RAIN JACKETS
Moderators: Philip Whiteman, Andy Terry
RAIN JACKETS
Can anyone recommend an adequate rain jacket?
I got completely saturated returning from the Country 20 on Saturday for want of adequate protection. My present jacket, a 'Beacon' one, is a brazen fraud and is imbued with the water-resistant qualities of a string vest. All I ask is something breathable which folds to the size of a postage stamp and does what it says on the tin.
I got completely saturated returning from the Country 20 on Saturday for want of adequate protection. My present jacket, a 'Beacon' one, is a brazen fraud and is imbued with the water-resistant qualities of a string vest. All I ask is something breathable which folds to the size of a postage stamp and does what it says on the tin.
It is better to be interesting rather than exact
- Philip Whiteman
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To be honest Alan, I think that is near almost impossible to have a waterproof cycle jacket.
I use an Altura Night Vision waterproof jacket. It is quite reasonable in cooler weather though you would boil during the summer.
Gore (tex) jackets are the most obvious breathable waterproofs but you will have to pay an awful lot of money for marginal benefit. eVENT is far superior to Goretex but still a lot of money: http://www.chainreactioncycles.com/Mode ... delID=9261
Now this is the only sort of thing that will guarantee dryness...
I use an Altura Night Vision waterproof jacket. It is quite reasonable in cooler weather though you would boil during the summer.
Gore (tex) jackets are the most obvious breathable waterproofs but you will have to pay an awful lot of money for marginal benefit. eVENT is far superior to Goretex but still a lot of money: http://www.chainreactioncycles.com/Mode ... delID=9261
Now this is the only sort of thing that will guarantee dryness...
I mostly wear a Pearl Isumi polyester jacket which works well enough and is bright yellow. I've also got a Gortex packlite jacket which is better but not so much better as to justify the price. Both keep the rain out for a while and keep me wet and warm thereafter. They are not like hiking jackets though.
Ive got a Goretex Pac Lite as well, and like you I am really disappointed with it, considering the cost of it! As it does not have any lining, there is nothing worse than having to wear this against your bare arms in the summer when its raining.Dave Cox wrote:I've also got a Gortex packlite jacket which is better but not so much better as to justify the price. Both keep the rain out for a while and keep me wet and warm thereafter. They are not like hiking jackets though.
I also have a Altura jacket, which is much better, but its three times the weight and plus it doesn't pack down very small. In fact it doesn't really pack down at all! Its more of a "wear all the time" jacket rather than a "its raining" jacket.
"You only need two tools: WD40 and duct tape. If it doesn't move and it should, use WD40. If it moves and it shouldn't, use duct tape"
I generally use a lightweight hi-viz waterproof that cost me about £20. I think it's Lusso and the nearest current equivalent is something like http://www.ukbikestore.co.uk/product/62 ... acket.html. It tends to live permanently on the bike scrunched up into a 400ml tool bottle.
It's not breathable as such but it has mesh strips under the arms which lets some heat out. I work on the basis that I put it on if it rains hard/long enough to bother (I'd put it on to keep warm too if I had an enforced unexpected stop) and take it off again as soon as I can. I have worn it throughout a few audaxes where it rained non-stop all day and I didn't get uncomfortably wet - as others have suggested its more about keeping warm because your skin should be waterproof enough.
It's not breathable as such but it has mesh strips under the arms which lets some heat out. I work on the basis that I put it on if it rains hard/long enough to bother (I'd put it on to keep warm too if I had an enforced unexpected stop) and take it off again as soon as I can. I have worn it throughout a few audaxes where it rained non-stop all day and I didn't get uncomfortably wet - as others have suggested its more about keeping warm because your skin should be waterproof enough.
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come and try a Bioracer Dri-Tex jacket in my shop
Cult Racing...better than Rock Racing
www.cultracing.com
www.cultracing.com