waterproof jackets

Anyone recommend an affordable waterproof jacket for road riding, nothing trendy but must be eminently practical, breathable, packable etc, oh and did I mention affordable?
Cheers.

http://www.lfgss.com/conversations/156595/?offset=700#comment10088940

Cheers, I did search forums but that thread didn't come up.

Affordable, breathable, packable....hmmmmm good luck.

Right, I'm struggling with this, everything is either sold out or too expensive. At present I use a Crivit (Aldi's finest) breathable waterproof that cost about £10, it is neither very breathable nor very waterproof but it was affordable. I don't want to spend much over £40 but I don't want to waste money buying something no better than what I've got. I'm prepared to compromise on the packability and I know at this sort of price breathability is not going to be brilliant but it'd be nice to find something that kept me dry for longer than 10 minutes. Any suggestions that don't involve wearing something with less wicking than a bin bag?
Cheers, Dallas
PS Prior to investing in the mighty Crivit I used to wear my Marmot walking soft shell (which inflated to epic proportions whilst riding), are there any similar affordable waterproof garments tailored for cyclists?

go outdoors has a sale at the minute, they stock decent makes at decent prices
might be worth having a look for a berghaus / craghopper single layer goretex jacket think and light and packable

Compromising on packability won't really help as the very breathable jackets will be very light and thin, and therefore pack down quite small.

I can't think of anything I'd recommend for under £120 (if you can find a Gore Alp-X or Alp 2.0 going cheap then snap it up but RRP is £220).

(My Alp-X is coming up 10 years old now, so it's running at about £15 a year. It needs reproofing every year or so but that's just a few quid for some Nikwax Tech Wash and then TX-Direct. I've ridden 600km Audaxes in it where it's rained [Welsh Sunshine] for the majority of the time and it has done its job perfectly.)

http://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/GORE-Bike-Wear-Path-Neon-GT-Neon-Jacket-LARGE-BNWT-RRP-159-99-/181491714936?pt=UK_Cycling_Clothing&hash=item2a41bfcb78

The thread was inspired by a very wet ride on Sunday which had led me to think "I've put up with crap waterproofs for 30 years, let's buy something that works". However, on reflection it will make more sense to wait until I've got a bit more money to spare and sort the problem out properly then, there was some urgency as I wanted to use a CRC voucher up, but it appears to have expired anyway, so I'm prepared to wait for the time being. Thanks for the advice.

Sportful Hot pack 4 - I have one, no issues.

I see Wiggle have the Sportful NoRain for 105 quid. Same fabric as the Gabba. Won't keep you bone dry but not far off.

I've had one of these for a year and used it loads, bloody good jackets!

Now I'm not trying to use the CRC voucher I'm free to check out Planet X, anyone tried this? http://www.planetx.co.uk/i/q/CLPXESSJ/planet-x-echostorm-softshell-jacket
Otherwise this ^^^ looks tempting.

That PX jacket looks really good actually. Any word on how it actually does in a decent downpour though..?

I'm on a similar hunt, looking for a waterproof for commuting and the occasional bit of riding in the rain. I see Rapha have a sale on and their city rain jacket down to £140 http://www.rapha.cc/gb/en/shop/city-rain-jacket/product/URJ02

Imagine you have have a triangle. At each point is one of your desired qualities in a rain jacket.

Affordable
Waterproof
Breathable

You can only pick 2

The only thing to suggest is save some money and get better kit. I've used a rapha rain jacket that I bought on sale 2 years ago (cream colour) It's excellent and generally a wash returns the water proofing and breathing aspect. It's only now that it's starting to wet out in long rainy rides so it's due for a waterpoofing treatment. But, no stitching has failed. The zippers work, nothing torn so I expect it to keep going for a while yet. So far it's cost me £55 per year which I consider good value.

Otherwise, outdoor shops that have stuff on clearance. Won't be cycle specific but you get better stuff without the "cycle" price hike.

Oh well, missed the Rapha sale. Looks like they have a couple new items and stopped a couple including the city rain jacket.

Did anyone get one of these Gore Limited One jackets?

http://www.sigmasport.co.uk/item/Gore-Bike-Wear/One-GORE-TEX-Active-Bike-Jacket/BBTB

What is funny is that you did the second last post in the Ultimate Riding Jacket thread but you decide to resurrect this one..

Yeah, looking for more lightweight waterproof options. Couldn't find that thread.
The Atom is super for cold dry cycling.

Is ok, I was only trying to fit in with the forum norm :P

Look for eVent made jackets it's a fully waterproof and more breathable then the more popular goretex that has cornered the wet weather market.
I have got a sports direct karrimor eVent alpineste it's great for cycling with a massive hood to put over a helmet and the pockets double as vents.
Hold out for sales they can be a bargain.

a massive hood to put over a helmet

Unless you're a tandem stoker, that sounds like a bad idea.

I've got more rain jackets than most people clothes. But I need/want a lightweight close fitting one.

Recent Tour Magazin did a test. The Gore won with 1.6. Next was the POC Avid DWR-Laminat level on 1.7 with Craft Active Extreme eVent and Endura FS-260-Pro SL Exoshell 40.

There are over ten more.