I’ve owned several rainproof/waterproof jackets during the last few years, and most of them turned out to be trash. The coating that makes them waterproof eventually goes away, sometimes in a matter of days.
Is there any brand of water/rainproof jackets that you’ve been using successfully for a long time? I’d prefer something that is made of rainproof materials rather than having some coating. For reference, my last waterproof jacket is from Decathlon and was 100% waterproof on my first day out, then it started to behave like cotton, immediately absorbing every single raindrop.
Ideally, I’d like to buy a lighter one for spring/summer rains, and a heavy one (Goretex?) for the relatively cooler months.
I often buy Eiger and another German brand I can´t quite place, something with an A. This last one has been consistently rainproof, menaing it works like a raincoat, but it is light, not stuffy. I also have a Goretex for rainy/snowy conditions. Have a Fila that can do the job up to a certain point, but looks fabulous.
Jackets are also available made with a lighter weight version of Gore-tex product called “PacLite” - https://www.gore-tex.com/technology/original-gore-tex-products/paclite. I’m not sure what availability in Taiwan is, but perhaps the Patagonia store just to the east of the Taipei main train station has it. https://www.patagonia.com/gore-tex-paclite.html. I would use this instead of the heavier Gore-tex material even in the colder months in Taiwan and other humid climates.
Edit: I now see that Gore-Tex Active appears to be replacing Paclite, at least for consumers who need to jacket to perform well in highly aerobic activities. I would look at both. Paclite will likely be cheaper.
Thanks a lot! I had a look at their stuff, it’s not cheap but also not outrageously expensive. On their online store I haven’t found anything with the Pac-lite/Active technology. I could only find jackets with Goretex that are clearly made for cold weather, or lighter jackets with H2No technology that seem to be much lighter. (and cheaper).
Neat, thanks! I’m 99% sure we don’t have that place in Yilan, but I’ll need to doublecheck because I rarely go to Luodong/Jiaoxi.
The store is next t the green line, so definitely worth a visit.
@Super_Fire the only jacket I own that has lasted me several years and is mostly in decent conditions is a sailing jacket from Decathlon. It has lost some efficacy after 5 or 6 years, but it still offers protection from reasonable amounts of rain. I guess it had a combination of waterproof material and coating, and even though the coating is gone, the material is still trying to help.
I’m often in Taipei for work, though I usually rely on red and blue lines. I wouldn’t mind to go there, it would also allow me to visit 碧潭 for the first time ever.
You can check out Xinyi Rd, Section 3 (starting right outside Daan MRT exit 3). It has 5+ hiking clothing stores on it and all on the same side of the street. Lots of Goretex can be found there if that is what you are looking for. I have a goretex jacket (used with Aigle brand) and it never let me down but I have not been standing in a downpour for more than 30mins with it and don’t wear it that often.
It really depends on what you want to do with your jacket. If it’s just a functional replacement of a raincoat, meant to stand up to wind and rain especially when riding a motorcycle, look no further, Gore Tex is the solution.
If you want to jog or do outdoor activities in your jacket in non-extreme conditions, there might be better options. Gore Tex, both Pro and Active shell, claim that water vapour could pass through the inner (technically middle) water-proof layer, but what you really want is that air could pass through the inner water-proof layer, as most of the humidity from your body immediately condensates on the cooler fabric once it makes contact, making the Gore Tex system not that much better than a regular raincoat in terms of keeping you dry from your own sweat.
These are the jacket systems currently on the market that I am aware of:
Gore-Tex Pro Shell, Gore-Tex Active Shell, eVENT (by GE), NeoShell (by Polartec), Omni-Dry (by Columbia), Dermizax (by Toray), HyVent (by North Face), MemBrain (by Marmot).
Allowing air to pass through from the inside usually also mean that some air could get through the jacket. That could be a good thing or a bad thing, based on what you want out of your jacket.
People point to this video a lot
Although I think it’s important to look at resistance to water penetration. It should at least stand up to 10,000mm of water pressure, and retain that after wash.
Preferable performance numbers for most jacket systems:
That was some really good info.
Now regarding to what I need…uhm…it’s a bit tricky, because it looks like hard shell Goretex would be great in winter, so it’s definitely something I’ll put on my shopping list.
But in Taiwan I feel like a softshell would be better against the rain…but many softshell designs I’ve seen don’t strike me as something I could wear under heavy Yilan rain while I’m riding bike or motorbike.
I’ll have many brands to check once I get home. The Patagonia Torrentshell looks like it gives up something in breathability for extra protection from the rain, so it’s a design that could be interesting.
I think the best solution may be a Goretex hardshell for winter, and a softshell or a similar kind of product the rest of the year.
