I think it’s always going to be a minefield given the weather conditions in the UK the activity levels of mountain biking and your personal levels of sweat production. No solution for one will be the ideal for another.

This is spot on.

i’m with the others on the thread of windproof / wind resistant soft-shell in all but the worst of the weather (with temp appropriate layers underneath) and emergency shell layer for when it turns biblical / mechanicals / stops – as much to keep heat in as water out. being wet when your riding isn’t an issues, but being cold and uncomfortable is, keep the wind chill off and riding soggy for several hours isn’t a problem.

personally i’t spend your money on a half decent softshell (i’ve got a stretchy mountain equipment windstopper softshell that refuses to die) and a decent mid layer (patagonia R1 pullover being my preferred choice). then by a cheap shell to keep in your pack for emergencies – mountain biking kills shell jackets so tend to buy what ever is on sale for this purpose knowing it won’t get heavy usage but equally i don’t have to be too precious about it (currently got goretex pacliet jacket that i picked up form sportspursuit for £50 iirc)

^ Got all that other stuff an agree with those points on layers and staying warm as the #1.

As in the OP “I just want a really good outer barrier to the wet”

I am really then looking at Outdry, Shakedry, Gore Tex Active or Paclite jackets that don’t have weird fit and maintain some kind of Winter visibility.

I’ve got some inspiration on other brands to try so that is great

Is Dryvent any good as a waterproof fabric? Anybody use North face? I believe it used to be called Hyvent all i know is it’s a polyurethane fabric.

There is a tradeoff for a high waterproof rating, and that is low breathability and moisture coming from inside the jacket. I not looking for a completely waterproof rain jacket, if that means venting body heat and sweat will be impossible.

Is Dryvent any good as a waterproof fabric? Anybody use North face? I believe it used to be called Hyvent all i know is it’s a polyurethane fabric.

I’ve had HyVent skiwear for years and it’s been pretty good though obv in cold/dry conditions (usually). When it has got wet, I’ve stayed dry.

I think I’d still go for Shakedry/full fat Gore-Tex/Neoshell over HyVent for UK conditions tho…

i’ve got an arcteryx alpha FL that i picked up for a bargain £120.

for that price its an amazing jacket. for the RRP? no chance. i run/ride/kayak/climb/hike in it and take very little care of it. keeps on working. could probably do with a proper wash and recoat soon but i never quite get around to it.

Badly wired dog
Yeah mr Buffalo told me it basically waterproofs the breathable fleece lining. So stops it working as designed. I’ve washed and washed. Maybe 25 times. It still seems sweaty. Never did before. I’ll keep going!
Plainly wash in is waterproofing The wicking liner so no more wicking.
Beware.
Nikwax instructions and support are poor on this. You can find the message not to use on wicking lined garments but it’s not always clear.
I’m changing to Grangers.

https://7mesh.com/mens-revelation-jacket

Money no object, removable hood.

Has anyone actually got one of these ? how well does it pack down ?

Cheers

For mountain biking i have a very old Gore Paclite in bright green, which is still excellent.

However, as the owner of a shakedry (Castelli Idro Due), i would strongly recommend that, perhaps with some reflective belt thing over the top if that is a big concern.

I don’t think i’d ever use the shakedry offroad though as I imagine it would tear easily and not be very amenable to repair.

@lowey, don’t have the Revelation but do have the 7Mesh Guardian (Gore Active rather than Pro) which is not a million miles off and it packs down fairly small, but not tiny. Too big to put in my 2L Dakine hip pack, but would go in a 5L one no problem. Revelation will be slightly less packable, but not by much.

Does anyone know a good source for 7mesh jackets in the UK? Aside from Sigma I haven’t found much and they don’t have stock of sizes I would be after

Might be worth a look in TK Maxx if passing one. My wife just found a Columbia Ex Reign Outdry Extreme jacket for £56! No mens in stock for me unfortunately but could be in other stores I guess.

How about this?

https://www.magic-mountain.co.uk/collections/men/products/mens-tech-gore-tex-jacket-old-rh-004901

How about this?

I love that the suggested answer to a thread titled: ‘What money no object, totally waterproof jacket (that isn’t ShakeDry)’ is a jacket made from ShakeDry 🙂

True. I think I was looking for the “other waterproof thread” but lazily found this and made do 🙂

Yep, there have only been a hundred ShakeDry recommendations 😀

I get that it is a wonder material but I took a mental note of all my close encounters with brambles and other assorted vegetation in the past few rides and I don’t think it will last two seconds.

The Ronhill link is a bargain to be fair. I’d want to cut off the hood though rather than have a wonderfully waterproof rain collector behind your head. Under helmet hoods are just weird as well 🙂

Does anyone know a good source for 7mesh jackets in the UK?

Stif cycles (as in the store front of Jungle/UK Santa Cruz) stock 7 mesh.

^ Thanks. I had a quick check and they don’t have much. 7mesh look to be one of the many companies struggling for stock globally by the looks of it as I haven’t found much in stock anywhere.

That is a damn good deal, but unfortunately with the sizes left you need to be built like a 12 year old boy.

I had a quick check and they don’t have much. 7mesh look to be one of the many companies struggling for stock globally by the looks of it as I haven’t found much in stock anywhere.

There is some 7mesh stock here dunno if it’s to your liking 7mesh

^ That is the only medium 7mesh waterproof I had found too

I can’t be doing with reproofing jackets.

All gore tex apart from shake dry requires re-proofing.

That is the only medium 7mesh waterproof I had found too

This is a medium there is a couple of others also but not sure if the others are waterproof. 7Mesh

^ yep that looks to be the only medium waterproof 7mesh going.

I should have rephrased the reproofing bit to say “constant” which is where I am with my current jacket. A bit of TLC is ok but not every two seconds

Took the plunge and bought a 7Mesh Revelation Jacket. Properly nice solid bit of kit. Only done one ride in it but stood up to a brief downpour without missing a beat.

Another vote for a Gore C5 jacket. Mixture of Paclite and Active.

I’d only buy 7mesh if I could afford it. The few pieces I have are very good. So pricey though 😣

Badly wired dog
Thanks for the Buffalo advice. That what Buffalo told me when I’d made the mistake of following Nikwax’s less than comprehensive instructions and used wash in TX10 on it.
I’ve probably washed it at least 25 times now (in soap based detergent) and it still gets sweaty. I’ll have to try it with nowt under (which isn’t entirely practical given I’d need to carry a bad layer in case I got overheated.

It’s definitely not breathing as well as my Helly Hansen hooded softshell. I’m nit willing to bin it tho. They are pretty expensive.

Of course any lined jacket that gets hot risks damp inside. My Mountain shirt doesn’t seem to get sweaty but it’s bloody hot. Never been able to ride in that one even when frost is forming on my jacket.

Thanks again
The Teclite is wonderful but I still fear mine may never fully recover.
Bloody Nikwax. They even make a wash in softshell proof. In my mind virtually every softshell has a breathable lining making wash in unsuitable. Yeah I wrote them about clarifying their instructions but they didn’t seem to care.

Grangers here I come.