revcp 

Another vote for O2, but not for winter. I have the Calhoun jacket, which I love in the rain (this morning at 44F, for instance), but it has the same shortcomings below 32F as most other waterproof jackets: it stops being breathable at that point and it has a rather stiff hand. As a (non rain) wind shell in the shoulder months and winter I wear a Haglofs Boa full zip. It's a great, stretchy fabric with kind of a honeycomb weave that holds just enough DWR to turn a decent drizzle or a wet snow. It also has a hood, which I like, because in serious cold I can lock it down tightly over my helmet. It's too loose for roadies, but for commuting, singletrack and fat biking it's great.

PaulRivers

If you already owned the Showers Pass Jacket, would you still buy the Gore Phantom? Does it have any advantages - like in breathability?

I'm curious because that's my situation, the Showers Pass jacket has been good but I've been interested in buying something stretchier and more breathable.

erig007

Check the icebreaker blast jacket. Among all my jackets it is the one that breath the best. It has windproof front panels (breathing through the jacket test: nothing goes through). I use it as an outer shell for rides below 40F. Above that it is too warm.
https://i.stpost.com/icebreaker-blast...r_4~1500.1.jpg

The only thing bad about it is that it has no wind protection at the back which is not a problem most of the time just some slight discomfort when it happens. Compare to how comfy it is most of the time i don't worry much about that. And as the temperature goes down and layering increase this little discomfort simply disappears
Also it isn't waterproof but only slightly water resistant. It makes riding under snow and short rain just fine but not for long lasting rain.

I have a winter jacket with a gore windstopper layer and i don't like the breathability of this thing at all. So i use this jacket with this gore windstopper layer for walking in winter. And I had to make extra ventings just to be able to walk without arriving dripping sweat. Don't know if it's the same kind of gore windstopper but this one is bad. No wind goes through though at least there is that

PaulRivers

Well...my work internet blocked that link for "malware"...

erig007

Your work place don't use sandboxes/virtualization?
scanned with virus total 0/65
https://www.virustotal.com/en/url/47...is/1446052124/

Anyway you can google the jacket.

PaulRivers

Even as a programmer I'm not 100% sure what that means, everywhere I've worked it's worked the same where you get back a "malware" page in the browser. They are definitely wrong sometimes though.

Yeah, will do, thanks for the suggestion, I've had trouble finding anything that's windproof front and less windproof in the back.

Mr Pink57

I have 3 or 4 choices.

Woolrich flannel down to about 10F
Orange softshell down to about -20F
Merrill down jacket down to about -40F

After that it's ridiculous

erig007

On the contrary that's where the fun begins

tarwheel 

The Showers Pass jacket is more breathable than any jacket that I own, but there's something to be said for softshell jackets/jerseys like the Gore Phantom. A softshell is more aerodynamic, close-fitting and "stylish." I've been looking hard at the Showers Pass Skyline softshell for that reason, if I get another jacket. However, you can get killer deals on the Gore Phantom if you shop around on-line. The Phantom is actually less breathable than the Showers Pass rain jacket, but still reasonably good if you unzip the arms about halfway and wear a wicking base layer underneath it.

PaulRivers

Lol I think I remember someone saying the default for electronics is that they stop working below -40F. It's possible to design them to work in colder temperatures, but default cheaper techniques have problems below that temp.

erig007

Do you know if it is a more breathable fabric that is at the mid-back of the gore phantom or if it's just fashion?

dwmckee

The Arcteryx Atom LT is an outstanding coat. I have 3 of them actually and I bought a fourth for my son who was always stealing one of mine. I have my brother in law wearing one now too. It is extremely light and packable and dumps huge amounts of excess heat and sweat from the vented side panels when you need to cool off. It has a very wide temp range (unlike fleece) and is easily adjustable. Nylon sleeve liners make it easy to layer over other things. Here is my earlier post on it from this thread:

