Recommendations for a waterproof touring jacket?

[MrsHJ]

I see that tech has moved in a bit since I last got a new jacket around 12 years ago. However, I’ve been getting soggy in heavy downpours when touring since at least 2019 (not so fond memories of the Allegheny trail in torrential rain whilst wet that April and even less of the Devon coast to coast the jubilee weekend last year) so it’s time to renew ready for my upcoming tour. A lot of the current jackets seem to be shower but not down pour proof but I find I need the better coverage when touring. It feels more like a commuting jacket- you probably won’t opt out due to rain as you might for a day ride.

So has anyone tried any nice jackets recently that:
*have a hood
*have pockets in the normal place at the sides (non cycling style)
*doesn’t impede cycling
*decent waterproof ness beyond showerproof
*packs away fairly small in a pannier
* temps probably needs to be ok from around 7/8 upwards although I’ll have a technical fleece under if it’s cold.
*doesn’t look too ridiculous ambling around off the bike in the evening (not my biggest priority- looking silly is not a big deal at my age)
*doesn’t only come in black as part of my strategy to become more noticeable on the road
*I’ll probably be looking for a unisex/men’s one as the women’s ones for cycling tend to be over tailored

I was looking at some of the endura mountain biking ones. These seem to have the hoods and pockets and are less for the pure racing snake but I was unsure of the waterproof ness. At least if I get a new one I can guarantee dry weather for this tour!

[pal]

My Showers Pass jacket has kept me dry in the most appalling conditions, and I think they do versions which meet your criteria re pockets, hoods, etc (e.g. https://showerspass.co.uk/products/wome ... e-jacket-1) -- but they aren't cheap... (Mine's lasted for years and years, though, so it almost counts as an Investment Piece )

[pjclinch]

I'm not that enamoured of most "cycling" waterproofs which seem more geared to racing snakes in a chain-gang use than my more sedate trundling, so I use waterproof jackets geared for the (relatively) "fast and light" hillwalking market where there's a bigger and easier to try on in person selection available.

Mine is a previous version of the OMM Kamleika jacket, current one is https://theomm.com/product/kamleika-jacket-w-2-2/ and there's a "unisex" version too and a pretty detailed size chart to decide which you might want.
I've also got a Rohan Momentum jacket I picked up for a song on eBay which is fine as a cycling jacket or summer hillwalking jacket.

So take-away there is don't limit yourself to "cycling" stuff.

One thing I'm looking at as a treat for myself is a Ventile cycling jacket. Hilltrek do some based on the old Greenspot touring jacket design, and they look very nice, but aren't cheap and will weigh/bulk more than a light synthetic. On the other hand, more breathable to the point of being a general jacket, rather than rain only, e.g. https://hilltrek.co.uk/clothing/jackets ... dv-jacket/. You need the double construction to be properly rain proof, the hybrid one might leave you damp arms if it's really set in and the single layer would be showerproof (but actually showerproof!).

Paramo stuff can be good for cycling as long as it's not too warm (you effectively get a microfleece worth of insulation as part of the construction). Much more breathable than "breathable waterproof" membranes/coatings so another general coat that happens to keep the rain out option, e.g. https://www.paramo-clothing.com/en-gb/e ... F7D93107FD

Pete.

[Vantage]

I gave up on jackets earlier this year and went for a poncho instead. There's a few around and I eventually settled for https://www.thepeoples.co/products/hard ... vD_BwE[url]
It doesn't fit all your needs admittedly, it packs up but not small, it does look a little ridiculous off (and on!) the bike but, it does have a hood, there is one pocket and it does keep out everything but an entire lake dropping on me.

[Richard Fairhurst]

My Showers Pass jacket has kept me dry in the most appalling conditions, and I think they do versions which meet your criteria re pockets, hoods, etc (e.g. https://showerspass.co.uk/products/wome ... e-jacket-1) -- but they aren't cheap... (Mine's lasted for years and years, though, so it almost counts as an Investment Piece )

I'm a Showers Pass fan too. I bought mine in a sale in Portland back in 2012, before they had a UK importer, and it's still doing sterling service.

[simonineaston]

I haven't actually tried the jacket I'm writing about but bare with me... a while ago, I bought two garments, a TNF Goretex jacket (which is great for really rainy, slightly chilly days) and a pair of Berghaus Goretex Paclite trousers. These have been super - they're very light and pack down into a tiny stuff sac and go with me most of the time, just in case.
So when I saw this jacket just now, made from the same weight fabric and designed specifically for cyclists, I thought I'd mention it. If I was in the market for a new touring jacket, this has just the sort of features I'd be looking for.
https://www.bikeradar.com/reviews/cloth ... et-review/

[thirdcrank]

I'm a sucker for squandering money on outdoor togs.

