Sorry. I know there's always loads of threads like these, but trying to pick through them all for the nuggets of wisdom and advice for what I want/need is a bit time-consuming ...
So. Requirements:
- Properly waterproof (rather than resistant/windproof) - it needs to stand up to long days of mixed weather/a few hours of sustained/heavy rain
- Packable (as small/light as possible) - it will be used mainly for bike-packing and long days out). Doesn't need to be silly-small / fragile, but a big bulky heavy waterproof is not what I want.
- Has a hood. Will probably not be that regularly used, but in a downpour, useful to have. Ideally one that fits under rather than over a helmet.
Budget is as close to £100-140 as possible (so will likely need the be something on offer rather than RRP.)
Currently considering:
Rab Cinder Downpour Waterproof Jacket
Rab Cinder Phantom Jacket
Rapha Men's Goretex Hooded Rain Jacket
Endura GV500
Anything else to consider?
Ta.
Check out the Gorewear website, I got an Endure for £137 using the 'first time customer' 20% off code they offer when you open the website.
I think the Endure ticks all your boxes (except hood goes over helmet) and I got it for exactly the same intended uses.
Galibier Courcheval @£98.22
So good my son stole it.
Used for a mult-day tour through the Highlands and had days where it just hosed. Other mixed days I could keep the pit-zips open for when a sudden shower came through or I was riding in smirr.
Highly recommended.
Evans currently have DHB tops on a ridiculous sale, I got an Aeron Roadie Jacket for £32 down from ~£160. Did 40 miles in it last night and only unzipped it for the big 30min climb, the rest of the time it was breathable enough to just ride in.
Downsides:
Zip isn't waterproof and no storm flap so it will leak in a downpour.
No hood
Roadie cut
They might have other jackets though.
I'd also suggest checking decathlon out but I don't know what they're doing with their cycling range at the moment. 90% of it seems to have disappeared.
MAGIC-MOUNTAIN.CO.UK A Sprayway Wyre might be worth a look at £80
Not if the OP wants something that's packable and non flappy would be my take on that. Not a bad price for a Paclite rambling jacket though.
@StirlingCrispin ... I'd wondered about the Galibier Courcheval, and like their stuff. How light/packable is it (got the impression it was quite heavy-duty)
quechua mh900 from decathlon.
keela packlite.
not fashionable but as good as any other waterproofs at less price.
I don't like to speak ill of Galibier but I sent one back a couple of years ago as it really wasn't very breathable and would be wet inside within half an hour of effort. I see they're now using 50% recycled fabric also which in my experience of a Pearson jacket is not great for breathability either...
Haven't tested the Gorewear Endure yet but in my experience the Gore stuff does seem to outperform alternatives.
I see they’re now using 50% recycled fabric also which in my experience of a Pearson jacket is not great for breathability either…
It'll depend on how it's used. Recycled fabric - usually from PET plastic bottles - isn't inherently more or less breathable than comparable 'virgin' yarn. Mostly likely lack of breathability will be primarily down to the waterproof membrane or coating used. Face and liner fabrics do impact on moisture vapour transfer to a point as do construction methods, but the main determinant is the proofing medium.
Galibier Courcheval, and like their stuff. How light/packable is it
Too big for a back pocket, but sits in my bar bag. Not as bulky as my GoreTex jackets.
I have a Keela Saxon but that's absolute emergencies only (for day rides I now tend to run a pertex jacket and accept I'll get wet).
My Keela Prosport is superb as a rain jacket but very bulky and used for dog walks. Got a proper workout this morning in Storm Eowyn !
I’ve just bought a Rab Kinetic ultra. It’s waterproof, packable, stretchy, soft and quiet. I’m happy with it. I paid about £150 for it. The hood has a great peak, and fits over my big head well.
Id have maybe liked pit zips and or pockets, but there’s pockets in my pants and there’s a tab to hold the top of the zip together when you open it.
Keela Saxon. £110. Ticks all your requirements, plus:
Made in the UK, by a living wage employer; buy direct online from the factory, so a very short supply chain.. Repairable at the factory. My first one lasted almost ten years of hard labour. Replaced with another, which is performing very well so far. Light enough to pack, waterproof, as breathable as the best of the competition. Hood, pockets and good wind resistance.
Note most waterproof jackets are a bit shit at the moment. Everyone has had to get rid of the PFAs (aka forever plastics) and the replacements are objectively less good. Means you need to reproof more and take more care of them. I'm sure this will improve in time.
My view on this is that you’re best off with a good windproof jacket that you wear all the time and keep the waterproof in your pack, just adding it on top when it’s too wet and cold for the windproof to be sufficient.
Waterproofs just aren’t very breathable (apart from Paramo but they’re too warm and heavy for most MTBing), and a good windproof will keep lighter rain out and in middling rain often hit a better balance between wet from the outside and wet from the inside (and when things start going the wrong way you add the waterproof). And with a good windproof under it, the waterproof doesn’t need to be as waterproof,
Also, if you can handle how stupid a Brynje mesh base layer looks, it’s the biggest upgrade imaginable for all the layers above.