Wow, looks like one of everything on here! Here is my mix: Long sleeve poly undershirt; Arc'Teryx Atom mid layer; Showers Pass Elite 2.0 wind shell. The inner and outer layers are pretty standard and many products I have tried do well, but the incredible piece that I find to be magic is the Arc'Teryx Atom mid layer.https://www.backcountry.com/arcteryx-...ed-jacket-mens This is an extremely flexible mid layer that is REALLY light, warm, packable, breathable, and extremely comfortable. Nylon inside and out means it slides over or under anything easily and does not bunch up like fleece. It is very usable from 15 degrees as a mid layer to 65 degrees by itself. It is water repellent too if worn alone. It does not look like a bike-specific jacket so it is turning into something I wear almost daily. I wear it to work, I wear it around the office when it is a little cool, I wear it biking in any weather below 70 degrees. It seems to regulate for a wide range of temperatures without needing to make adjustments and ventilates extremely well when you are working hard, yet when you stop and make a decent you are not wet and clammy inside. It is wonderful! Outer and inner layers are pretty easy to find something that works, but the Atom mid-layer is a real versatile gem which I have found to be better than anything else I have used. The versatility of it also makes it easier to shell out the $180 bucks for it because I wear it so often. It also washes very easily and comes out still looking new (not ratty like fleece gets after you wear it for a while). A size large can compress into the size of a 12 oz. coke can too so it has become a standard piece of my summer touring gear too. And I agree with the poster above who said the Showers Pass is not worth the money. It is a great jacket, but there are a lot of great jackets for a lot less money out there...

Sixty Fiver

I picked up a nice insulated shell jacket at the thrift shop (came from Mark's Work Wearhouse) for $10.00 that I have been testing out... it is waterproof,windproof, and breathable and will be adding some 3M scotchlite to increase it's visibility (which is already good).

Just pointing out that you can get some pretty decent gear for very little money and we also have the other more expensive gear here too to make comparisons... my wife loves her Shower's Pass even though we don't get as much rain here as we did in Portland.

Still rocking that Columbia shell that I picked up 4 years ago... it has stood up really well.

Freakin'Chickin

I do also love my Atom LT, but it is a "warm" jacket: my commute is usually around 5-6 km on snowmobile trails, so not always rolling well and I get sweaty with the Atom LT. But I don't need to fuss around if I am in a rush and can't find the perfect layers for the day (laundry, messy piles, etc.). Good anytime with only a t-shirt in -5C /-8 C I usually wear my Salomon XA WS hooded jacket: breathes very well (back and under sleeves are really airy in tiny stretcy nylon) and front, shoulders, low back is laminated windstopper. Only complaint is on Wind exposed cold commutes: that thin breezy back and under sleeves gets really breezy, not on the back (I sweat a lot) but under the arms. I am sometimes having a hard time keeping warm in there. I used to wear that jacket lots x-c skiing and used to have that issue in -25 C/ -30 C temps.

jrickards

I'd rather go the layers route (wind/waterproof shell with insulating layers) but my wife would kill me if I got another jacket. Right now, I'm wearing a Columbia insulated ski jacket that has a hood and zippered pit vents. I'll need it for the next couple of days as the air temp is about -20C/-4F (riding windchill will add to the cold) so it is a good choice at the moment. I wore it when I rode home yesterday afternoon and I was comfortable despite the -18C temperature and open pit vents.

Arcanum

I don't have a dedicated "winter jacket".

For mid-40s (F) down into the 20s, I wear a Triple Aught Design Ranger Hoodie fleece.

Below that I break out a TAD Praetorian Merino wool hoodie and TAD Stealth LT shell. I have yet to find a temperature where that combo hasn't been warm enough, even standing outside in the wind in sub-zero temperatures. If I thought I needed something warmer, I'd swap the Praetorian for the Ranger.

In both cases my base-layer top is a fairly ordinary long-sleeve waffle-knit T or Henley.

It's expensive and not bike-specific, but Triple Aught Design makes fantastic, multipurpose, bomb-proof outdoor clothing. I highly recommend it.

Dahon.Steve

Tad Stealth Shell looks great. However, unless you're real small or fat, they are all sold out!

Arcanum

Yeah, they're a small boutique outfit in San Francisco, so they can't keep everything stocked all the time. If you email them they might be able to give you some idea when new stock comes in.

The Stealth LT is my year-round shell. No insulation by itself, but it's waterproof, windproof, and breathable. The c_change membrane is pretty neat as well, with the way it changes its level of breathability depending on temperature.

bikemig 

I really like my soft shell with gore windstopper for cold weather. I just bought it on the large side so I can layer underneath it. A rain shell, IMHO, is a bit of a waste when it drops below freezing. Rain is not an issue; the problem is wind and ability to sweat. Rain shells are not great at either regardless of how they are made (and showers pass is pretty good at this). Plus on sale, you can get a soft shell with gore windstopper for a reasonable price if you shop around.