This general topic has been discussed repeatedly and I'll say with some confidence that you might as well look for the moon on a stick as expect to find cycling togs which tick all your boxes. I'd say that out of "normal" activities, cycling places a much greater range of demand on outdoor fabrics than anything else. Briefly, riding uphill inevitably steams you up, and riding downhill causes condensation, especially at the front. And riding in rain makes that much worse

Solutions tend to involve sophisticated ventilation and surface treatments which cause the rainwater to run off before it soaks into the fabric and reduces its breathability.

Ventile has been mentioned and this works by the wet fabric swelling as it gets wetter to keep out the wet, except it needs an inner layer to keep out the wet more or less completely and then it's often given a surface treatment to keep off the wet - something which confuses me.

Ventile is often marketed as having been invented to save the lives of Allied aircrew forced to ditch in the sea during WWII and a jolly good thing too, but that doesn't necessarily make it right for cycling. IME, it's much more suitable for activities where you remain largely immobile eg birdwatching

Various companies use Ventile and it tends to cost an arm and a leg. It's sometimes used for huntin', shootin' and fishin' togs and looks really smart too.

Other firms make Ventile togs besides Hilltrek but they do offer a big range. They charge extra for most deviations from standard - and fair enough - and make it clear there are quite lengthy delivery times. Things may have changed but expedited delivery for anybody with sharp elbows is at no extra charge. As someone who waits their turn, I've never received an order until I'd waited way beyond the anticipated delivery date and got grumpy. (My suggestion would be to charge a premium for expedited manufacture and delivery, which would make people think.) Otherwise, customer service is exemplary, but if they kept to delivery times, I for one would not have needed "customer service."

[simonhill]

Hood?

Used one years ago, for one short ride. It ruined my rear, look over shoulder, view. Certainly wouldn't want it on the road.

[MrsHJ]

Hood?

Used one years ago, for one short ride. It ruined my rear, look over shoulder, view. Certainly wouldn't want it on the road.

I have a mirror! https://www.amazon.co.uk/gp/product/B00 ... th=1&psc=1

I definitely like a hood- I think it’s a personal thing but bearing in mind I’ll be off the bike too I like to keep as much of me as possible dry and warm. Also I tend to be on quiet roads (lol at describing roads in Italy as quiet though- they were crazy) and peaceful cycle paths in Europe so I can mostly keep an ear out- if you’re often in south east Asia which I suspect may have busier roads and a different climate requirements are different.

Thank you all for the excellent recommendations- I can see a lot of similarities in our thinking- I’ll look into them this evening. Not sure about the poncho although I admit I was kind of tempted by the canary yellow one!

[simonineaston]

It's probably entirely possible to write a small book on the subject of cycling, weather protection and suitable garments. Such a lot depends on the location and the prevailing weather, as well as the type of touring you do, as well as personal preferences. Take for example somebody who does most of their touring in the summer months over in say Brittany & Normany (that somebody might be someone like me... ) and whose itinery is likely to be just 40 - 50 miles a day. That somebody may find that the best way to deal with a rain shower is to head for the nearest cafe and enjoy a coffee and a pastry and to delay the journey until the rain passes. The sort of garment they favour is likely to be very different to the one worn by the faster, fitter cycle tourist whose holiday ambition is to complete an Audax, or else pedal from Calais to St Tropez. What'll work well for one sort ot cyclist would be considered quite unsuitable for another.
As a frequent visitor to northern France in spring & autumn, when the weather was often wet and windy, I found that a Buffalo Mountain Shirt, with a light Goretex jacket in reserve for when it really tipped down, was a combo that worked well for me considering my bumbling and slow way of crossing territory, often spending as much time in museums, churches, cafes and shops as I did cycling. For someone fitter & quicker and therefore running a lot hotter than me, keeping to an 100+ km schedule, it wouldn't have been suitable. And so on and so on.

[thirdcrank]

My dear old dad used to insist that I used what was once called a cape, but is now often called a poncho to differentiate it from on the jackets called capes. One consequence was that I largely avoided them once I was beyond his "guidance." Quick to put on and take off, and traditionally stowed on top of a cotton duck saddlebag. Something else that's good for standing around but a pain in strong wind
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PS

probably entirely possible to write a small book on the subject of cycling, weather protection and suitable garments

I fancy the hard part would be editing the long book down to a manageable length

[slowster]

I have a Showers Pass Refuge jacket, and like others I think they are very good at getting the design and cut right (at least in the men's version). The jacket looks like a normal jacket, despite the cycling features. I particularly like the two large front zipped vents, which I think provide more effective ventilation than pit zips to help from getting too hot and sweaty.

