Windbreaker jackets vs Waterproof jackets

leghog said:
Best? That depends entirely on what you are doing while out. The trick is to stay as dry as possible from the elements and from your own sweat. Once you and your clothing are wet, matters not the source.
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What I meant was that there is a grouping of best materials if you require breathability in your windbreaker (cotton canvas or a lighter, uncoated polyester-type) or waterproofness (rubber or plastic). There's no real argument here because the best can be proven very easily. And as for choosing the best based on activity-level, I already said that.

Something I forgot to mention, for the in-between categories of softshells, a lot of them are a heavier material because they are meant for mountain climbing, skiing, snowshoeing, and even working in the woods. They have to be durable to last, hence why they become heavier. Take a look at some of the mountain climbing jackets to see where they increase the material quality/thickness, and something like the Filson Double Logger as well. This can give you an idea how clothes are designed with extra material for specific activities.
 
I have a light Marmot windbreaker that doubled as a rain shield under my motorcycle mesh jacket. Yes, it worked just fine.

The more waterproof the jacket is, the less breathable. This sucks when you're hiking in hot and humid environments or stuck on top of an air-cooled motorcycle engine in rush hour during a muggy downpour. You might not get wet from the rain, but you will be sitting in a tub of sweat when you get to your destination.

It's my understanding that all "lightweight" rain jackets depend on a coating to keep them semi-rain-proof. However, some articles suggest that the old coating used by manufacturers was deemed environmentally harmful, and many of the same jackets that received stellar reviews a few years back are now receiving complaints that they are very limited for rain protection. Even the old coatings required reapplication every so often, and would lose a notch or two of rain protection if they became dirty.

Personally, I found I get a lot less wet with a nice big umbrella (as long as you know how to angle it in the wind). I've been using the big folding umbrellas. I bought 3 around 15 years ago I liked them so much, but I don't know if Target still sells them.
 
If you're someplace that it never rains why pack a rain jacket? A windshell will pack down and carry much smaller.

Re the whole waterproof vs. breathable debate. I was standing on the corner when the whole goretex flood began. There were a lot of misconseptions about the care of the product and how to clean and reapply the coating along with just how the breath-ability would work. A lot of users expected the jacket to "breath" while at the same time being saturated and in a 100% humidity situation. There is just nowhere for your new Patagonia parka to teleport that moisture too.

The new stuff is a lot better but you still need to keep it clean and when eventually it's at it's limit you need to re-wash with a special detergent, dry in a dry and in some cases re-appy the DWR coating. At least now with the material being common you can find the stuff in a camping or outdoors store. Trying to track that stuff down in the late 80s was a unicorn hunt.
 
If you're not doing hard core bush bashing off the trail, take a look at the Marmot Super Mica: https://marmot.com/products/details/super-mica-jacket-new

It's super light and has underarm zips and full front zip. So it's nearly as light as a "windproof" but also happens to be fully waterproof and reasonably breathable. Packs into a small ball.
If you ventilate with the zips you should be fine.

I loved mine till I lost it on a trip... I've been meaning to pick another one up....
 
I pack an LL Bean anorak. Ripstop nylon. Medium weight, sheds water fine. Not West Coast deluge proof but works fine in the Alberta Rockies.
 
Danke42 said:
If you're someplace that it never rains why pack a rain jacket?
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I was somewhere the locals said hadn't rained 0.5" at once in years. Rained all day one day while I was there. Raingear is one of the ten essentials for a reason.
 
leghog said:
I was somewhere the locals said hadn't rained 0.5" at once in years. Rained all day one day while I was there. Raingear is one of the ten essentials for a reason.
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I would have to think there were a few clues it was going to rain all day. if you can't adapt your strategy you're up there with the world's worst overpackers.
 
Danke42 said:
I would have to think there were a few clues it was going to rain all day. if you can't adapt your strategy you're up there with the world's worst overpackers.
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If you are out for more than a day? Say a few weeks. There may be no clue whatsoever until it is too late. The only clue I had was a meal of chilimac. I've never had chilimac in the field when it didn't rain on me within 24 hours.
 
After a life time of looking, I have yet to find the perfect balance for a light rain proof jacket. I picked up a North Face Venture recently, and it may be ' the one'. The material is a little stiff, but it works well at both windbreaker and rain protection.
 
I have been meaning to come back to this thread. In September I took three weeks to drive around Colorado, Wyoming and Utah, fish, camp and see some natural wonders. For an experiment I took my Helikon Trooper jacket. There were not many times when I wanted my Paramo Velez rain smock, and mostly that was because it is warmer than the Trooper. I can see better now why such a jacket could be popular. It did rain, but generally not in a prolonged way and not while I was out with no shelter. The breathability, packability and pockets worked well.

I recently looked at a Paramo Bento which is a windproof but with a pump-liner over the shoulders and in the hood. Sadly the cut doesn't suit my build, but that idea is about as close to ideal as I have seen.
 
Mannlicher said:
After a life time of looking, I have yet to find the perfect balance for a light rain proof jacket. I picked up a North Face Venture recently, and it may be ' the one'. The material is a little stiff, but it works well at both windbreaker and rain protection.
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Very hard to find perfection in anything, especially outdoor gear, as all designs are a compromise of features. We each must decide which features we are unwilling to compromise and which we are and when close enough is close enough,
 
Goretex in general is my preference. It breaths well and seems to be a lot more durable and a lot less DWR/water proof liner dependent. But as someone else stated in moderate to heavy exercise why bother with water resistant--you'll end up trapping close to the same amount of water your blocking. In those cases I use a true barely water resistant soft shell. That being said the mountains where I play are much trickier/more dangerous to dress for then just riding around town. I also have a slightly water resistant small packable nylon type wind jacket that goes with me almost everywhere and is used quite often to keep off post workout chill/block wind/ or for an extra layer in cold temps. Huh I guess I like Jackets...
 
I often wear things like wind breakers and man made fleece combinations when rain is not predicted. I usually have a "disposable" poncho with me that costs a couple bucks if I get caught out in the rain. Been carrying a Frogg togg rain jacket lately, but it takes up a lot of pack space. It goes with me if rain is likely. I seldom venture out if rain is obviously going to happen. It is one thing to be out and get caught in a rain shower, but it is an entirely different matter to venture out in the rain when you really don't have to if you are doing it for recreation.
 
I don't think of "windbreaker" style jackets as being serious outdoor gear. They're more like "commuter" clothing, fine to get you through a drizzle to your car or the train without wetting through or to add a little warmth to a sweater.

I find that non-waterproof soft shells are best for things like winter sports. You want something that will keep snow from soaking through a fleece or puffy if you're whacking through the woods, and block some wind, but it doesn't need to be waterproof because it's unlikely to rain.


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