For what it’s worth, I have the Rab cinder downpour for exactly what you describe. My 2 pennies worth.
I road the GOATS in Portugal this year in some of the worst weather conditions. Wind and torrential rain. I wore my Rab 90% of time and it was very waterproof. The 2 rear flaps were great for venting and when there was a break in the weather, it packs down pretty small for easy stashing in the frame bag.
The cut is perfect for bike riding, though it’s pretty short on the front for general walking duties, but the length on the back is great. The sleeves have a longer cut which fully covers the back of the hand which was a blessing. As I said, the vents are great but I wish they had the little button strap on the inside of the main zip like they do on the Rab vital wind shell. I may even bodge that myself. I’m Bald, so hate using waterproof hoods as it feels very sweaty, but it is small and fits snuggly under a helmet.
I have a Fohn Stormcell 3L jacket which I am in love with. FOHN were Wiggle / Chain Reactions last big attempt at doing something, and was their version of Outdoor Clothing, similar to what DHB and Nukeproof clothing is for roadies / MTBers. Unfortunately its' now not really available anymore, but you can find them on eBay / Vinted etc if you look.
Great cut for riding with and easy to vent. The innermost of the 3 layers is nice and soft too, so feels good against bare skin.
I still do just keep in my bag most of the time and use a windproof though.
@hardtailonly what did you end up buying?
I'm in the market for something similar...
-Waterproof
-Over helmet hood
-Pit zips
-Under £150
-I can take or leave packable
Currently checking out all the suggestions in this thread so far.
“
Waterproof
-Over helmet hood
-Pit zips
-Under £150
-I can take or leave packable”
I got the last generation MT500 waterproof for about £80 on Sport Pursuit. It had stupid inner cuffs that I cut out. I’d rather the sleeves were a bit bigger for better venting. And the main zip snags way too easily in the storm flap. But otherwise it scores very well, waterproof, breathable, excellent over helmet hood, big pit zips and venting pockets. The snaggy zip would drive me crazy if I’d paid full price though!
I mostly wear a windproof or softshell though and carry a tiny waterproof for emergencies - the MT500 is overkill for rides of a few hours down south unless the weather is horrific.
@hardtailonly what did you end up buying?
I'm in the market for something similar...
-Waterproof
-Over helmet hood
-Pit zips
-Under £150
-I can take or leave packable
Currently checking out all the suggestions in this thread so far.
Holy thread resurrection!
It's actually taken me a whole year to sort something out (I did buy a cheap one from Spada wear last year, which did well enough on a grim 3 hour filthy gravel night ride back in the autumn), but it's a bit boil in the bag. But, I've just bought the Gorewear Lupra 2.0 Goretex waterproof jacket, £162 down from £260ish. Only arrived this week, so not used it yet, but seems light, packable, well made and reckon it'll be properly waterproof for big/long downpours.
I have the original Lupra and it's not fully waterproof, only tip of arms, shoulders, chest etc but it's pretty good in the rain and really well made. So good I bought another.
I have the original Lupra and it's not fully waterproof, only tip of arms, shoulders, chest etc but it's pretty good in the rain and really well made. So good I bought another.
I think they do a Lupra windstopper too ... ?
But, this is the one I've got. Meant to be fully waterproof.
Haha, blame the STW search for the thread resurrection!
I'll check out the Endura MT500, although their stuff is always hit or miss for me in terms of quality. I've got some waterproof overtrousers which are around 15 years old and still going strong, but then I've had shorts and tops fall apart in less than a year.
I did see the Lupra 2.0 Gore-TEX jacket but they're out of my size in the colours I like sadly.
I've seen a few Rab and Fjern jackets which seem to fit the bill.
Yeah I think the Lupra 2 is more waterproof but I'm happy with the waterproofness of the original and I like the breathability too. I'm sure the 2 will be great too.
Waaaaaaay higher than the price range you're talking about, but the 7Mesh Sky pilot jacket is amazingly good. About the only waterproof cycling jacket I've had in over 30 years of mountain biking that actually works properly. Breathable, waterproof, packable. Wow.
I'll check out the Endura MT500
I have one. Can't fault the quality, but it's not very waterproof.
I'm thinking of trying a Madison DTE 3 layer based on how much I like their dungarees
I got a Patagonia Torrentshell 3L from Sportshoes for £90 yesterday. Not tried it in anger yet but the fit and quality seems very good.
I have the galibier courchevel mentioned above, very impressed with it so far.
The Rab Cinder Phantom has disappeared from their website, and I see that some shops seem to be offering it for around £100-130. it appeals to me a lot.
personally, I went for the Patagonia Dirt Roamer Storm. And im incredibly happy with it. But it’s well above the budget unfortunately. Perhaps it doesn’t breathe quite as well as the Rab. And it’s not as small. But it does breathe well enough for me, especially with the vents. And it’s really not too large.
