Best Rain Jacket
 

I'm going to be in the Pyrenees next week... and the long range forecast is for rain. I'm presuming this is gonna be proper rain, and not the drizzle we've occasionally had in the last couple of years here in Norcal. What do the forummers on here from rainier states than mine recommend for a jacket in such conditions? I'm looking for something a bit lighter than the plastic macs I grew up riding with back in Ireland, though.

Amazon.com : Cannondale Men's Morphis Jacket : Cycling Jackets : Sports & Outdoors
This came up on Amazon. Anyone tried it? Reviews are good and the price is right.

Have you thought about trying a Castelli's Gabba rain jersey? It is made of wind stopper material and works very well at keeping you comfortable.

Shower Pass Jacket - there are several to choose from on their site.

This^^^ Their fabric is pretty near perfect in letting moisture through from inside but keeping rain out. I have the Elite and love it.

That looks like a great option. Do you have one yourself? Do you ride with it stand-alone, or with a baselayer of some sort?

I have one and it's great. Also, tons of pro teams not sponsored by Castelli wear unbranded ones because they are so good.

How hard are you going to be riding? What are the temperatures predicted to be?

If it's warm enough, a rain jacket is a waste of time.

Temps are supposed to peak in the mid-70s in the valley and at Hautacam, but I can't find a forecast for the summit of the Tourmalet, and I'm told the windchill there is something to be wary of.

This. Any jacket will have you sweating buckets. Just dress for the temp.

Anyone who has ridden in rain will say the worst part is back wheel wash onto your butt.
Just get one of these:

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I have the cannondale morphis jacket and really like the magnetic sleeves. They go on and off very easily for the vest conversion. It seems to hold up to the rain quite well, my only complaint is that it is a little short in the back. I have a long torso so this is a common complaint for me with riding gear.

As I said, I grew up in Ireland. I've ridden in the rain. You don't really have any choice there.

It's a bit late to mail order anything, but I suppose I can pick those mudflaps up at any LBS in France?

I talked to my LBS (Castelli vendor) about the Gabba, and they said it's great in winter, but probably a bit warm for the temps in France now. Seems like I'll be better off with a gilet/my PI convertible. At this stage, I think I'll bring the PI and if it's not up to the job I'll get something better there.

I'm a fan of Gore Active products in general and of my Oxygen GT AS shell in specific. It's about the weight of a windbreaker so it easily stuffs in your pocket, but it's also fully waterproof and windproof while still being very breathable. It's very good for truly rainy conditions and fast cold descents when wet. Note that the Oxygen GT is race cut, so if you're not, you'll want to go with a different model.

The Showers Pass stuff that others have referred to is very popular in Portland. However, my experience with Showers Pass products is that while they're well made, they're a lot heavier and they're too easy to swamp out if you put out much effort. I would not want to wear one of their jackets for climbing steep hills.

DISCLAIMER: I am a Gore-tex product tester and I receive compensation for testing new and existing products as well as for sharing my thoughts. So you may want to take my advice with a grain of salt. However, I can afford anything I want and spend too much time outside to not wear what I like. I only recommend their Active line for cycling even though there are numerous other cycling products that contain other Gore-tex technologies (Paclite, Windstopper, etc) because those others are too heavy for anything other than light recreational use

Surprised no one mentioned this: rS.sturmPrinz EVO - ASSOS of Switzerland

Just curious if anyone here has tried the J & G breathable rain jacket? I've had my eye on one. I like that they, too, are Oregon made (i.e. Showers Pass), but cost half as much.

I have the Morphis and love it. Easy to take sleeves off and on when needed. Breathes fairly well, fits well.

Mine doesn't feel like it breaths all that well. Especially a problem in the sleeves, but that's a problem I have with most rain jackets that don't have some layer between the outer layer and my arms. It just gets all wet and sticky if I don't wear a long-sleeved jersey or base layer underneath. The magnets make getting it off/on really easy, but don't allow partial opening to vent quite like a zippered one does. It is a touch short in the back. Does a good job keeping the water out though. I definitely wouldn't pay more than $50 for it.

What I use and am happy with in rainy Norway is a gore bike wear oxygen for long rides under heavy rains, and assos blitzfeder for light rain or chilli descents. Although blitzfeder is wind stopper only it does keep you dry in light rain. Both pack to a jersey pocket.

I've also been a long time Gore fan from my running days. I haven't tried Shower Pass and heard good things about their products. But I know you can't go wrong with Gore products. They spend a lot of money with R&D and everything they produce is well researched and tested. However its important as you say to pick the right product/line for the specific need.

Waterproof breathable jackets are designed to be worn with some kind of base layer. The purpose of the base layer is to wick moisture away from your skin so it can pass through the membrane as a gas. If you skip the base layer, you'll get exactly the effect you describe as you'll have liquid (i.e. sweat) directly against the fabric and the waterproof aspect will work exactly as designed to hold that right against your skin.

Wasn't aware of it, but just eyeballing it in the photos, it looks heavy and not as well made as Showers Pass. But I'm sure it does the job it's designed for.

As an observation, most of the cycling stuff in Portland is aimed at commuters as we have a lot of them, and our cycling infrastructure is optimized for commuting rather than recreation. This means most people are just putting in a few miles at low speed so heavier gear works well for them.

Exactly. I wasn't meaning to dump on the SP stuff. People here love their stuff, but most of them are riding fairly short distances in cold rain. So it works out great for them. I don't think it would work as well for cyclists who like to ride hard for longer distances.

^WTF? I suppose it's not a bad time to dig up zombies.

I use a Voler Jet HiViz. Not WP but perfect for riding hard in the rain. Stuffs to the size of a large orange which is critical for me. SP jackets too hot and too bulky for me, though many people like them.

For long rides in the rain, the Showers Pass Elite is hard to beat.

It's light for full on rain gear. It also breathes and vents very well and is good in a surprisingly wide range of temperatures and is very durable.

Part of the reason is the 3 ply eVent which apparently breathes better than Goretex (at least so far as I could determine when I bought mine). It has armpit pit zips and a big vent behind the shoulders. What is less common is cuffs designed so that you can adjust them to funnel air through the jacket (I've not seen that elsewhere)

If you want to maximize ventilation and condensation control, go up a size for a looser fit so that air can pass through the jacket more readily.

They've also thought about other little details like black cuffs (Hide grease marks) and a loop on the back of the rear vent that hangs the jacket in a better configuration for drying.