rain jacket thoughts

[Megapixel]

I am looking at an REI lightweight rain jacket, or this:

http://www.patagonia.com/us/product/patagonia-mens-waterproof-rain-shadow-jacket-rain-coat?p=84474-1-616

do you think the patagonia will be a better performer, i.e. breathibility, durability, etc... as it is 180 retail vs 100 for the rei?

any experience out there with either?

[topshelf]

I assume you are talking about the rei ultra light jacket...

I used to own an rei jacket and it was a great jacket. only problem i have with that jacket and the rei ultra light jacket is it appears to be super short in the back which will cause problems when you are wearing a pack. that will be a major annoyance. It will ride up when you wear it with a pack.

[TallShark]

Dude the rainshadow is garbage Search the forums

[Luddite]

I had an REI rain jacket for years and it worked great. Have you considered Sil Nylon?

[rockytop7]

For rain jackets you usually get what you pay for. Theres a lot of different options, but any jacket in the 100 dollar range isn't going to be great as far as breathability and durability. If you're looking for something in that range though I would probably go with a Marmot Precip. It's a tried and true favorite for less than 100. Or, if you want something only for backpacking and not for wearing around town, you could get a set of DriDucks for $15 that will be more breathable than any of these options. In general though, be cautious about most marketing hype of raingear.