I'm a bit of a tightwad and paying $300 for a rain jacket it just crazy in my opinion of course, especially considering I know a lot people who have various brands of expensive rain jackets with all the fancy jargon used to explain how the material breathes yet prevents water from getting in, yet the number one complaint is sweat.
Yet I found a $20 rain jacket that does not allow rain to get in yet has vents so it breathes as well as the expensive ones. The weird thing is, most pros ride on cheaper rain gear when training. Anyway, the one I have is no longer being made but there are others that look the same as what I have (I got my on a closeout for $12). I know MTB'ers that buy the cheap ones because if they crash and burn, or brush up against a throny bush they don't rip up or poke holes in a $300 jacket.
This one looks exactly like the one that I have with the same features:
http://www.nashbar.com/webapp/wcs/store ... 1___204698 Another alternative, but this one doesn't mention vents but it probably has them but one would need to contact Nashbar to make sure:
http://www.nashbar.com/webapp/wcs/store ... 1___204698There are a lot of these low costing clear rain jackets that cost less than $40.
This one is highly rated:
https://www.btwin.com/en/cyclist-equipm ... ellow.htmlOf course the argue will always be, the cheaper ones doesn't last as long, assuming no damage of course, perhaps, but mine is 3 years old and still going strong, so let's say it last just 5 years, I could buy one every 5 years for the next 40 years and still be $100 less expensive than the $300 one that I know won't last 40 years, but this was just an absurd example, in reality I would be much further ahead then a $100.
I have yet by the way to get rain down inside my $12 jacket. The jacket I bought the manufacture made it a bit larger than a standard tight fitting medium, but this is good because for cooler wet rides I can layer up under it and then it fits perfect.
Ok, enough nonsense from the cheap guy, on to the expensive stuff because I know some guys wouldn't be caught dead on anything less than a $300 jacket.
Active Bike Jacket:
