Windproof / Rainproof jacket?
 

Makes sense to buy both a windproof and rainproof jacket? All in one?

Windproof, rainproof, breathable, folds down to a small carry-able size. What jacket should I be looking at?

You are searching for the Holy Grail. It's hard to meet all of those criteria, but the Showers Pass Elite is windproof, as close to rainproof as any jacket can be, and very breathable. However, it will not fold down to a small size. Just about any rain jacket will block wind very effectively, but many of them are not very breathable. The SP Elite excels in breathability, which is perhaps most important. The problem you are likely to encounter is that breathable, waterproof fabrics do not compact down to a small size -- or I haven't found one that does.

I love my O2 Nokomis Jacket - It's great wind protection, keeps out the rain, yet it breathes. It also keeps out the sleet and freezing rain:

http://bikeforums.net/attachment.php...hmentid=518756

edit - It will fold into itself, using the back pocket as it's bag and has straps to hang the bag on your bars (I've done this a few times). It is too big to fit into a jersey pocket.

Clear Plastic so they see your team jersey ?
but not breathable or breathable but Not waterproof?

That combination is certainly doable. Just expect to pay a lot for it.

I use a Showers Pass Double Century. Its been through two winters so far and excels in both wet and/or cold weather. It might be squishable enough to fit in a jersey pocket, but I usually keep it in a small backpack or bikepack depending on my activity.

Keith

The MAAP rain jacket is great and folds down to into a back pocket. Love mine

I've been doing just Showers Pass for the past 10+ years. First was the unlined jacket. (Clarification: when I say lined, I mean the sturdy liner inside that protects the thin water barrier that allows the vapor to pass through. On the Showers Pass jackets, that barrier is white and tears easily. The liners are grey and very durable.) After putting the jacket on too quickly with wet hands and catching the barrier may times, it became useless as a rain jacket, so it is relegated to dry use as a simple windbreaker, for which it serves very well and is one of my most used outer garments.

Second jacket - the lined Showers Pass. Got it as a commuter jacket. It does not fold to jersey pocket size. The first one has a subpar zipper and Showers Pass gave me a new one probably 5 years ago that is still like new after a lot of use.

Most recent jacket is another unlined one I am trying to use only as a good ride jacket and treat well. So far it is doing well.

One feature I insist on and that all Showers Pass jackets I have seen have but a lot of other jackets don't is 2-way zippers. Unzipping a jacket in pouring rain to get something out of my jersey pocket (which may be overstuffed to shelter food/additional clothes/etc. from the rain) just plain sucks. Being able to ride with the zipper started from the bottom to get the jacket to cover those pockets without destroying that thin liner on the bumps from the tools is, to my mind, just how things should work.

The other reason for 2-way zippers - you can center the two zippers and get very decent cooling uphill and very quickly zip up after. Very useful on cold days and in the rail (and when you are wearing winter glove/mittens).

Edit: I have been using Showers Pass longer than the current names and probably will still be wearing them when they are on to new names. For me, is is simpler to think of them as simply lined or unlined, each at various price points depending on other features.

Ben

Recently got a SP 2.1 and love it, but it ain't folding down into a small package.

I have this Path Convert Jacket M
not total waterproof but its ok if it is not to much rain. Its also a west and packs back in your jersey.
The price was around 50$ or 400kr here in Norway https://www.gsport.no/produkt/164001...vest-herre#003

There are quite a few offerings out there, depending on what price and fit you're chasing.

e.g. Montane Minimus/777: not exactly bike specific (fit), but is highly windproof, waterproof, breathable (important) and light.

A close-fitting example would be the Sportful Hotpack, which fits down to a ball in your hand.

Generally you can find the product waterproof and breathability ratings in their specs.

There are fully waterproof breathable jackets that you can easily stuff in a jersey pocket. I believe the Gore One would be one of those.

