N_C

I use the Stearns brand rain jacket & pants made with rip-stop fabric from Wal-Mart. It is breathable & works pretty well. The hood is even large enough to go over my helmet, $20.00 for the pants & about $30.00 for the jacket. I do not ride enough in the rain to warrant a high end expensive rain out fit.

Phantoj

I've had the Gill Adrenaline jacket from Performance, and it's a very good rain jacket. eVent, pit zips. Might be a few red ones left.

newbojeff

Showers Pass Elite. Love it and have worn it almost every day since October. Put that thing on over a heavy jersey and I'm good down to 0 degrees.

ottawa_adam

I'm glad to see that I'm not the only one that owns more than one rain jacket.

I swear by Mountain Equipment Co-op for most things outdoor, including cycling clothing.

The seasons where I live, in Ottawa, Canada, are quite adverse. We have two rainy seasons, spring and fall, with very variable temperatures.

Right now, I'm wearing this jacket: https://www.mec.ca/Products/product_d...=1175229461821. Ths Whoosh is excellent as a windbreaker as well as a super stormy rainjacket. It is breatheable and has long pit zippers. It also has the added protections of lots of shiny relective strips. I'm finding that this jacket is suitable for -10 Celsius to 10 Celsuis. Some people have told me that they wear this jacket through all of the Canadian winter, up to -20 Celsius with appropriate layers. I'm not a winter rider so I can't confirm that for myself. It's not ultra-lightweight but fits very well.

The Hydrocycle is my lighter weight jacket that I just bought: https://www.mec.ca/Products/product_d...=1175229461823. I haven't actually worn this jacket yet but it's about to be used. The Hydrocycle can be folded/rolled up into a small little ball. It's also made to be a wind shell and rainjacket. It's waterproof breatheable and has pit zippers. Oh yeah, more of that shiny reflective stuff.

Last year, I used this for the lighter rainy part of the year: https://www.mec.ca/Products/product_d...=1175229461824. The SuperMicroft is very lightweight and water resistant. While not really breatheable, it does have pit zippers for ventilation. This should keep you dry on an average rainy day for about 30 minutes.

All these jackets have urban feels to them but are very functional. So far, my favourite jacket is the Whoosh but it's way too warm to wear throught the year. I have a feeling the Hydrocycle will be my most versatile jacket in the long run.

Anyway, with the cold and warm rains that I get here, it is very important to be dry. It's also important not to overheat so jackets that are either breatheable or ventilated will make a world of a difference too. Otherwise, you may find yourself getting soaked by sweat insteat of by the rain!

ViperZ

Excellent MEC has nice stuff! Good collection

I tend to think of myself as a outdoors jacket collector


This is the jacket I have been commuting with the most during the spring, summer and fall. It is a Patagonia Figure 4 soft sheel that is pretty water resistant, and breathable.

I still pack along one of my water proof shells just in case

NeezyDeezy

I have this jacket - I got it when it was on clearance for like $90. There's absolutely nothing more to ask for in a jacket, except possibly a hood, but a prefer a helmet cover anyway.

The thing I think is, the jacket itself shouldn't insulate at all. That's what layers are for. When I wear the adrenaline, it's like I'm not putting anything on at all, which makes it great for all weather riding. When it gets cold, I just put on a good wicking long sleeve jersey underneath.

Jarery

Hey ViperZ,, good to see you found and like the showerspass stuff. Their Elite jacket is still the best rain jacket I have found to date.

To the original question, I commute 2 hours a day in the pacific northwest. I ride in rain a lot, with 1000 ft of fairly steep climbing each way. This winter we have set records for the most rain ever. Without a top end raincoat i would have quit commuting in rain from discomfort a long time ago.

enantiodroma

I love epic fabric. i've got several pieces (2 jackets, rain pants, sleeping bags, tent) made from the stuff. It a waterproof breathable single layer silicone fabric.

https://wildthingsgear.com/epic_hooded.html

the only downside is that you'll need to seam-seal the seems yourself with silicone glue to keep the jacket from soaking through after more than 30min in a downpour.

