Looking for waterproof recommendations

In article <d62745ec-bdd8-48d2-ace5-
[email hidden]>, [email hidden] says...

Quoted message said:

Hi folks

Like an idiot I somehow managed to lose my waterproof jacket whilst
touring in Corsica last month, and I'm now looking for recommendations
for a new one. The last one came from "some bike shop in Germany" so
can't just go and pick up another.

It'll mostly be used for touring, in daylight, potentially being
rained on all day if I'm lucky. 🙂 So should be able to hold off a
decent amount of rain and have all the basic stuff like a hood (with
the right shape so I can still look over my shoulder), lining and a
bit of ventilation. I also want to wear it off the bike and not look
like a giant lemon, so preferably no garish fluoro colours!

Any recommendations? I'm looking to spend under £50 if possible but
will shop around for second hand if there's something really good out
there... I know wiggle have a sale on at the moment but there's a lot
of garishly-coloured stuff in there and most of them don't mention
hoods. So I'm looking for personal recommendations.

Have just been through that myself and ended up with an Endura
Crosstrack jacket in red & black. Having looked at a number of others I
having used it now for a couple of weeks its a really good jacket and I
would recommend it very highly for £55
http://www.chainreactioncycles.com/Models.aspx?ModelID=9265

--
Tony

"The single biggest problem in communication is the illusion that it has
taken place"
George Bernard Shaw

in message
<[email hidden]>, Helen

(') said:

Hi folks

Like an idiot I somehow managed to lose my waterproof jacket whilst
touring in Corsica last month, and I'm now looking for recommendations
for a new one. The last one came from "some bike shop in Germany" so
can't just go and pick up another.

It'll mostly be used for touring, in daylight, potentially being
rained on all day if I'm lucky. 🙂 So should be able to hold off a
decent amount of rain and have all the basic stuff like a hood (with
the right shape so I can still look over my shoulder), lining and a
bit of ventilation. I also want to wear it off the bike and not look
like a giant lemon, so preferably no garish fluoro colours!

I have an Altura Nevis which does all you ask for except that it doesn't
have a hood. It's extremely good - made in Scotland for Scottish weather.
Available in garish yellow or blue:
http://www.wiggle.co.uk/images/altura-nevis-aw07p.jpg

My partner has a Ground Effect Storm Trooper which has everything you want
and is also really good, but more expensive:

http://www.groundeffect.co.nz/product-detail-STO-RAI.htm

(available in garish orange or black)

However, neither of these, while really good, actually gets worn much. The
reason is that, while both pack away into their own pockets and the Storm
Trooper even has a built in belt so you can wear it as a bum-bag, they're
neither of them exactly compact when packed. So when it's not raining,
they're a nuisance.

Consequently what I actually use most of the time is either this:

http://www.rapha.cc/index.php?page=354

which isn't claimed to be waterproof but is reasonably showerproof, and is
smart enough to wear into business meetings and comfortable enough to wear
all the time; or else an ultra lightweight Campagnolo jacket (which sadly
seems no longer made) which packs up into half the size of a coke can (in
it's own built in pouch). It, too, doesn't actually claim to be
waterproof, but it's never let me down and you can stick it in a back
pocket and not notice it's there.

--
[email hidden] (Simon Brooke) http://www.jasmine.org.uk/~simon/

;; Quidquid latine dictum sit, altum sonatur.

I'm finding my Polaris Satelite jacket to be an exceptionally good buy.

http://www.chainreactioncycles.com/Models.aspx?ModelID=16413

Like many a waterproof for cycling, it doesn't have a hood, but that doesn't
bother me. I happen to have the retina-burning fluorescent orange (it's the
brightest orange I've seen...) but it does come in other colours.

Simon Brooke said:

I have an Altura Nevis which does all you ask for except that it doesn't
have a hood. It's extremely good - made in Scotland for Scottish weather.
Available in garish yellow or blue:
http://www.wiggle.co.uk/images/altura-nevis-aw07p.jpg

Seconded on the Altura Nevis - my other half has one which is easily as
good as my more expensive Gore. It's also well-designed for touring
(less close-fitting than a race-specific jacket) and the blue's
reasonably tasteful while not being black. (Why are so many cycling
jackets black or dark grey?)

Quoted message said:

However, neither of these, while really good, actually gets worn much. The
reason is that, while both pack away into their own pockets and the Storm
Trooper even has a built in belt so you can wear it as a bum-bag, they're
neither of them exactly compact when packed. So when it's not raining,
they're a nuisance.

Not such a problem when you're touring though - even a rack pack gives
you plenty of room to pack a more substantial jacket.

Andy

In article <[email hidden]>, Andy Key
[email hidden] says...

Quoted message said:

(Why are so many cycling
jackets black or dark grey?)

So the big dirty stripe up your back doesn't show.

On Tue, 27 Nov 2007 10:25:15 -0800 (PST), Helen <[email hidden]>

Quoted message said:

Any recommendations? I'm looking to spend under £50 if possible but
will shop around for second hand if there's something really good out
there... I know wiggle have a sale on at the moment but there's a lot
of garishly-coloured stuff in there and most of them don't mention
hoods. So I'm looking for personal recommendations.

Am very happy with my Rockrider 100X from Decathlon. Cost about £30
and has seen me right both on the bike (horizontal rain in Cumbria)
and at Glastonbury (out in the rain for 9+ hours. It's black with a
few discreet reflective strips.