Gore Wear R7 Gore-Tex Shakedry Trail Hooded Jacket - Men's for Sale, Reviews, Deals and Guides

My girlfriend and I recently took a trip to northern Scotland to run the Loch Ness marathon. While making our preparations, a quick check of the weather told us we would need to prepare for rain, and lots of it. Knowing that I wanted a jacket that would be impermeable to water yet also small and light enough to carry in my running vest if need be, I reached for the Gore Wear R7 Gore-Tex Shakedry jacket. Initially I was struck by the sheer lightness and packability of the jacket. When scrunched up and put in a pack, I found it easy to forget it was even there. Without a face fabric, the shakedry membrane has a truly unique feel. It is smooth, soft, and surprisingly quiet when worn. The morning of the marathon dawned cold, wet, and rainy. When the bus dropped us off in the treeless highlands above Loch Ness I was thankful for both the wind- and water-proof qualities of the R7, as a blustery wind was added to the mix. Thanks to the R7 I stayed comfortable during the hour plus wait for the start of the race and also during the first few miles when the wet weather continued. At around mile ten the clouds broke and the temperature rose into the 50 deg F range. With the rise in temperature and the high humidity I started to sweat a bit (though definitely less than I would have in any other jacket of comparable waterproofness) and decided to shed the jacket and pack it the rest of the way. Sam and I stayed in Scotland for about a week after the race and, as the rain continued, I had plenty of other opportunities to put the R7 through its paces. On numerous hikes on both the Isle of Skye and the highlands of Scotland I continued to be amazed at how well the jacket handled constant rain. Since the exterior of the R7 is the waterproof membrane itself there truly is no part of the jacket that can be wet through. No matter how much water falls on the fabric it just beads up and rolls right off. In other words, it truly does shake dry. Not only did this keep me dry, but it kept me feeling dry, as I didn't get that cold feeling one gets from a jacket who's outer layer is wet through. It doesn't rain near as much back home in Utah. But when it does, I know what jacket I'll be reaching for.