On Tue, 27 Dec 2005 12:49:37 -0600, me wrote:
> what other brands you recommend looking at?
A couple of my friends really like their Showers Pass jackets. After
comparing a bunch of different ones, the Showers Pass is probably what I'd
buy. It fits great, and compresses to the size of a water bottle.
I have a Patagonia one (Lightning?) that does the job really well, except
for two things. One, the hood is designed to go over a helmet. After
living with it awhile, I think the Showers Pass under-the-helmet idea is
better. Two, the rear pocket is mesh, and while this is great for venting,
everything inside gets sprayed from beneath, and dirty. Other than that,
it runs a close second to the Showers Pass, mostly because it's nearly as
compressible, and fits in my under-seat bag.
I agree that fit and venting is most important. Burley jackets are great,
but a bit baggy. They're also not very compressible.
For sport riding, being dry isn't as important as being warm. In summer,
a standard windbreaker is good enough for this, especially when combined
with arm/leg warmers.
Matt O.