The Epic fabric is always touted as 'highly water resistant' partly due to the difficulty of factory seam sealing the stuff. But i've stayed dry in a tent made of the stuff (The blackdiamond firstlight) through storms in the backcountry (blue ridge/appalachians/smokies) Dry through long (2hr) bike-slogs through rain, it's hard to beat this materials weight/breathability/ease of maintenence (the waterproofing is lifetime 'part of the fabric' vs a coating that wears away & needs to be redone on typical laminates)

modernjess

+1 On the Gill freedom jacket for colder weather. I wear it as my outer layer all winter. With proper layering it'll go as cold as you want to take it. Great features. Very waterproof, not very breathable, but pit vents help a lot. But definitely not a summer jacket.

Still have them on closeout, for $65 through the Gill Marine site. Reg $140

https://www.gillna.com/Merchant2/merc...egory_Code=OUT

ViperZ

Jarey, The Showers Pass Elite looks to be a fantastic piece when I looked at it. I really wanted to try the eVent, however I have many jackets at that weight. The ultra lightweight & packable Double Century was more what I was needing to round out my collection.

Another Jacket I have been having good success with is The North Face Venture Jacket. It is made with their HyVent DT. Although it does not breath as well as Gore XCR, eVent, or a soft shell (on paper), it does have pit zips and mesh lined pocket vents. I haven't felt clammy in it, and it is waterproof. It has been very comfortable to wear. It is almost as light and packable as the Double Century, with out the biker look. It really serves as a nice commuting jacket for me as it keeps me dry, yet I can head out while in my business casuals downtown, with out looking like I'm wearing a cycling jacket. Additionally it has a hood, so I can travel (walk) with out getting my head all wet like I have in my cycling specific jackets with out a hood. That's one nice thing about the Showers Pass Jacket is you can add a hood as an option. The TNF Venture jacket really serves my commuter use very well.

ItsJustMe

I use a rain jacket if it's < 60*F or so. Above that I just get wet, and I enjoy it (this is assuming cycling cloths, not street clothes).

I use a waterproof/breathable from www.bicycleclothing.com
https://www.bicycleclothing.com/Water...n-Jackets.html

$99, and mine is almost 2 years old now, worn every day in the winter, and every rainy day when it's cold, and not a single stitch or wear point on it yet, even where I fell on the ice a few weeks ago and scraped up my elbow. It's very well vented and has pit zips in addition. Excellent piece of gear, IMHO.

ed503

Showers Pass seems to be making by far the best waterproof-breathable bicycling shells. I have an Elite 2.0 which uses Event fabric. It is absolutely awesome...windproof for cold dry days and never too warm (or clammy), never too cold on wet days. I noticed it was the only bike jacket recognized in the annual gear of the year buyers guide issue of Outside magazine. Thee guys at the company are also serious cyclists and outdoor enthusiats.

ViperZ

I'm happy with my Showers Pass so far.


Another jacket that gets great reviews is the Patagonia Spray Master. Outside Magazine gave it the Gear of the Year Award.




Original Review Here


Patagonia states it intended use for:

• Mountain Biking
• Trail Running
• Hiking
• Nordic Skiing
• Backpacking

I've been wanting to get one of these as well

Cave

Agreed. My favourite cycling jacket is an Epic shell (Mountain Designs brand). No hood; long pit zips; mesh inside pockets and a chest pocket; longish sleeves and back. Quite light (250g). Not cycling-specific but very good. I don't stay completely dry, but do stay warm. The balance between sweat getting out and rain getting in seems pretty good.

I don't like goretex or waterproof nylon, at least the ones I have tried - nowhere near breathable enough.

I've tried a DWR-coated Pertex windproof top (Montane brand) - incredibly light (80g for XL size), not particularly dry though. It's OK over a thermal top to keep the wind off, but much wetter and not as warm as the Epic top (no wetter than the goretex, though!)

Nb. my conditions are rain in cool to warm temperatures (5 to 20 celcius), I haven't had much luck with goretex or PU-proofed nylon on the bike - too much sweat.