I also have a Rab Kinetic. It is the most breathable waterproof I’ve ever used. But it’s less waterproof than the Patagonia. It’s fine for showers, or 30min - 1hr rain. But if I thought I was going to ride for 2-3 hours in the rain, I wouldn’t choose the Kinetic. I was very unhappy with it (due to the lack of failsafe waterproofness) but i now things of it as a very water resistant softshell. In that way, it’s excellent.
The Madison DTE 3 layer can be had for £115 from Velo Runner or £119 from JE James 👍
They are excellent 👌
Gorewear are selling off everything right now - Gore-Tex has closed the brand - so worth a look if you're after a waterproof with a big discount. Also, I'm pretty sure Rab is discontinuing the Cinder stuff, so likely to be bargains there too if you look around.
What?! "Rab discontinuing their Cinder stuff"??
I've only recently discovered the Cinder range and I find it to be excellent. Latest acquisition being a discounted Cinder Phantom jacket. That's a jacket to replace my 20 years+ Gore Paclite.
Keela Saxon. £110. Ticks all your requirements, plus:
I bought one of these recently to replace a very leaky RAB based on this thread. Seems well made, cut well, kept me warm and dry up in the dales a couple of weeks ago in filthy weather around freezing. Not used the hood yet, and suspect it'll be a bit hot in warmer weather, but I'll usually just run a softshell and get wet.
I've narrowed my shortlist down to the following:
-Gorewear Lupra 2.0 (if I can get away with purple)
-Patagonia Torrentshell 3L
-Fjern Orkan II
-Rab Cinder Kinetic
-Dare2b Breathe Out 2.5L
-Scott Explorair Light Dryo 2.5L (I have the Windbreaker version and it's awesome)
Need to measure myself to see if I need L or XL. Currently using a Columbia Rain Scape which is L, and had a Madison Roam in L before that but the height/weight size guides seem to think I'm XL so need to take some actual measurements.
@citizenlee: I own the Rab Kinetic. It’s the most breathable jacket I’ve ever owned. But it’s not terribly waterproof. If you were riding in non-stop rain for an hour or two, imo you will feel wet and cold.
The Patagonia stuff seems much more waterproof imo. The trade off is that it doesn’t seem quite as breathable. But my Patagonia is breathable enough for me.
@citizenlee: I own the Rab Kinetic. It’s the most breathable jacket I’ve ever owned. But it’s not terribly waterproof. If you were riding in non-stop rain for an hour or two, imo you will feel wet and cold.
The Patagonia stuff seems much more waterproof imo. The trade off is that it doesn’t seem quite as breathable. But my Patagonia is breathable enough for me.
Good to know, thanks.
I'd get good use out of both types to be honest, so maybe two jackets is a better option. Probably best looking at the more waterproof ones at the moment.
Have a look on eBay for Fjern bargains. There's quite a lot, I think Sportpursuit must have a shop but the name is ishoe.
-Gorewear Lupra 2.0 (if I can get away with purple)
If you don't like the purple there's a code that will reduce the full price of the 'better colours' from £250 to £175
On the gorewear site if you enter code:
irunovermountains30
It drops the price of the lupra 2 jacket to £175.
This will only work on full price items so only the grey and black jackets or I think any other full price items.
Not the fastest for delivery but some bargains to be had at sportpursuit
A grey Lupra is tempting with that discount code. Really wanted the mustard yellow though 😄
All the stuff I like on Sportpursuit only available in Small, apart from the Fjerns which I think I've ruled out due to reading they have long arms and short torso.
Very tempted by a Patagonia Granite Crest now. Apparently less stiff/noisy than the Torrentshell with a good sized hood for going over a helmet.
Went for the Patagonia Granite Crest in obnoxious orange. Has everything I'm after and 50% off from Sportsshoes.com sealed the deal (there's no way I'd pay £260 for a jacket I'll get filthy and drag through foliage on the bike!).
Just ordered a Lupra 2 jacket from GoreWear. Very limited sizes and colours, but I liked the purple one so got that. It was reduced from £240 to about £160, however having left it in the "basket" for a couple of days they sent me an e-mail with a code for 25% off my first order. This reduced it to £120, almost exactly half price, hope its as good as they say it is.
What’s the fit like on those Gore Lupra jackets? L size here in real life -42chest- but wondering if the XL would be safer…
I got a medium, I'm usually between S and M, depending on fit. It's slightly roomy on me, but I did intentionally size up slightly in order to fit an insulated layer.
My view on this is that you’re best off with a good windproof jacket that you wear all the time and keep the waterproof in your pack, just adding it on top when it’s too wet and cold for the windproof to be sufficient.
Very much this, I like the Endure (now the Lupra, don't know how much it has changed) as it will roll up in a back pocket. I believe the best waterproof is whatever you are willing to quickly take on and off again. This is as much to do with storage solutions as anything, tucking it away in a saddle bag or rucsac tends to mean I delay putting it on until too late, and keep it on too long just out of convenience.
Frame bag works reasonably well with the Endure if you learn to avoid trapping it in the zip! I'm wondering now about an elasticated mesh bag for the stem or bars to keep it even more accessible. Also, the less you wear it the less you have to wash it, which in my experience always reduces the breathability and the shedding.