Waterproof Jacket Recommendations
 

Hello all. Looking for a good quality waterproof jacket to wear in the spring and summer on those rainy commuting days. I am new to commuting by bike and need to find a jacket that I can wear that won't deter me form riding when there is rain in the forecast.

Showers Pass.

For a cool Spring rainy day, I use a cheap Rockbros rain jacket and pants (for really cool rainy days, otherwise just the jacket). It has ventilation on the back and waist. What was lacking was underarm and calf ventilation. New design now has underarm but still missing calf ventilation. For Summer rainy days, I simply enjoy the warm rain. No special clothing required.

I am a Clydesdale and sweat a lot, so am very sensitive to rain jacket breathability. Two years ago I splurged and bought a Gore Active jacket, which has served me very well: it is waterproof, and is more breathable than any other fabric I had encountered previously. Nonetheless, when the thermometer climbs above 60F, even this jacket becomes too clammy for me. So this spring I searched for a more breathable waterproof jacket and came upon Goretex Active Shakedry fabric jackets, which are made with a two-layer material with the black membrane exposed on the exterior like sealskin.

Initially I bought a Gore Shakedry jacket, which has a racer cut and was way to narrow for my build, even in an XXL size. I then found a North Face hiking jacket made from the same material, the "Hyperair" (and at a much lower price that the Gore version), which fits perfectly for commuting, with the room to add a layer in cooler weather. This jacket is never clammy, even while wearing it indoors, is 100% waterproof, is as light as gossamer, and packs down to almost nothing. I don't normally get emotional about gear, but this may become the exception.

Frogg Toggs might work well. www.froggtoggs.com

Hate to break it to you, but if you're riding more than 2-3 miles in a summer rain shower, you're going to get wet. Without a jacket, you'll get wet from rain. With a waterproof jacket, you'll get wet from sweat.

Personally, the rain feels better (at least in the summer) than the sweat on my skin.

For commuting I like a rain jacket that fits a little large so I can wear it over other jackets depending on the weather. I also like to wear rain pants and waterproof boots when it rains and all through the winter.

Spend as much as you can, because the expensiver jackets have better ventilation. I spent $100 on a Showers Pass jacket, and it's good. I wish I had the nicer one, but I don't regret saving money, as I don't wear it that often. To prevent excessive sweating, I ride slowly. I generally don't mind getting wet if the weather isn't cold, so more layers of wool or synthetic turn into warm wet sponges, and sometimes that's better than trapping my heat and sweat inside.

I would also suggest goretex.

If you aren't powering it and don't sweat like a pig while sitting you should be fine. But with any waterproof jacket, the water vapor will condense if you're cranking it.

I just researched for a while this topic and yesterday bought the following jacket for jogging. They have a cycling version here.

I recently bought a rain cape I have been using. It is a "cleverlite" from"Cleverhood" that I paid $80 for. It forms a canopy over you and works well and allows for ventilation. A downside is wind catching it. So far, I have not ridden in overly windy conditions. I will probably go with jacket and rain pants in really windy conditions.

I tried a frogg toggs setup last year, I'll be using it today, but I'm not very happy with it. I think it holds in too much heat, so I just ordered a showers pass this morning, I'll swing back and update with how the two compare once I get the SP and try it out. I'm cheap, so I ordered it used on Ebay :).

Joe

Re; Waterproof Jacket Recommendations
 

a little reality check .. water Proof is impermeable going in and out..

so you sweat like mad inside it and it cannot evaporate so you still are going to be soaked


in your own sweat ...

water resistant breathable fabrics depend on a surface chemical, so water beads up rather than soak in.

the opposite of wetting agents in detergents...

fabric mill coating is good for maybe a year , maybe 2, then it has to be re applied ..


In Water Proof ... Cycle rain capes .. open underneath so ventilation takes care of your sweat ..

just not ideal if you want to Ride Fast.. & lighter fabrics flap more than heavier ones..





..

I'd like to beg to differ here, I have a Columbia jacket that wicks sweat extremely well, but in fact is waterproof. I know it's not chemical based, my wife is a chemist and she explained something to do with h2o vs sweat, and molecular size, solubility, and a bunch of other things that my brain heard like the teacher in Peanuts, but basically it does appear there is some science to waterproof and breathable. So not everything that's waterproof has to feel like a rolling greenhouse.

Detailed explanation at link below -

https://norwaygeographical.com/omni-tech-vs-gore-tex/


Joe

This doesn't happen often, bob, so let me enjoy it...

You're wrong. :roflmao:

The term "waterproof" when dealing with fabrics does not mean "impermeable."

Joseph's post on Columbia Omni-Tech describes the "waterproof" of both Omni-Tech and Gore-Tex fabric systems really well.

Here is another article which clearly defines the differences.

