Originally Posted by
Mumonkan
ive been doing some searching and ive come up empty, only things i can find have one or the other
im looking for a waterproof shell with pit zips for ventilation
just a hardshell would be preferable so i could layer underneath and still use it in warmer weather
my current combination is a fleece lined jacket with wind resistant outer, super warm but not waterproof and zero ventilation, turns into a sauna in about 30 mins
any ideas?
I have both a J&G Waterproof Yellowjacket with pit zips and a Gore Path jacket water-resistant, wind-proof soft shell. The J&G jacket is coated nylon and not "breathable". Even with the pit zips wide open, after just ten minutes, the inside of the jacket will be coated with a light sheen of condensed water vapor. That's on a dry day. After my ~25 min commute on a downpour day it is difficult to say whether or not I would have gotten any wetter without any raingear at all! The Path jacket is a very different experinence. Without the expense of "Gore-Tex" you stay very reasonably dry, even in the steadiest downpour. I've had full out Gore-Tex in the past and IMO you get about as slightly damp in the $80 Path jacket as you do in a $200 full Gore-Tex jacket. This is to say that not even Gore-Tex is able to keep anyone who is doing more activity than watching paint dry, dry.
H