Rain jacket

[squeezebox]

REI's deal of the day is Outdoor product's Cascade rain jacket, $35 says it's breathable, 18 oz. wt. any comments on the quality of this?
I need a rain jacket should I get it?
Thanks!

[Pacific Tortuga]

One person's idea or breathing is another's emphysema. If you like it, the price looks good, go for it.
I used a Marmot Pre-Cip, worked great, did sweat like a pig at times and payed a C note for it.
You will get wet, at every price.

[Tinker]

"Breathable" is a relative term. On a hot day (or a day where you make your own heat inside it) nothing "feels" breathable. Most coated garments delaminate wherever sweat touches the coating directly. Most laminated garments (usually more expensive - Gore-tex, Sympatex, eVent) don't delaminate, but sweat and body oils contaminate the membrane and cause it to leak. The remedy is proper washing and restoration of the Durable Water Repellant on the outside of the fabric (like Scotch-Guard), usually a ptfe (teflon) spray or wash in solution.
Have you Googled the item for test results? www.backpackgeartest (http://www.backpackgeartest) (dot com or dot org ??) might have some info.

[Tinker]

www.backpackgeartest.org (http://www.backpackgeartest.org) is the address.

[Johnny Thunder]

You're going to get wet from sweat no matter what jacket you buy. Just be sure that you won't later be tempted to buy a similar-but-8-ounces-lighter version of the jacket in question. If you think that you might I'd suggest you hold out until you find another, lighter jacket on sale.

[Tinker]

Fwiw, I use a poncho almost year-round. The exception is above treeline in winter (or weather below freezing). I've used polyurethane coated cheapo raingear, Gore-tex, polypropylene "Frogg Toggs" fabric (Backpacking Light's "Micropore") and now, eVent jackets for extreme conditions. None of them breathe very well. Most folks who swear that their stuff breathes do so because 1) They paid a lot for it, or 2) They subconciously vent the garment well and call it "breathable".
Subjectively, I'd have to say that the least breathable garments I've worn (polyurethane coated nylon) are probably 95% as "breathable" as the most breathable garment I've worn (REI Shuksan eVent parka) - It's that close.
I'm not afraid of being made a fool of because I fell for some marketing hype. I've done it again and again (and am out a lot of money because of it).
My suggestion: Get something (anything) that's hip length, has a full front zipper (with a storm flap - eventually the "waterproof" zipper on my new jacket won't be) and pit zips (which the Shuksan, unfortunately, lacks).
An aside -
Question - When your sweat is 100% humid and the air is 100% humid, what drives the moisture out?
Answer - nothing! (well, maybe moving air, but that's about all - so it's all about ventilation).
That's my opinion and I'm sticking to it.:)

[Kerosene]

Well, my opinion is that my eVent jacket and pants work better than anything else I've owned, at least in rain below 60 degrees. That said, they still get clammy, I do as much as possible to vent and wish the jacket had pit zips. I used a coated nylon poncho in the 70's and wouldn't go back to it. I now have an eVent Packa (no longer made) that provides the best of both, especially if I pair it with a pair of rain chaps. Of course, once you get above 80 degrees with 100% humidity, it really doesn't matter what you wear (but that's one reason among many that I prefer Spring/Fall backpacking).

[garlic08]

If you need a pretty heavy-duty jacket, I'd say go for it. (As hinted at above, you might want a lighter jacket for a thru hike.) In my experience, it's not worth paying for brand name Goretex or similar. It all works pretty much the same for me. I hiked for years with a $35, 12 oz, no-name surplus breathable jacket, and it worked just as well as the $200+ jacket it replaced.