If I wear "breathable" rain gear, I'll get wet in a serious cloud burst. If I wear plastic, I'll get wet from sweat. The breathable stuff is OK for light rain or drizzle, but for serious downpours, I prefer plastic, and just take it easy so as not to sweat too much. It's hard to go more than 5 miles with either system in a strong rain and not get wet. I still haven't found the ideal glove solution for winter wet riding. I use rainx and ski googles in winter and rainx and eyeglases in summer.