I recently discovered that my shells are not truly waterproof. Are there any truly waterproof and somewhat breathable shells that fit snugly and are light? I have a couple of Castello Velos and a Sugoi- while they are slightly water resistant, they get soaked if it rains constantly or rains hard. My MTB GoreTex jacket is pretty bulky and noisy so thought I'd check with you all. I see a lot of water-resistant shells but I'd really like to get something truly waterproof and thin/snug.

I have a pair of Showers Pass jackets that for me do well. They have venting all over the place and come in different formats. Now I still get wet but that is mostly due to sweating as I have never had anything keep up with my rate of sweat production. I do find their jackets very well made.

Frank

Either you'll get wet from the rain, or your own sweat. I prefer highly water resistant.

Alright, that is a good point. My jackets are very lightly water resistant though and I get soaked in 5 mins. The main issue in the winter is the cold rain so some more water resistance would be helpful (I'm already looking for winter boots...shoudl have posted that too). Could you recommend some highly water resistant shells...and boots?

I can't recommend boots, but I have a favorite jacket for sure: Acr'teryx Accelero. Best performing jacket I own (out of like 15) for aerobic exercise. It's more of a wind breaker, lets about 1/3 of the air through, which works really well, I never overheat while I'm moving. It uses DWR for water repellancy (sp?) and it works amazingly well. Rain beads up on the outside of the jacket, takes about 20 minutes to soak through. As long as I shake my arms out every now and then, I can ride for hours and stay pretty dry. I also ski and backpack in mine, I just layer appropriately for the conditions I expect to face.

Definitely check out Showers Pass clothing:


https://www.showerspass.com/


I recently got their 2.1 jacket for touring and commuting. Probably not what you are looking for, but they have other models that may be. They also have waterproof socks.


Some pricey stuff, but it is very well made so it's worth it. I decided to spend the money after getting caught in a very cold, heavy rain at over 7,000' with only a cheap rain shell while touring in Montana a few years ago. I was pretty hypothermic coming down from the mountain. Used the jacket while touring again in Montana this year and it kept me warm and dry during two occasions, including one where I got hailed on.

I also have a Showers Pass and very happy with it. Though it has generous venting, in warm to hot weather one will sweat quite a bit so unless it is chilly or cold out, I do not wear it as I prefer to get wet via the rain vs sweating inside. I have used it as a windbreak shell for colder days as well.

Try the original cycling jacket
Worked great for me, super light, thin, snug

Original Cycling Jacket | O2 Rainwear

Showers Pass Elite 2.1- superb cooler weather winter weather jacket in rain, snow or wind. Bit heavy in summer and generally, if above 70 I just get wet with the rain and dry out. The top line showers pass is very breathable and very water proof.

The accepted standard is Gore Oxygen Active Shell. Every single review I'm come across of it has been raving from protection to breathability. The other one, probably even better but for the lack of drop tail is 7mesh Re:Gen, the fit and finish is unrivaled.

If you have the money:
https://www.rei.com/product/101269/g...ke-jacket-mens

Exactly. It's about limiting but not preventing water ingress. You need the water to cool you or you waste energy unsuccessfully trying to get ride of heat. That's called sweating in a waterproof. You also can't have too much water coming in or you waste energy heating the water.

After 20 years of riding in the rain in the PNW, my favorite shell is the Voler Jet Wind Jacket. My test is to hold the fabric up to my mouth and try to suck air through it. No air, no good. Too much air, no good.

The trick is to get the layering right for the conditions. I find that if my layering is correct for the dry conditions and it starts to rain, I put on the jacket and I'm still correct.

Edit: Oh, boots . . . Lakes. Most folks find that their regular bike shoe size will be correct. But boots don't really do it either, because in a real rain, water runs down your legs and into the boots. So you visit your dive store and buy a pair of replacement dry suit leg seals. Trim them to fit and put them on your naked ankles right above your boots, then turn them down to cover your boot tops. Problem solved.

Of course you don't wear rain pants, but rather a pair of tights of a thickness appropriate to the temperatures.

Some really good options here, and running the gamut of pricing. Even though I am (hopefully) going to spend a ton of money of adopting, I think I can sneak a jackets, some boots, and maybe a Garmin Edge 1000 in before the bank account get hit with the big one. I'm checking out all these. I'd mainly need this for colder weather. I stay pretty warm so I don't mind getting wet in the 70s. No in the 40s and 50s and windy conditions, that is tough. In fact, I got caught in sleet and snow and heavy wind and 10,000-12,000 feet last Saturday. That was not fun at all. Of course, it was sunny and hot the next day up there but I really could use a nice shell. I won't say that money is not an object but I want to buy it once and have it for a while. I take good care of my stuff (gentle cycle, Assos wash, sometimes bagging items, and hang dry) so it will likely last a good while.

