Was quite interested in gore-tex material, but I'm guessing that's overkill - anyone can recommend some solid brands (from Amazon even) for a guy who's recently started commuting in Australia (where most winters are mild)? Thanks in advance.

Marmot precip is a solid raincoat for the conditions you describe. I use is in fall, spring, and summer in IA. It's a little light once it drops below freezing.

The most breathable waterproof-breathable materials that i know of (up to 47K-50K gm/24h)
nanopro membrain from Marmot
dermizax nx from Toray

Between those 2 the difference may lie in the number of layers so 2-layers or 2 1/2-layers gear preferably unless you're looking for extra durability.
Also a jacket with good venting can breath better than a jacket using more breathable materials but that doesn't have venting.
So jackets using those materials and that also have good venting should do.

Overkill implies that the product performs much better than needed for the situation. The problem with Gore-Tex is that it is fine for sailors and fishermen and maybe even mail-carriers, but a cyclist at 80rpm is outputting water vapor at a greater rate than most 'breatheable' rain-wear can deal with. So... a $250 USD Gore-Tex rain jacket doesn't keep you any drier than a $45 USD coated nylon rain jacket does. That's not overkill that's just plain uselessness.

If I ride once around the block, on a dry day, with my coated nylon rain jacket on, I will find a very light film of moisture on the inside of the material. It only gets worse from there. My coated nylon Columbia rain jacket is so thorougly waterproof that the ONLY moisture that I will possibly recieve in any kind of wet weather is from ME. So I wear a fleece or wool long sleeve top under the Columbia or J&G rain jacket. This keeps the wet inside of the jacket away from my skin and keeps me warm. Warm and damp is much more comfortable to me than cold and damp. Even in mild, Northwest winter. FWIW.

+1

That's the problem with bike commuting, you're generating heat so clothes meant for lower levels of activity, such as walking or standing while waiting for a bus, aren't going to work for you. On cool days, you will want to fend off the chill with a wind-proof outer layer but once your body warms up, you want to vent excess heat and moisture. Same with wet days, you want to keep dry, especially cool/cold and wet days, but unless you vent, you're going to build up more moisture on the inside than you might have coming down on you from the outside. My raincoat is waterproof but I bought it oversized to allow air to circulate when it is mild to cool. I'll also open it up when I start to warm up so that I can vent off some of the heat and moisture from the inside. On warm wet days, either I just don't bother with a rain jacket (I have a different one for summer use) or I just recognize that the inside is going to be wet when I'm done and I'll turn it inside out to dry.

I like my Cycle Rain Cape .. it can be 100% water proof and still comfortable because the underside is well ventilated.

Consider Carradice Pro Route , British . so may have distributors there Australia, or posted from Lancashire in UK.

Singapore ? the Monsoons would overwhelm breathable water repellant stuff anyhow.

Australia, ? ..you talking Darwin/ Cairns in the north , or Sydney/Melbourne in the south?
world of differences in latitude.


Of course if people recommend US brands and None sell down there , and Britsh brands do , which US consumers have no experience with,

the question becomes a hamster wheel exercise.

Thanks for the replies guys, I'll be in Melbourne where it's definitely turning warm but if it's a nice enough jacket I'd be using it often.

Since I live mainly in Singapore where temperatures never drop below 22C , my jacket collection is a mishmash of cheap "souvenirs" or dull-colored jackets.

I forgot to mention it would be better if the jacket was on the high-vis side - bright colors (orange is my fave) are sufficient, as I've already got a sizeable number of black or grey jackets.

I highly recommend the Showers Pass Elite jacket. Although pricey, you can often buy it in sale for 20-30% off. In addition to being made of a breathable yet very water resistant fabric, it ventilates incredibly well due to various zippers, vents, etc. it's also available in bright colors that show up well in rain and dark. I live in the Southeast USA, and the SP is the only jacket I've owned that is wearable into the 60s F without getting totally sweaty. I like mine so much I wear it often in winter, even on dry days, as my main cycling jacket.

SP elite 2.1 material breath at 15K min vs 20K min for other waterproof-breathable materials like nanopro and dermizax nx but the SP elite jacket has very good venting so it probably close the gap with other w-b with less venting. Vs a jacket that would have as good venting the SP elite jacket would look pretty much out of date in terms of breathability though. Something to look at.

Here is a comment found on MEC website about the SP elite 2.1 jacket

https://www.mec.ca/product/5029-823/s...21+50089+51004

Don't use a waterproof when all you want is windproof.
Plain windproofs are cheaper and more breathable. Avoid any membrane coatings and look for a tight-weave material. Pertex is popular..