The big weakness of almost all such waterproofs is the inevitable tendency of the outer face fabric to 'wet out', at which point the membrane can no longer 'breathe' (making ventilation zips even more important). I think some manufacturer's durable water repellent (DWR) treatments might last longer than others and keep water beading on the jacket instead of wetting out, and it's supposed to be possible to revive them by tumble drying and/or aerosol spray treatments, but I would not bet on a less than new jacket coping with continuous rain for a day without wetting out.

https://showerspass.co.uk/products/wome ... 3264730182

I've never tried it, but Gore-Tex Shake Dry is reckoned by many to be the answer. Shake Dry is essentially Gore-Tex with no outer face fabric: the membrane itself is the outer. Consequently the jackets never wet out and water always beads up and runs off the jacket, so it remains highly breathable even in heavy rain. The downside is that the fabric is fragile (ride through a bush while MTBing and it might well tear, and I would not wear a backpack or similar over it which might abrade the fabric). I think Gore-Tex have now stopped making Shake Dry fabric because of environmental concerns, but you can still buy jackets made from the fabric for now. The jackets are only available in black. The cycling specific jackets are typically racing capes without hoods, but there are running versions with hoods, e.g.

https://www.northernrunner.com/clothing ... etal-p5962

Columbia's Outdry frabric is similar to Shake Dry in that the outer face of the jacket is the membrane, and so will not wet out. It is reportedly nowhere as breathable as Shake Dry, but is a much more robust fabric. Cut and looks are nowhere as nice as a Showers Pass Refuge: it is all about the function. You might have to do a bit of hunting online to find a model that you liked in your size.

https://www.columbiasportswear.co.uk/p/ ... _color=010

Lastly, like Vantage I think there is still a lot to be said for the traditional cape when riding in prolonged rain, providing it is not very windy. SJS sell the Carradice version, and CUK did a review of a more upmarket fashion brand version a while back

https://www.sjscycles.co.uk/jackets/car ... ycle-cape/

https://www.cyclinguk.org/article/revie ... o-cyclists

[PH]

Another vote for Showers Pass. The Refuge is a great general purpose jacket, the bright blue is highly visible without screaming dayglo. The hoods come on and off easily, I don't ride with mine attached, use it mostly when walking. A bit pricy, though they usually have a sale on every couple of months, if you're getting 10+ years from a waterproof, the cost doesn't seem so bad.
I also have two other SP jackets - My first was the Elite which is better ventilated, but very much a cycling cut with a very high front, that's had a lot of use and is pretty much worn out. When I replaced it with the Refuge, there was a buy one get one half price offer so I added an Elemets as a work/commuter jacket, not so impressed with that, it is the 2.5 layer material rather than the full 3. It's OK, but IMO not significantly better than jackets I've had costing considerably less.

[pjclinch]

As a frequent visitor to northern France in spring & autumn, when the weather was often wet and windy, I found that a Buffalo Mountain Shirt, with a light Goretex jacket in reserve for when it really tipped down, was a combo that worked well for me considering my bumbling and slow way of crossing territory, often spending as much time in museums, churches, cafes and shops as I did cycling. For someone fitter & quicker and therefore running a lot hotter than me, keeping to an 100+ km schedule, it wouldn't have been suitable. And so on and so on.

I have a Special 6 rather than a Mountain Shirt (main difference is the S6 is just a bit longer) and I only use it cycling (or indeed at all) in winter. I think a more useful general cycling garment would be the Teclite Shirt which has a lighter lining and isn't quite so fiercely hot! Buffalo do do a full on pile and also a Teclite cycle shirt, but I prefer the layout of the general outdoorsy shirts.

https://www.buffalosystems.co.uk/produc ... ite-shirt/

It does have to be Raining to get through either, but they dry out incredibly fast.

Pete.

[thirdcrank]

AIUI, precipitation (rain etc) occurs when saturated air becomes colder, typically because of atmospheric currents. This can be seen on a small scale in a steamy bathroom or kitchen when condensation will form on the cold tap. Also AIUI, this means that in those conditions, any ventilation flaps in garments etc just allow the circulation of more saturated air and you would get condensation in a string vest.