Does my idea of a perfect commuter jacket exist?

A_Moses wrote:

Paramo for me. I use them for walking (Velez smock) and cycling (Quito). Quito has pit zips. They are properly waterproof and very breathable. The downside is that they are quite thick/bulky and therefore a bit warm. OK for this time of year, but not for summer and not an option for scrunching into a back pocket or saddlebag for just-in-case. I’d buy a Paramo Ciclo if I could justify the spend – it has better pockets for both cycling and mooching about – although the colours are crap. 

I’m not affiliated – just a user and convert.

In my experience

Pros: waterproof, breathable, good hood for cycling (no experience with helmet), warm.

Cons: expensive, heavy, bulky, warm.

IIRC Paramo is “sell your firstborn” levels of expensive… 

Mathemagician wrote:

Thanks for the comments…although everyone seems to be ignoring the waterproof bit. Personally I’ve never understood this whole “boil in the bag” brush that waterproof stuff gets tarred with- as janusz0 said, if it’s vented then generally it’s ok. 

I’m not after a water resistant softshell type jacket- I’ve enough clothes along that vein already that do the job well. My ride to the station isn’t really long enough to get particularly sweaty- 20 minutes through town- but 20 minutes is easily long enough to get wet through in moderate to heavy rain. Add a 25 minute train journey in your possibly dry on the inside but damp and probably a bit smelly on the outside jacket (if it gets worn every day and it’s not a hard shell, it’s going to smell, especially if it gets damp repeatedly), and a Gabba-type just isn’t that attractive a proposition. 

Seems to me commuter jackets are all pretty ridiculously loose, and it pisses me off- I don’t see why I have to walk around feeling like a schoolkid in his dad’s kagoul (albeit a bright yellow one) when I’m not on the bike. Like I said, it doesn’t have to be skin tight, just reasonably form fitted. Anything that kind of shape though is an overpriced packable number which isn’t vented or particularly hi vis. I really don’t understand why there’s such a paucity of options in the middle ground on this one. 

FWIW I found a cycle jacket in Go Outdoors that more or less does tick all the boxes, and for £30 too. We’ll see if it lasts more than a winter though…

Would something less bikey, like the Vulpine Harrington or, I believe Belstaff have an offering, fit the bill?

I love my Perfetto. Its  warm

I love my Perfetto. Its  warm when wet, keeps out most weather except the heaviest rain and by that stage, I feel if your out in that you may as well accept you will be wet. It can also be worn all winter with extra base layers for those really cold days. The feature I love most about it is that is is comfortable at all times because is it breathable. You just have to layer appropriately. It is not a hardshell so it much more comfortable to ride it and being Italian fits nicely and does not flap around or rustle like a full blown waterproof. My exprerience after trying waterproof jackets which were meant to breathe is that for normal money you cannot really achieve such a happy coexistence. Having full waterproofness at the expense of comfort is a poor compromise in my view. Being comfortable most of the time and putting up with the odd drowned rat day on occassion is a much seems much more acceptable.

StoopidUserName wrote:

StoopidUserName wrote:

BehindTheBikesheds wrote:

100% waterproof and breathable doesn’t exist

Gore shakedry!!! Expensive but was half price yesterday in the black friday sales. But not sure if they do a version with a chest pocket for the OP. One of the other manufacturers who use the same material may though

No full length zip (it’s a useless velcro job at the top), paper thin like all the shakedry jackets so not ideal for commuting and one person reports getting long serive out of it but ultimately binned it after 5 seasons! if you catch it anywhere you’re likely to rip it and then it’s fucked. 

The Gore has a tiny pocket that can’t even fit an older iphone in it, probably the best in terms of waterproofing but alas it most certainly is NOT 100% waterproof and breathability is still an issue when putting in effort from what I’ve read.

It’s always a difficult thing, the Shakedry material is fantastic but is it something you want for everyday commuting?

My Skyline is nowhere near as water resistant but I’ve never felt cold in it despite it being out in torrential rain for an hour, and again, I don’t know of many rain type jackets that have large external pockets like the skyline which are epic for leisure and commuting rides, plus a good zipped chest pocket, great body zip that’s easy to undo with thick gloves, sleeve/cuff zips (so easier with winter/autumn gloves than most jackets).

And did I mention fit, for me at 47″ chest it’s one of the best fitting cycling garments I’ve ever owned, usually cycling stuff loses all proportion for the largest sizes and it’s annoying when it states athletic or race fit and then has a shit ton of material around the midriff. I’d bet my Skyline is less draggy/more aero than the Gore/other shakedry jackets given what I’ve seen of the photos even on a ‘small’, still plenty of ruffled up material in places that will catch the wind more than my smoothed out jacket.

The other upside is that I paid £37.50 for mine!

We all have our requirements and you makes your pick based on what your requirements are, but the perfect jacket doesn’t exist as yet, maybe someday.

I’d say that fully waterproof
I’d say that fully waterproof jackets are fine as long as you have underarm zips.
Nonetheless my red Hilltrek Ventile jacket never gets wet inside. Hilltrek will alter the jacket to suit you and would probably give you underarm zips if you wanted them. It has chest pockets. Ventile is quite bulky, but it survives tumbles into bramble patches. Bonus: It won’t turn you into a human torch if you stand too close to a fire.
My Ground Effect Storm Trooper waterproof jacket is green. (Currently: blue, black, yellow or orange.) I have the version with underarm zips. They claim that the current incarnation doesn’t need the zips, but they do also make the Anticyclonewith zipped arm and chest vents (the chest vents are dual purpose mesh pockets). The hoods fold neatly into the collar and work well under a helmet. They’ll survive a decade of touring and commuting.
It’s a shame that small cyclewear makers like BeenBag and all those makers of N panel cycle shorts have disappeared from the small ads in Cycling Weekly.

I have this jacket http://www
I have this jacket http://www.wiggle.co.uk/gore-wear-c7-gore-texr-active-jacket/?lang=en&curr=GBP&dest=1&sku=100521418&kpid=100521418&utm_source=google&utm_term=&utm_campaign=Shopping+-+All+Products&utm_medium=base&utm_content=mckv|sb5IGvxAm_dm|mcrid|295297463276|mkw||mmt||mrd|100521418uk|mslid||&mkwid=sb5IGvxAm_dm&pcrid=295297463276&prd=100521418uk&pgrid=60973418042&ptaid=pla-474607172538&gclid=Cj0KCQiA597fBRCzARIsAHWby0EKNgnQS0nEtpSr8zUuu6UW6MK3HwBfkWud5hL0kDLe_PyQkH0oNFgaAvhFEALw_wcB

Yes its yellow but God why would you not want it bright with half the car driving population either not bothering to turn their lights on or only having parking lights on!

Any way it comes in other colours. Not a drop of water has ever made it to my skin. Very light and if it gets too hot there are massive zip slits down the side you can open.

You could look at these,

You could look at these, Greenspot® SV Light Jacket much loved jackets by rough stuff fellowship members!

srchar wrote:

http://www.wiggle.co.uk/gore-wear-c7-windstopperr-pro-zip-off-jersey-dynamic-cyan-xx/ seems close.

You’ll get wet with sweat every time you ride in a fully waterproof jacket; they’re like wearing a bin bag.  Go for something that’ll withstand a shower and keep the wind out.

I’ve had a Gore Windstopper for a few years. Decent jacket, stands up to commuter and CX abuse and regular washing. Wasn’t particularly water-resistant to begin with (I’ve reproofed it a few times) but it’s a versatile outer layer.