I’ve decided I like the idea of a rain cape for occasional use, ideally one that folds up into itself.

Any recommendations? Would prefer to avoid spending the earth…

The one thing I know about rain capes is, without decent mudguards they are a complete waste of time.

For some reason ‘rain cape’ seems to now be applied to packaway jackets?

The hybrid of doom has Chromoplastics on it, which seem to work well…

A proper rain cape is PIA. You have to hook your thumbs in loops to hold it over the bars, but the whole shebang is just like a giant sail. Usually made out of heavy and inflexible plastic. Hipsters haven’t suddenly discovered them have they?

Awful things. Get a proper jacket instead. Who sells capes these days?

Oddly, a lot of clothing firms refer to packaway jackets as rain capes.

I don’t want an actual cape, or ‘sail’ as it might a ore actually be referred to…

Road or MTB use?
Close fitting or a looser cut?
Budget?

Are they like ponchos?

BTwin do one, about £30. Similar to the Endura FS260(?) one but about half the price.

It’s not mega waterproof but more seems to disperse the water across its surface before it soaks you.

Stuffs into its own rear pocket

I bought myself an expensive one about 10 years ago for my commute. I wore it twice.

As said above, it acts like a giant sail, while in terms of rain, I thought I was well-covered, until the rain started hitting my face and neck, then started to channel down the front, thereby rendering the stupid thing pointless, and leaving me with a soaked shirt, tie, and jacket.

If you’re talking actual rain cape and not just a jacket, don’t bother.

Road or MTB use?
Close fitting or a looser cut?
Budget?

Tend to wear road jerseys most of the time, on or off road, so a road cut would be better. Not slim fit. Budget not silly money…

For some reason ‘rain cape’ seems to now be applied to packaway jackets?

File that with bidons and casquettes in the “it’s cultural, dahling” drawer. It will be the drawer with a Rapha sticker on it.

Do you have Rapha stickers on your drawers?

In my experience

Rain Cape (very thin jacket fits in a jersey pocket) = Keeps you dry for 5 mins, then you get wet, but stops you getting cold. Drys quickly.

Rain Jacket = Keeps you dry until you get drenched in sweat.

Softshell = Best comprimise, but once wet wet takes ages to dry.

Today rained for a half of ride, I took a cape as was warmish

Softshell = Best comprimise, but once wet wet takes ages to dry.

Funny that.

I’ve two softshell jackets.
One takes a couple of days to dry.
One drys as quick as my Pertex wind jacket.

Rain Cape (very thin jacket 

I’m struggling to understand how a cape is a jacket. Two different items of clothing never mind what hipster marketing men think.

I think its because they are used in a similar way to the old capes, ie pack down small and you take them when you hope you wont get wet, but might. But yeah they’re jackets.

Gore Shakedry get good reviews, but so they should for 200 quid

The BTwin one mentioned above is pretty good, stuff mine in my back pocket for those warm days you might get a shower. Wouldn’t rely on it for proper wet days though, have a proper waterproof for those days.

ratherbeintobago

Subscriber
For some reason ‘rain cape’ seems to now be applied to packaway jackets?

For some reason ‘packaway’ seems to now be applied to Cagule! 😆

Endura race cape, that is actually a jacket

I find this a good one, light, packable, seems waterproof, just feels sort of damp/wet inside, but actually isn’t weirdly. Heavy rain ok, 30 minute downpour and thought getting wet, but took it off after and bone dry,

I’m struggling to understand how a cape is a jacket. Two different items of clothing never mind what hipster marketing men think.

It’s not a hipster marketing thing. It’s a roadie thing. Lightweight wet weather jackets have been called ‘rain capes’ for decades.

Judge if you want, but that’s what they’re known as.

A proper rain cape is useless without mudguards, should fit closely at the neck, and have enough substance that it does not cling to you.

In the old days they were usually worn with southwesters so there was no problem with rain channelling down your neck – but that applies to any rainwear. You can get them with a hood which solves the problem.

They are brilliant because they are a lot more breathable than just about anything else. Another advantage is you can leave putting it on until the last minute. Good when it’s really cold and sleeting because you are in a bubble of warm air.

Best suited to a more upright riding style.

High winds are an obvious problem, but not insurmountable, and you’re not going to win the TdF in one.

If you want to get somewhere in ordinary clothes they are unbeatable.

Needless to say, there’s usually one lashed to my bike.

BTW I never noticed rain jackets being called capes until the last few years.

I think we’ve established it’s jackets the OP is interested in!

Try this – a couple of packable options at reasonable prices in the lists.

https://road.cc/content/buyers-guide/214038-21-best-2018-waterproof-cycling-jackets-wet-weather-protection-suit-all

https://road.cc/content/buyers-guide/203348-11-best-windproof-cycling-jackets-packable-outer-layers-keep-out-chill

Sean Kelly always calls a jacket a rain cape.

