Is anything REALLY waterproof?

[psmiffy]

i haver been using good quality (Gore and Freestyle) relatively heavyweight (ie not paclite) Goretex cycling specific jackets for the last 15years and they have kept me dry and more importantly warm in big deluges (New Zealand 40mm/hr and big thunderstorms in the alps) - most important to keep them relatively clean and to give them a dash of Grangers or similar every now and again - good ventilation in the form of pit zip or poppers to convert into semi cape helps stop the boil in a bag syndrome

expensive but I find last for five years whereas cheapos tend to be useless after 2 winters

 

[beanzontoast]

I have an Altura Nevis. Actually it's my second one - first got ripped in a tumble . With both, I found the initial waterproofing was quite good, but after washing (which I put off for as long as decency permitted!) and re-proofing with Nikwax (tried the wash-in and spray-on varieties), the waterproofing never seemed quite as effective.

Good jacket though - visible and cosy :?: in winter!

 

[johnr]

I've got a Berghaus jacket which kept me dry commuting to work in the run up to the Hull floods. I hate the slow seep of cold water through torso top layers, so for me the acquisition of a merino base layer in last year's Howies' sale kept me happy all winter.

 

[Eat MY Dust]

I use a Montane Featherlite H2O. Waterproof, breathable (ish) and packs very small (the size of a apple).