That said, [MENTION=107921]josephjhaney[/MENTION]: According to your article, Gore-Tex breathes better and is more "waterproof" than Omni-Tech. I think though, the omni would be more pleasant to the touch and would function fine for most of us.

It's not as common in the US markets, but material should be measured for waterproofness and breathability.

Breathability can be measured by JIS L 1099 like here:


Waterproofness can be measured by a hydrostatic head test:


I usually like a minimum of 10k/5k

I recently bought this styling is extremely important to me from these guys:

https://www.rain-couture.nl/us/mens-rain-trench.html

Here is a quick photo. Very nice and I get a huge number of compliments on it from random people.

https://cimg3.ibsrv.net/gimg/bikefor...5d26bc03f8.jpg

Here's an example of tested ratings from that Amsterdammer firm that I like.https://cimg1.ibsrv.net/gimg/bikefor...5014646c90.png
.

It should be noted that Showers Pass also employs direct analysis, which is nice, albeit with a convoluting extraneous "star" system.

https://cimg1.ibsrv.net/gimg/bikefor...43cb791572.png

Another vote for frogg toggs. I am a fan of cheaper, more generic solutions for bike-specific uses. The motorcycle market is much larger, and caters to an (on average) less privileged demographic, so prices are a lot lower.

I got my son a frogg toggs rain jacket for college (he discovered pretty quickly that, in places other than San Diego, water just falls from the sky all the time!), and he likes it.

Also a cape was mentioned. I have a cape from Ikea (less than $10) that works very well. Because unlimited ventilation comes 'for free' as fundamental to the concept, the material doesn't have to be breathable. It's a lot cheaper to make something fully waterproof if it doesn't have to breathe.

However, if you want to spend the most on the best, Showers Pass does seem to be the brand to get.

(Is Showers Pass the Ortlieb of raingear? Maybe not, as a pair of Ortliebs is expected to last literally a lifetime, while any rain jacket put to regular use will last only a few years)

Water Proof , 5 star, is what the People working fishing the northern seas wear...

Grundens a Swedish-Portuguese company makes some of that ..

that would be the Ortlieb dry bag of foul weather gear..

yes they do! sorry it made me chuckle.

no jacket is waterproof and breathable as has been said. I have a Altura rain jacket and Endura windchill jacket that has seen rain once or twice. they both do well but I only worry with the rain jacket if it is cold and rainy. It is hard to get motivated to leave the house in the rain without the jacket but it is warm. I think pit zips are vital to venting. I wish both jackets could zip up from the bottom. I think rain hits you more when riding a drop bar bike on the chest and shoulders and arms.

the windchill allows heat to evaporate and it hasn't been in a drenching rain. plus i ride slower in the rain because can hurt at 17-18 mph

Endura bike wear is another company..

Gore's latest two layer Active Shakedry fabric is getting damned close to waterproof/breathable perfection:

• breathability: 50,000 g/m2/24hrs
• waterproofness: 20,000 mm.

This stuff is quite amazing, absence of pit zips is practically unnoticed (but the $$$ price tag is very noticeable).

https://www.switchbacktravel.com/sit...%20%28m%29.jpg

https://www.sigmasports.com/item/Gor...ke-Jacket/BBTB

Seems actually relatively cheap at £220. That's less than a decent blazer for the office.

The site you shared is discounting that Gore shell very heavily, that is a very good deal. Word of warning, the Gore cycle jacket version is very slim, I ended up getting a hiking version from North Face to fit my build.

I'm slim athletic cut, so it's not a problem. £220 seems to be RRP, which is reasonable/inexpensive. Still much less than standard office apparel.

Won't touch North Face even though I have a nice outlet shop 10 mins walk from house. Even at outlet prices, the quality is too low at that price point. I find Musto equipment much better at a similar price point.

Just my two cents, your milage may vary.

LOL, I'm not a NF fan either, but I made an exception for this item, and it seems to be well put together thus far. Another particularity of this particular Gore fabric is that being two-layer with the membrane on the outside, the face material is not durable, so wearing a back-pack is not recommended. I use panniers so this doesn't bother me, but some will find this durability issue a non-starter (along with the Model-T black finish).

Wow this stuff looks great!

+1 on the Showers Pass. I have been using one of their Elite line of jackets for a couple of years (live in this thing, actually, with long commute) and contrary to other posts, my experience is that I can ride for an hour in continual rain at 40F and get to work with my wool layer just a little damp (not wet at all). The bright green jacket also has little blinky lights built into wrist and lower back, and big reflective panels on the side. Zipper needed some repair, so now am real careful to only pull it straight up or down and never outward.

I find that high quality non-waterproof jerseys dry out very quickly, especially if you maintain a pace that keeps a good breeze moving over you. I have a nice Cannondale waterproof jacket but it doesn't pack well and I work up quite a sweat while wearing it.