See other posts about Howies pilot jacket.
Ventile is amazing. I had 2 of the earlier generations of the Howies Ventile jacket. Both excellent. Even better, they looked like ‘regular’ cotton jackets: Harrington style.
The new ones look much more like hiking jackets. Great if you like looking as though you’ve just come off the moors. But you can get a good, functional waterproof that looks like a hiking jacket for less (any old brand). Or, you can get a real hiking jacket that works brilliantly for less (Paramo).
Although Ventile will be heavier than GoreTex I’d pick a Ventile jacket over a GoreTex one any day…unless it was going to spend most of the time in my Camelbak on the bike.
If you want a Ventile jacket then try Hilltrek . Ventile is Ventile. It is an amazing fabric.
If you want a Howies jacket then go for it. The Pilot jackets I had were great for nearly all seasons and for nearly all settings. £279 is a lot of £££ but it will be great.
Ventile is not perfect though. The extra fine weave that creates the waterproofing effect means the fabric wears at seams as the coarser thread ‘worries’ away at the delicate fine weave. Also, the cuffs and edges wear for a similar reason: fine weave Vs rough surroundings.
Having said all that, if I had the spare cash I’d get a Ventile Hilltrek and a Howies jacket too.
