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I’m after the following for days out on my gravel bike where the weather here in Ireland is three seasons in a day
1. Lightweight to carry when I’m not wearing it.
2. Must be breathable not boil in bag !
3. Obviously waterproof so I stay dry.
A bonus would be sub £100
Quite like my Royal Racing Matrix jacket. I’ve never had water through it / don’t find it sweaty (especially not compared to my dhb reflective commuting jacket which runs pretty hot) / it looks nice. The only trying is change would be to have a removable hood. Hi
Castelli perfetto
When very muddy & grubby - OMM Kamleika jacket
When not grubby - PedalEd waterproof jacket
Endura night vision evo for me got last 5 years. Not warm just an outer layer but breathable and totally waterproof.
like onandon, I'd use a perfetto or something like it - even if I carried it as a spare jacket though you might as well just wear it unless it;s a ded hot day
I have a rail of windproof cycling jackets like Gabba, Perfetto, Alpha ROS - but I'd still want a hardshell jacket to deal with heavy rain for longer rides / days out. A heavier Gore soft-shell is more weatherproof, but not lightweight / stowable.
I have an OMM Kamleika for running - a bit of a sweat bag for high intensity stuff - doesn't breathe well enough - mainly gets used for kayaking as it's light/stretchy.
If you want seriously lightweight and very breathable waterproof, then either Gore Shakedry or Pertex Equilibrium. Just got an Equilibrium jacket - Montane Minimum Stretch Ultra - for ultra-running - it is tiny in comparison to more regular waterproofs and yet is more breathable. Durability would be my one concern.
Alpkit Balance for the win bit more than £100 but cracking jacket its my go to jacket and I have a few this one just works!
Currently very impressed with the Altura Thunderstorm.
Have a look at the endura MTR shell jacket.
I have the older, more basic emergency version and it's very lightweight, waterproof and breathable enough for going up mountains.
Not the toughest I'm sure, but you can't have it all.
Decathlon have a couple of really good jackets,£60 for the forclaz 400 (might be renamed) and its been a phenomenal jacket,really waterproof,
Keela Saxon. Covers all your requirements and is my go to jacket pretty much all year!
Decathlon waterproof stretchy and has pit zips.
Really muddy and horrible a race Face jacket with pit zips
All waterproof jackets I have owned have failed to be breathable without pit zips, and I have bought top end ones like gore, Montane, arcteryx, and so on.
Personal preference is a windproof, with synthetic fleece and base layer to breathe and dry quicker.
Oh I have pace winter jacket from the day and that is pretty good.
columbia titanium outdry.
or a paramo velez light and a base layer.
Omm kamelia
And I hace a Madison.
The omm is fantastic I love it. Though 4 years of abuse n it's slowly dying
Full mudguards, cycling cape.
Those OMM jackets well over what I want to spend
Way over budget, but the 7Mesh Guardian is an unbelievable bit of kit. The only waterproof jacket I've ever used that doesn't need pit zips to remain breathable and the hood is excellent too; fits over the helmet with ease but doesn't flap about in the wind. 7Mesh gear is incredibly durable too, it makes every other piece of MTB gear I've used look positively second-rate and I've got some of their kit which has had 2 years of non-stop hammering and it still looks brand new and I've never had to re-proof any of their waterproof kit, still good as new. Expensive? Ohhh yes. Worth it in the long run? Abso-frickin-lutely!
Define lightweight.
Sceptical about most waterproof jackets coping with the demands of UK mountain biking (high energy output, covered in mud). Currently quite happy with a Colombia Outdry jacket: waterproof enough, breathable enough, fits OK, cheap. No DWR coating and a plasticky exterior means you can just sponge it off after a ride and it'll keep working. It runs cool enough I use it as a windproof on colder days. Hood is semi-stiffened but will fit under a helmet if required (too small to go over it).
I've got a really nice Castelli one, they're about £125 retail but we'll under that at Merlin.
It's breathable, light, packable and fits like the rest of their range.
It's also got a nice long bum flap and a high collar, best part is it's soft so doesn't feel like a waterproof when on
On budget and made in Glenrothes, not China/Bangladesh/Vietnam: Keela Saxon.
Superb, lightweight and the most breathable Waterproof jacket I've ever found. Properly waterproof in real rain, light enough it lives in the bag all year. Breathable enough for running in cold & wet weather. Decent cut too, so I can really highly recommend it.
OMM Kamleika jacket 4th'd.
The OMM site has some of the race versions for £80.
I got my smock for £90 a few years ago but they do seem to have gone up in price a bit!
Alpkit Argonaut is a pretty good option at the sub-£100 end. Wind and waterproofing is fine, and no complaints about the breathability. You can buy better, but I think you’d struggle to improve much on it at anything like the price (and probably compromise durability)
Generally agree on wisdom of actual waterproofs for UK MTB though. In practical terms, my Montane DWR softshell windproof has always been waterproof enough for me on a bike.
I bought a Paramo Quito cycle-specific jacket a couple of years ago, but just could not bring myself to ride in it; it's light, breathable, very waterproof and quiet too which is a bonus. However, the shell just does not feel like it's up to much mtb action; one off or encounter with some greenery pulling out in front of you and I think it'd tear. So I've kept it for walking and it's ace.
Subsequently, Mrs Digga kindly bought me a Royal Racing/Hope jacket, which is still fairly light, but reassuringly robust. Has zipped pits which makes up for it not being terribly breathable, but it is dry and it's a generous fit too, so it works with lots of stuff underneath in the depths of winter.
If it's not raining heavily, then I generally find my Endura MT500 jersey is the best waterproof/breathability compromise. Great VFM.
Race version of the omm only in small🙁
British Army Lightweight Waterproof jacket off eBay. Cheap as chips and the mud doesn't show!
I love my endura jacket - an absolutely amazing bit of kit and last year’s version is still available with some good prices if you look around.
At the moment it's a Columbia Outdry. It was a Montane Atomic before that
Pit zips help a lot, not massively breathable but seems to be enough. Very waterproof, which is a bonus, have killed a few jackets now. Most importantly no DWR so easy cleaning when grimy, though I use mudguards so it's quite well protected already
I've crashed in it, low speed stuff on ice, jacket was surprisingly fine
Definitely looks odd given the rubbery finish, and needs longer arms
Cheers for all the suggestions I just took a punt on the Keela Saxon, £52 on Amazon (bargain)😀