I don't actually own the Gore One, but I am a Gore-Tex product tester and it looks very much like jackets I've tested over the past few years. If it's the same thing, it is awesome. FTC regs require me to mention my relationship with Gore and that I receive consideration for sharing my opinions. To that I would add that I have a proper job and spend way too much time outdoors to use stuff I don't think is excellent.

I won't be cycling this weekend -- I'm leaving in 5 minutes on a camp expedition to climb Brokentop and South Sister.

There are jackets that do - or so I've repeatedly been told by people on the forum here. The Goretex Active jackets I've been told are waterproof and about half the size of the showers pass jackets, with similar breathability (they're fairly new). I know the ones I've seen in a store were tiny.

The problem for the most part is that "breathable" on these jackets is highly subjective. I know with my showers pass jacket I can't really wear it above 60 degrees or I overheat severely. And that's with the pit zips open and the front zipper unzipped so air can flow through the back vent, if I remember right.

If you're biking above freezing, a lot of times it makes more sense to buy a somewhat wind resistance and water resistant jacket because they breathe much more and so are useful in a far wider range of temperatures.

Yes to the latter. Voler Jet wind jacket in Hi-Viz. Easily fits in a jersey pocket. Good for 60 down to 37 and raining hard. No, not waterproof. Waterproof not good. Never tried a waterproof/breathable jacket that I didn't have to take off in 5 miles of hard riding. Fine for commuting and piddling about, but not OK for sport cycling. Not being able to get rid of heat causes serious loss of power. Windproof means loss of cooling air, thus one must use rain water to get rid of heat, hence windproof but not waterproof. Use layering to get body temperature just right.

The Gore One that I mentioned is way lighter and more packable than Gore-Tex Active (previously their lightest jacket). It's the same weight as a normal windbreaker and can stuff down to the size of an orange. They're fully waterproof/windproof and great from well below freezing to rain in the 30's to warmer than most other jackets are usable. I find I don't need anything else.

The one thing to know is the material is much thinner than Gore-Tex Active so you'll want to use it strictly for running/cycling. Because it is so light, I find you lose more body heat than with other jackets even if it works fine below freezing. I think it's designed so you can carry a 20 lb pack, but if you intend to go hiking much, I'd go with Active instead since it will handle abuse better and is less likely to be damaged when you get caught in brush.

You forgot bonkproof and bulletproof.
Mine is also headwindproof and I suggest you look for the same as it results in more KOM's

A jacket that lets some air/water in has a different application that one that does. Even if a jacket is fully waterproof/windproof, you can still get cooling via conductive transfer from the outside and opening cuffs or the zipper. It won't dissipate as much heat as what you describe, but it can be a lot if layers are thin.

The trick with getting wet from rain or sweat is that you'll lose loads of heat through conductive transfer. When heat loss via evaporation is added, risk of hypothermia becomes real in cooler temps. It is possible to be wet from sweat with bare skin even at below freezing temps if your effort level is high enough. I find that even in those circumstances, it's still a good idea to have a light jacket. If it's waterproof/breathable, ice will form on the outside even if it's not raining.

At $299 I'm a bit put off. I could stomach $200-$220 if I was really in a splurge mindset. I think I'd feel a bit more comfortable having shelled out $200 or $150 and have it split between 2 slightly different jackets - my mindset being this:

If it's a rainy day or predicted rain (and colder), I'm going to roll out with an 'active' or larger non-compressable jacket with the idea that I'm going to wear it throughout my entire ride.

If it's the 70 degree day that turns sour and drops 15 degrees and starts to drizzle, I should think that a highly compressible (I carried it with me from the start) type windbreaker would do 2 things here: 1 keep the wind off / body temp slightly raised since it's gotten colder, and 2 have some inherent rain-resistance to it?

I suppose this thread has turned into more of an 'educate me' on jacketing / layering how-to as well as hey recommend me X product at X price range.

If I grabbed the Voler windbreaker I'd be out $55 and then grabbing a full on rainjacket I'd be out maybe $100-$150? Putting me at $200 and less $100 than the Gore One.

