Looking for recommendations for a breathable Goretex/ goretex pro grade multipurpose hard shell jacket.

Only very occasional use on bike for those wet winter foul hill days, so it needs to be nice and loose for dog walking and hill walking.  I am an XXL and wide shouldered large chap so have tried on the likes of Mountain Equipment Lhotse which is too tailored for me.

Prefer bagginess with lots of pockets for hats, maps, poo bags, wallets, keys etc.

Budget up to £350.

Any thoughts/ experiences appreciated.

S

Something from the Berghaus range would probably fit the bill. <span style=”font-size: 0.8rem;”>I’ve got (I think) a Hillwalker, couple of big pockets and a napoleon. Can zip in a fleece if needed. </span>

Mine is a few years old (at least 5) and it even after reproofing recently its wetting out in a few spots in persistent rain. Been good up until that point.

I used an army ‘goretex’ for the last 15 years all over UK/Pyrenees/Rockies etc. You can specify height and chest, and I’m very tall so this is great. They are really also really tough. I find it way more breathable than my cheap cycling showerproof top tho possibly £300 jacket would be better, though kind of doubt it. I just got a new one from Mogro(I think?) on eBay for £35 brand new. Do that and you’d have £315 spare to go somewhere exciting with it. Only downside is sometimes I leave the house after giving myself a haircut with the clippers wearing it and worry that I could possibly be giving off BNP vibes.

RAF equivalent in blue to avoid the BNP vibe?

For £350 you could get a big old Goretex for walking and a separate bike-specific one, which might also do for less foul days.

Have you looked on SportPursuit? It’s an Aladdin’s Cave of reduced-price waterproofs.

I am an XXL and wide shouldered large chap so have tried on the likes of Mountain Equipment Lhotse which is too tailored for me.

I think you probably need to try some different brands for fit. Mountain Equipment has two fits: the Lhotse is their ‘Alpine’ cut and is very trim, but there’s also a ‘Mountain’ fit, which is more forgiving. The Changabang definitely uses it, not sure what else, but the web-site will say.

Rab has started using Gore-Tex this year and seems to have a more generous cut than ME based on the Ladakh anyway – it has very long sleeves. Discounted Arc’teryx from Sportpursuit would probably sort out the shoulder issue if they have your size. The Berghaus hill-walking cut as opposed to their Extrem or Mtn.Haus designs might work. Marmot maybe.

Do you have to have Gore-Tex? You’ll get more bang for your buck but the same features, cut etc with own-brand fabrics from Rab or ME. Gore stuff is super thoroughly tested and works well, but over the last five years or so, other fabrics have improved a lot and engineered PU membranes can work really well.

Do you really ‘need’ Gore-Tex Pro btw? It’s very expensive, tends to be used for full-on mountaineering rather than hill-walking jackets, and while it’s tough, light and breathable, it’s also really noisy in use. Like wearing a giant crisp packet. It makes sense for full-on technical climbing stuff and if you’re a pro user like an instructor / guide, arguably less so for general hill walking.

Also, a lot of Pro jackets come with helmet hoods, which don’t necessarily work that well without a helmet – ME has two hood designs for this reason. The hood on something like a Tupilak isn’t great unless you wear a helmet with it.

If you’re not stuck on Goretex then something from Paramo or Keela might do the job.

Stuart, hope you are well mate.

get in touch with these fine folk and get something custom made like I did.
perfect for the bigger gent.

http://www.cioch-direct.co.uk/introduction/welcome.html