievably good. Ridiculously thin but surprisingly insulating when worn over a midlayer.

It’s breathability can best be compared to witchcraft. After a ride you can see little patches of salt on the outside where it’s wicked sweat through.

Wore it yesterday, 7°c, damp, showery and lots of roadspray on the chaingang. I had a Craft Windstopper-fronted l/s base layer, a long-sleeved jersey and the LuftSchutz on top. Perfect.

Not cheap, but the fit is excellent and the stretch panels do a brilliant job of keeping it snug but with lots of flexibility. And it packs smaller than a packet of Frazzles if you need to take it off.

I really like my Rab Alpine – very breathable fabric with big vents down both sides and cuffs are loose enough to push sleeves up. I can then just vary layers underneath to suit so a long sleeve base plus light fleece plus shell does for pretty cold days out. Still carry a waterproof for if the weather turns nasty.

I’m not seeking a rainjacket, or hardshell, or necessarily a windproof.. I’m after a roadie type winter jacket for cold/icy temperatures that b-r-e-a-t-h-e-s exceptionally well.

Softshell with pit zips.
For spring/autumn I use a Rapha softshell, for colder weather and for winter commuting I’ve got an Endura Stealth which is a bit heavier duty. Yes it’s warm but the level of ventilation control you get just by undoing one or two zips an inch is amazing and makes it really versatile.

Good for everything from dry to showers although if it’s properly chucking it down, the softshell usually gives up after about 30 minutes.