Grundens its water proof, its what the Bearing Sea Fisher folk like seen on 'Deadliest Catch' wear while working
in the Alaska king crab season which is mostly in the fall/winter.

but being water proof, no sweat escapes, it condenses on the inside so you still get Damp..

so all the action for cycling garb is in water resistant, breathable fabrics like Gore Tex..

these require a hydrophillic chemical surfactant so rain beads up & rolls off.

it is not permanent so it has to be renewed.
once its inactive the pores clog and your sweat does not evaporate effectively.

the translucent plastic rain shells that let the team colors of the jersey you wear under it show thru ,
is ( I suspect ) not breathable, maybe you want one of those?






./.

No it is not the accepted standard.
All the more sophisticated fabrics share the same basic componentry. This consists of an outer shell, a mid layer and an inner layer. The waterproof qualities are all based on a proprietary PTFE layer, what made gortex famous, but which is shared in other fabrics with superior results. Showers Pass uses the eVent 3 layer construction which maintains waterproofness, with increased breathability, much greater than gortex, by using a more porous ptfe layer.
I have used both extensively and far prefer the showers pass, much more comfortable due to its superior breathability.
There are a lot of excellent choices all offering slight changes in the basic makeup and most, if not all quality choices are in a similar high end price range.

I'm researching all these. One review (maybe by a UK mag...not sure) said the Gore Active one was more breathable, while some users say that eVent is more breathable that traditional Gore Tex. I am not sure if eVent has been compared to Gore Active by too many.

Has anyone tried/used J&G rain gear?

I've had my eye on this one:

Waterproof Jackets from People Who Really Know Waterproof Jackets!

Another fan of Showers Pass jackets. I have three. Two unlined jackets and one lined. I use the lined one as a commuter, serious hard rain jacket, the old and tired jacket as a dry weather wind breaker and the new unlined jacket as my good ride jacket, the one I take on Cycle Oregon and can stuff in jersey pockets.

The unlined jackets are a bunch cheaper and roll up much smaller but it is a matter of time before the barrier gets torn. The lined jacket I use for commuting is a workhorse. 10 years old and going strong.

Details of the Showers Pass gear is superb from a rider's point of view. Cuffs, zippers (2-way, I pass on jackets that do not have 2-way zippers. Unzipping a zipper to get at a stuffed jersey pocket in pouring rain? Not for me. Biggest gripe? They really should have mesh pockets on the outside to stuff soaking wet gloves into when you duck inside for whatever.

Ben

I'll hope for some coupons or sales but with jackets and this time of year, that will probably not happen. I'll need one soon. Great info in this thread!

I have a J&G jacket and it's waterproof and works OK if you open up all the vents. I have a small and it's still a bit of a parachute. i much prefer a Castelli Gabba 2 jacket. Works well in light rain and keeps me warm in a heavy rain even if I do get wet.

Breathable jackets are only functional for very light exercise. Most important thing is to keep the wind out.

Showers Pass Pro-Tech ST Jacket is a personal favorite of mine. It kept me reasonably dry during a rainy century ride this year. https://www.biketiresdirect.com/prod...tech-st-jacket

If you need an all arounder that is not cycling specific, this is the best jacket I have ever had period. I wore it on a hard raining, stormy, cold century. 5 hours + in a storm until they cancelled the rest of the ride because of the high winds. The jacket was money! After 5 or 6 years of all kind of activities it is still going strong. You can find it cheaper than the price on their website.

Men's Lookout Waterproof Windbreaker - Free Country

I have both the Showers Pass Elite 2.1 and The Pro 2.1. The elite has more venting and is a little looser. If you go for the Pro(I love the Goldenrod color), do not go up in size as tempted as you might be. If you want a looser fit, just get the Elite. The Pro is packable and lighter. I went up and it gets floppy in the wind, a little. After riding with it, I prefer my jackets to fit like a jersey and the pro in the right size will be that. The Elite is great too. I happen to stumble on a great sale and just had to have the Pro after already owning the Elite. Went with the Red Elite. Looks great. Both jackets we you get up to speed, you can feel the air going though them while riding, at least that is the impression I get. I do not wear them for warmth as they are just shells. Layering or other softshell jackets get used for that purpose.



Love them both.

I'm probably between sizes (M and L) so I need to be careful. I'm 5'11 and 175 lbs. Waist is prob around 34 and chest around 40-41 and dropping to a solid 40...was around 42. The Pro 2.1 has apparently been replaced by the Spring Classic but may share similar sizing.

If I recall, SP jackets run a little big but I did find them true to their sizing charts. I am 6'1", 41"chest, 36" waist and 200lbs and I think I got a Large for the Elite 2.1 and a XL for the Pro 2.1. Now, I wish I got a Large in the Pro. At the time, I was matching up to a 43" in chest looking for a little room.