UKH

I weighed my mountain jacket... :¬(

It's robust but it weighs a ton (well, over a kilogram anyway).

Has technology worked its magic in this area as well as hardware?

I really want somehting that doesn't cost a fortune, is decently waterproof - and stays that way when it's more than a few weeks old, and doesn't make me drown in my own sweat.

Suggestions?

Oh, and is this http://tinyurl.com/pfty9g2 really NINE times as good as this http://tinyurl.com/o5epffv ?

Thanks for your advice

In reply to JJL:

Depends what you want. I'd be wary of a "hydrophilic" waterproof jacket, because that means it attracts water. Maybe they mean there's some sort of sweat transfer technology, like a scrim layer.

That OMM jacket stretches and has a close technical cut. The Regatta doesn't.
Higher end stuff usually breathes better and rustles less.

What do you really want?

My best jacket is stupid "Alpine cut", so I rarely wear it. It's a bombproof, breathable, sturdy eVent fabric. But it never gets worn because my arse gets wet.

In reply to JJL:

Although many of the offerings are a bit off the cutting edge these days, sportpursuit still have shedloads of waterproof jackets at relatively cheap prices - you don't sound like last season's colours are going to bother you. It's worth taking specific jacket names and feeding them back into Google, as sometimes they're just as cheap on a sale elsewhere and you can get them delivered in a couple of days, not the weeks that sportpursuit can still take.

I have a couple of jackets, but mainly use a Quechua (Decathlon own brand) one which has huge pit-zips to offload perspiration - in my more expensive jacket, the delicate little moisture gradient which is supposed to operate is utterly useless in the face of Cornish drizzle-mist. A good proofing once in a while does seem to help.

In reply to Martin not maisie:

I have a Marmot precip which was cheap, light & when new, waterproof. Not so waterproof now but its some 5 or 6 years old & still keeps off the worse & fine if you have somewhere to dry stuff in the evening. But being lightweight I wouldn't want to use it for thrutching up granite chimneys or the like (bought it originally for ski touring)

In reply to JJL:

Marmot Stretchman?

In reply to JJL:
Do you have a descent stretchy softshell jacket? they can be picked up pretty cheap now a days, coupled with a cheap waterproof jacket covers most conditions better than more expensive membranes. Softshell (the woven stretchy kind) is really abrasion resistant too, much more so than hardshells. Also softshell does have some inherent warmth to it to it and is nicer to wear all the time, and it means your water proof can be cheaper, lighter and more replaceable.

You do have to watch some items marketed as softshell from even high end manufacturers though as not all a very rain resistant at all!

In reply to JJL:

I have a Montane Atomic waterproof jacket and I really like it, I have only had it about 5 months but I used it in Scotland winter and it did everything I asked of it. It is a little less breathable than some but since I sweat quite a lot anyway it didn't seem any worse than my previous jacket. Super-lightweight and I got it on price match for around £65 so a bargain.

In reply to JJL:

Decathlon forclaz 400 for about £70. Massive pit zips long sleeves and good adjustable hood. Waterproof and breathable. Ive done 3 months in Nepal for the last 3 years and its been brilliant.