Is there such a thing as a decent raincoat…? What should i buy?

del

No, but maybe I should have. That may be one reason to buy an expensive jacket from a reputable supplier who will honour a warranty claim if needed. The jacket was years old even tho lightly used, so im not so sure how far I would gave got.

You may be surprised but most companies will honour Gore's lifetime warranty when the issue is with the membrane rather than their own 1-2 year manufacturing warranty.

Stuart, if by decent raincoat you mean something that will keep you totally dry while actually doing stuff, the answer is no. But you should expect to find a coat which with practice will allow you to calculate how and how much you get damp.

Pealing seam tape is a warranty issue unless the coat is 15+ years old.

WPB coats need a good DWR to work.

I still think Goretex is the most dependable option here. For you, I'd recommend spending not more than 300 dollars on a minimally featured Paclite coat in the 9-12 ounce range, ideally with 40 denier fabric (or thereabouts). This should give good durability for skiing and bushwacking.

The answer to your question is no. But there are such things as decent warranties. Like Gores, itself, or, Outdoor Research. Buy their helium and just return it when it starts bubbling or delaminating. It's a no question asked lifetime warranty.

If I were to get a call from a client who said their newly installed window was leaking, it would most likely be due to the installation of the window, not the window itself.

The expensive (and well made) jacket shouldn't be experiencing that type of failure (until many years later) unless it was not made properly. As others have said, pick a company with a longstanding reputation, and prepare to send it back if you experience that again. I just recieved a new jacket from Dead Bird, after the welded seams started failing on my 8 year old (ebay bought) jacket. I've used many pieces of ArcTeryx equipment since they first started, and they are top notch. Years before that, I had a very similar experience with Marmot as well.

If you still have that goretex jacket, consider sending it back.

For skiing in the rain and bushwacking (both activities being hard on jackets), I would get a non-insulated Gore-Tex Pro or Gore-Tex ProShell jacket. These have the membrane bonded between an outer layer of fabric and an inner layer of fabric, so it ends up being one piece of fabric. They are pretty comfortable, more durable than the lightweight rain jackets, and have a lifetime warranty. They weigh in the 15 to 16 ounce range.

Here’s an example of one that’s available at backcountry and STP in the $325 range:

http://marmot.com/products/details/speed-light-jacket

But, if you get a non-insulate Gore-Tex ProShell or Pro jacket from any reputable brand, you’ll be getting a very solid, durable, waterproof product. Good for around town use in snow storms and rain storms, too. Because there’s no insulation, you could even wear them in a summer rainstorm, just like a cheapo rain jacket.

I stumbled into a fantastic deal on this one:

Silverton Jacket

It’s a ski-specific version with extra pockets for lift tickets and a zip-in powder skirt. With the powder skirt removed, it weighs 15 ounces. Clearance rack at TJMAXX in a discontinued color for $175. If I could only own one rain jacket, this would be it. It’s not usually what I carry while day hiking, although I probably would if I knew it was going to rain hard all day.

Gore-Tex Pro is the new version of Gore-Tex ProShell that is being introduced to most brands now. It’s go an improved membrane, but functionally, they are the same. I’d be deal hunting for a close-out Gore-Tex ProShell.

If the price point of these is out of reach, I would look for the same contruction (3-layer laminate) in a non-Gore-Tex brand.

The un-lined 2.5 layer jackets (like Gore-Tex PacLite or Marmot Membrane Strata, etc.) are much lighter. I carry a 6 ounce Marmot in my backpack. But, I really don’t think these lightweight jackets will hold up to a steady diet of skiing and bushwacking. Most of them are only going to save maybe 4 ounces over a ProShell jacket and give up a LOT of durability.

I searched for years for something that would work and spent way to much money in the process only to find a great and fair-priced product at:

http://lukesultralite.com/content/gore-tex-limited-edition-shells

I have personally found Goretex Active shell considerably more breathable than Gortex Pro.

Is this worth considering?

Obviously it would be crazy to expect this to stand up to extended bushwacking but I would be happy to put up with the reduced breath-ability for the weight savings (and probably better waterproofing in the first case).

On the other hand I could get an Event jacket around 800g for around the same price, but that seems like unnecessary weight for my purposes.

The cuban stuff from zpacks gets a good rap on this site. There is some question over long term durability (jury is out I gather).

Anyone have any recent experience?

I have considered, and then considered again, and again…..buying the zpacks rainwear. For me personally, I can't get myself to spend 250 bucks on a jacket with no warranty. Everyone that has bought one, at least here on BPL, seems to love it. I just cant drop that kind of cash on a crap shoot.

If it had more of a warranty than it comes with, I'd buy one in a heart beat. For that reason, i have an OR Helium. And may consider something from Mountian Hardware.

"The cuban stuff from zpacks gets a good rap on this site."

Until you read the thread on breatheability…

""The cuban stuff from zpacks gets a good rap on this site."

Until you read the thread on breatheability…"

Yes, but it breathes significantly better than a silnylon rain jacket that weighs the same and doesn't breath at all. I'd say at its weight, with its purported waterproofness, it's the best on the market.

No argument from me about being waterproof …

…but if you expect it to breathe like eVent, you will be disappointed.

Now zpacks jacket is much more breathable than the old version, it´s made with even now.

The fabric is a three layer laminate with high strength Dyneema fibers sandwiched between eVent waterproof breathable membranes.

cheers

I love my REI eVent Kimtah parka (and pants). I have a light GTX Paclite parka but the eVent parka breathes MUCH better and is well worth a little extra money.

Plus, as I've posted here several times, my eVent parka doubles as a "wind shirt" when necessary. No sense carrying two pices of clothing when one will do very well.