The planet-x ague jobbie packs up small, and is cheap…

For the avoidance of doubt (from the excellent, recently published Rough Stuff Fellowship Archive book) these are proper capes:

There is a huge range of good packaway jackets available these days. I’ve used the Vaude Skyfly for a few years, which is waterproof, breathable and packs small. The latest model seem to have got a lot more expensive, but if you hunt around for a Skyfly II, they are still available at more reasonable prices.

I’ve got that Endura FS260 Adrenaline Race Cape and concur with the above descripton, that it feels like you’re getting wet but your are actually still pretty dry. The cut is pretty close so you don’t feel like you’re wearing a bin bag as a sail when descending. I run pretty warm on the bike and prefer a very thin shell layer like this one when the precipitation comes. It packs down nice and small too. After yesterday’s commute in a deluge I’ve discovered it’s due a reproof but in fairness it’s had a few washes cos without mudguards it gets a lot of crap up the back. Nice long tail though. In typical Endura style the stitching around the sleeves is coming away, making annoying hole/loops that catch fingers and thumbs when putting on. I want to love Endura but a lot of their stuff falls apart quickly especially the gloves.

On another note: anyone contemplating waterproof socks, don’t bother with the Sealskinz ones. I’m tempted to call trading standards, they are not fit for purpose! Remembered the hard way yesterday why they’d been left at the back of a drawer of sundries. I’d have been better off pouring a glass of water into each shoe before setting off to acclimatise. They just seem to quickly let water in and then it can’t get out!

hochmatoch

On another note: anyone contemplating waterproof socks, don’t bother with the Sealskinz ones. I’m tempted to call trading standards, they are not fit for purpose!

Didn’t have the price tag hanging from the toe, perchance? If some numpty has priced them with one of those needle type price guns, then there’s holes in them. Or worse the boss has spotted that, and put  a new price tag in the proper place, but still sold them.

I’ve never had trouble with SealSkinz, and I wear them with sandals in winter, so if they leaked, I’d soon know.

Sean Kelly always calls a jacket a rain cape.

Well, exactly. Who’s going to argue with Kelly?

You see them walking in the Alps a lot, all the Europeans have them. A massive loose fitting tent which goes over a large rucksack and anything else….

[url=https://flic.kr/p/2gKdHpE]Rain cape[/url] by Ben Freeman, on Flickr

Ooooh I bought an expnsive rain cape a few years ago. I love it but it is not especially practical.

Yes, it does keep the rain off you really well but it is very hot, acts a giant sail (like previous posters have mentioned) and also mine collects water in the dip between body and hands so every now and a gain you have to flick the pool of water off sideways.

Saying that… I still love it for gentle commuting where staying dry is more important then not getting wet.

https://www.ottolondon.com/poncho.aspx?master=poncho

If you want a very good, lightweight and packable and totally rain proof jacket – get yourself a gore shakedry. Best thing since sliced bread but too delicate to wear MTB or with a rucksack. Roadie use only.

I have one of those semi-transparent Castelli rain jackets, a Squadra I think, which fits nicely in a jersey pocket. I wore it once, during the August 2014 London 100 that was shortened to 86 miles because of an American hurricane and in absolutely biblical rain I stayed remarkably dry.

If you want a very good, lightweight and packable and totally rain proof jacket – get yourself a gore shakedry. Best thing since sliced bread but too delicate to wear MTB or with a rucksack. Roadie use only.

But jet black for riding in the rain on roads seems like asking to be run down by accident…

But jet black for riding in the rain on roads seems like asking to be run down by accident…

This. Something a bit more… visible sounds like a plan.

I’ve just ordered a pair of Rapha Core rain jackets in yellow to try for size. I wouldn’t ride on the road in the wet in anything less visible…

But jet black for riding in the rain on roads seems like asking to be run down by accident…

Use lights, problem solved, wear what you like.

Rear lights, road bikes and rain are not a particularly good combination, eg we did two hours in light rain on Sunday, the wife’s rear light died half way round, water ingress. The main problem is you can’t see if it dies as you’re riding along, hence I always wear something highly visible.

Yeah, I bought a piece of shit light once 😉

Easily mitigated by buying decent lights, using two, or using mudguards. And if you’ve got mudguards you can add a reflective flap.

But yeah, point taken, redundancy is good. Personally I prefer all of the above to having to wear puke coloured clothes, but YMMV.

PS in the case of two of my rear lights I’ll even know about them failing, either via my GPS or via the attached front light 🙂

But jet black for riding in the rain on roads seems like asking to be run down by accident…

Well, I have the one with yellow pocket and sleeves. But I don’t choose to go out road riding in the dark.

For dark-commuting I have a higher vis jacket, but I wouldn’t take that out on a roadie ride.

Apparently the gore shake dry only comes in those dark colours because they haven’t been able to get brighter colours as waterproof and breathable and lightweight yet – hopefully they will come. The Rapha one looks good.