I thought they made fleece fabric, not waterproof breathable stuff.

+1 on NO HOODS. Hoods wreck your peripheral vision. Use a helmet cover.

Polartech is waaaay beyond fleece. http://polartec.com/.

I've got a Craft rain jacket and it is really nice, but not as light and packable as the Showers Pass DC or O3 jackets. The Craft jacket is great for temperatures below about 50-55, but is too warm at higher temps. It has a nice large rear pocket, pit zips and mesh lining, which makes it more comfortable and breathable. My only real complaint is that ends of the sleeves have elastic bands rather than Velcro straps so you can't make the arms more breathable. Usually I don't wear a jersey under my Craft jacket; it is warm enough with just a base layer underneath, even with temps in the 20s and 30s.

The Showers Pass DC would be the perfect rain jacket for me if it had pockets. I like the fact that it is very lightweight and stowable so you can carry it as insurance on days when the weather is threatening.

The NeoShell .. Once again tested on snow, not a Gale on the seashore ,
snow by definition is frozen.
waterproof ski stuff is easy, Maritime foul weather gear
is a whole different ballgame.

It seems to me that the problem with purchasing a rain jacket that is not cycling specific will be a wet back/butt. I saw the Sugoi RPM jacket this weekend and it looks pretty decent for cooler wet weather. I'm not sure my wind jacket is going to be helpful in wet weather. I've tried the Showers Pass at REI and they are made for beanpoles. But the time I get a size that fits, the arms are really long. And the jacket is beyond my budget. After reading a about rain gear, I'm beginning to think that for anything other than light rain, a cape is the way to go. The J&G one for $50 looks pretty bike friendly.

The hoods on my Helly Hansen Seven J and my Marmot Precip have a drawstring adjustment around the face opening and a velcro adjustment behind the hood that draws the hood back and out of your peripherals.

Sometimes on dry mornings I'll wear a hoody, whose hood REALLY interferes with my field of view. Problem solver in that case is a ball cap. The bill keeps the sides of the hood from infringing.

But if you like helmet covers, more power to ya.