Need some help on some decisions on which jacket to purchase. I am gonna be using for Mountain Biking mostly so need it to be very breathable, durable, lightweight, waterproof and windproof. I eventually filtered it down to the Gore Paclite III jacket and the Gore XCR jacket. Theres 2 things im worried about:
How breathable is the XCR jacket and how durable is the Paclite III jacket?
I have actually tried the Paclite III jacket and its breathability is superb but i am worried after reading some of the posts in this forum how durable it is?
Has anyone got any experience of either material or jacket?
paclite 3 average weight 360 grammes .....xcr garment starting at around 700 grammes ..big weight difference...xcr is 25 per cent more breathable than standard two layer goretex...but inside line is paclite is the most breathable ??? downside is paclite is quite a light face fabric and can easily be ripped where as the sullivan by berghaus (xcr)has a more resilient face fabric ......on the waterproofing front the measurement of waterproofing which is hydrostatic rating varies depending on the face fabric...really both these jackets will breathe ,keep u dry and keep the wind out but the xcr will on the whole have a higher hydrostatic rating.........it is a case of which one u like really.....my fav is the paclite jacket from most of the big manufacturers...hope it helps
Thanks for the reply, appreciate it. Its not really the answer i was after though, i already know the stats about easch jacket and have worn the Paclite jacket myself. And, out of interest, was it the Paclite III material that u have tried yourself as it is different than the Paclite I and II material. The Paclite material is defo more breathable (RET rating 3, XCR rating 60!), lighter and more packable. And i know XCR is more durable. But which is more suitable for mountain biking? If you go through a bush, a tree or have a minor fall in either material will it rip? If you are on a hard climb will you sweat like a donkey in either material. And please dont give me the, different people sweat differently, does the XCR breathability perform well under a hard climb?
Basically if the Paclite III material is durable enough i would stick with that because its breathablilty is superb and it very, very lightweight. But whats the point if you go out in the woods, have a minor fall and then end up wasting £135 on a jacket? Thats me dilemma......
Does anyone have experience with the Paclite III jackets ripping easily or with the XCR jacket breathabilty?
The XCR has just come top in a mag test for all-round use.
At the end of the day if you want a light jacket or any garment come to that, it's not going to be as durable in the event of a scrape as something more heavy duty although it will obviously breath better (in most cases). The Paclite will rip reasonably easily by comparison to the XCR and the weight hints at this, again, obviously.
If you fall off a lot, buy the XCR. If you want to take the chance, go for the Paclite.
You've answered your own question really IMO. Pretty bali obvious! ;o)
I have two paclite jackets (rich bugger eh) and they are fairly resistant to tearing and work really well. My guess is in any real tumble ANY goretex is likely to tear. For me its worth it to be dry and warm.
Paclite vails are on offer in wiggle BTW under £100.
Well, i pondered over it for a week but have decided to send the Paclite III jacket back and get the Gore Convert XCR jacket.
I made the decision purely weighing up durablility vs weight and in my opinion Durability outweighs the need for extremely light clothing on a mountain bike.
Apart from that the Paclite III is £135 on wiggle and the XCR is £200, when i went to Evans the newer XCR is £150! RRP for the XCR is £220. That sorta decided it for me cause when it comes down to it the Convert XCR is the best all-rounder!
Just want to thank everyone for their opinions - you have helped alot - thankyou!
I'd agree with the alot of comments above. I've got a Berghaus Paclite jacket, weighs in at 300g, it is absolutely super. Totally waterproof and very breathable with the ventilation pockets, but yes it does feel very flimsy and I'd suspect it wouldn't stand up well to a tumble. Also I don't think it's intended for regular long term use.
The ideal jacket would be a combination of both, XCR and Paclite. Say XCR on the shoulders which wear most and elbows in case of a stack. Sure it would weigh more than standard paclite, but no doubt it would last better.
Currently when I know it's going to be raining, I usually wear my old Karrimor waterproof jacket (there own fabric, wear's well), otherwise I just wear a windproof and take the paclite along in case of rain (afterall you barely notice the extra weight).
Yeh an cross XCR/Paclite jacket would be superb. I know there are some walking jackets that are similar.
Got my XCR jacket and guess what - im sending it back! After trying it on the neck is far to tight on me. I cant win :(
I can see the XCR is more durable but its nothing compared with the breathability of the Paclite III - no contest - i cant believe peeps even compare the 2 for breathability because the Palite wins hands down. Oh also, i emailed Gore and here's the response i got:
The Gore-Tex Paclite fabric is a lightweight but durable variant of the Gore-Tex membrane. There is a protective layer on the membrane which means that garments using the Paclite fabric need no separate lining.
Although not as tough as the Gore-Tex XCR 3-layer fabric, due to the light weight and protective layer we would recommend for mountain biking that you keep the Paclite jacket.
So there you go. Despite what some users have said in other forum topics the Paclite III material does seem to be durable, although not as durable as the XCR.
Anymore comments would be greatly appreciated and i hope all my investigations have helped someone make a decision
Erm, if you want something that's as, or more breathable than Paclite but more durable, check out eVENT. Pace make an eVENT jacket as, I think, do Pearl Izumi. It's similar to Gore-Tex in construction, being a PTFE membrane, but without the PU layer that limits Gore-Tex breathability.
The Paclite actually works partly by absorbing moisture into that grey lining thing btw then passing it out. It works as a buffer zone, but that doesn't really make much odds.
I'm the editor on OUTDOORSmagic btw, which is how I know so much useless information about breathable fabrics...
Oh, and Paclite 3 isn't that flimsy, but it's a lightweight fabric, so the face fabrics tend to be on the light side. On the other hand, we have a Paclite/XCR hybride jacket to Wasdale Mountain Rescue Team and they've not killed it in six months of hard use.
It all depends what you hit when you fall off. Generally, I don't think mtbing up to that point is as hard on fabric as, say, backpacking or mixed climbing. But if you fall off on sharp rocks, Paclite isn't going to be as tough as XCR or eVENT with a decent face fabric used.
The thing is that although both Paclite and eVENT are appreciably more breathable than XCR, if you run hot, you'll still be able to overwhelm them. I tend to wear general lightweight outdoors jackets as I get them for test - makes sense for me - but if breathability really is a priority for you, something in eVENT is a good compromise between breathability and toughness. It's at least as, and I'd say more breathable than Paclite. I don't know what's available in bike specific cut though. I think Mike Davies tested a Pace eVENT jacket on the site... http://www.bikemagic.com/news/article/mps/UAN/3594/
Really though, I'd bear in mind that nothing you buy will be quite breathable enough, if that makes sense. Sorry, I know that's kind of equivocal, but I'm not sure what else is around.
I have tried the Paclite jacket myself and i would say it is very breathable, it was just durability i was worried about. As i said above, whats the point in spending £150 on a jacket if you go out and brush a tree and thats it ripped......
No problem. I'd say eVENT is at least as breathable as Paclite and, in the right weight, tougher. Also, it doesn't work by buffering, so is arguable more breathable in the strict sense, although the effect to the ride is similar.
If you get some Paclite, you can rub a little spit into the lining and watch it disappear, which shows pretty graphically what's going on. When you're really caning it, eventually the liner can't absorb enough moisture to make up for the sweat you're chucking out, so you go from pretty dry to moist quite suddenly. F
or most varied riding that doesn't really matter as on the easier bits, you won't be sweating much, so the lining can simply get rid of what's been absorbed during the harder bits. That's my interpretation anyway. On a three-hour fireroad climb you'd overwhelm it. In my experience, eVENT is more consistent because it doesn't use the buffering trip, Again though, you can still overwhelm it.
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