I know you're a tester for Gore, but is this flawed thinking? OR is the Gore One truly magic.

I don't even know what Strava is ;). I've 'asked a lot' of a single jacket, but apparently tech has caught up and some do exist with these 'requirements'. Problem being it might be more economical to go 2 jackets at slightly lesser cost, and to eval weather a bit better from the start?

Here's a link to the jacket, right?
Men's ONE GORE-TEX® Active Run Jacket | GORE RUNNING WEAR®

I feel like the marketing people are not doing a great job for it, because there's no pic of it's size balled up. Being that it's a major selling point of the jacket it seems like a major oversight.

But regarding terminology, you'll notice it says "GORE-TEX® Active Jacket with NEW Permanent Beading Surface". So it can't be lighter than goretex active because it is goretex active...lol...I know what's happened is that older goretex active was a different material than newer goretex active. It's pretty confusing. But I think the other newer goretex active jackets are also very thing and small, at least the goretex active windstopper jacket I saw in person also was.

That might be an advantage for the OP actually. Like I said the thicker stuff (with event) gets to hot and clammy above about 60.

A Goretex one, with the newer "active" GTX. You'll be disappointed with it. And it'll cost you $600.

Yeah, literally, lol @ the $299 for the Gortex 'one'. I'm getting the classic, market-this-jacket-hard vibe from Goretex. Look at all those cool wave mapping graphics behind a picture of the jacket!! serious business!

But, in all fairness I wish there was a place nearby that stocked these jackets so that I could get a little hands-on with 'em. Maybe REI near me has this stuff... maybe not. I'll go fiddle around if I'm bored this next weekend.

It's raining here again and ~50 degrees. Extra encouragement to get out there again ;)

If there's one nearby, REI is a fantastic place to buy something like a goretex jacket. You've noticed the extensive marketing campaign, the "guaranteed to keep you dry" label, all the promises about how GTX is the best thing since sliced bread. REI will give you (all of) your money back if that stuff doesn't pan out. Finding out first hand in the conditions you ride is the best way to know.

That said, for 50 F and rain, I would not wear Goretex, and I have a really nice GTX jacket. I'd wear a merino wool base layer and a good wind breaker with DWR. It won't keep 100 % of the rain out but unlike GTX it will breathe, and that means I won't stew on my own sweat. At the end of an hour ride I'll be drier that way. That's my experience riding in Seattle.

I ride in an Arc'teryx Accelero wind breaker, actually I love it so much I have two.

I agree that 50F and rain is very easy to swamp out anything. And I totally get people's skepticism of the Gore One, especially given my obvious conflict of interest. But it really is different and makes the other Active products seem ridiculously heavy. Note that it also is not as durable. Just keep an eye out for one in the wild and you'll see what I mean.

The guarantee applies wherever you buy. I recently had some Active Shell pants that I bought off backcountry.com a few years ago replaced under warranty. It was a painless experience -- they just sent me another pair.

Having said all that, I think the OP would be well served by a water resistant windbreaker. As is the case with most things, you have to push things to make the differences seem apparent. Most cyclists way, way overdress by my perspective. I can't see how they stand it.

I second the comments about Showers pass, great gear especially their Elite fabric for it's high breathability (even in 50 degree weather). Check out their Torch commuter jacket, I just wrote a review, impressive.

James
http://www.buckyrides.com

I use the affordable showers pass Storm jacket for its portability. Can fit in a jersey pocket or bottle cage. I typically wear a wicking layer underneath as my arms tend to get clammy and I never use it in any temps above 55f here in TX. Has pretty large vents in the back.

In my experience, hard efforts will mean increased sweat when using any material that is waterproof. You almost have to choose if you'd rather be soaked by the rain or your own sweat.

Showers Pass Elite Pro WILL fold down into its own pocket and is packable. very light, good venting, fabric is breathable and waterproof.

https://www.showerspass.com/products...FU-BswodDugL1w