Arc'terryx for a soft shell?

[TatsNGuns]

The best bang for the buck is the REI gear that's in house brand.

They are selling gear and the material is called eVent.

They are saying it's better than Gore-Tex.

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Last time I was in REI I almost started a riot lol had my kennel t shirt on which on the back says " f×÷k Peta " needless to say the staff must have been pro PETA

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[Bicismith]

I'm a gear junkie...and a watch whore, i admit it.

i also do lightweight mountaineering, was a pro bike racer for a few years, and like to do stupid(wife's thoughts not mine), extreme stuff

so take that's for what it's worth but i'm just trying to say i use the gear for what it's designed for and wear the #$@#$ out of it.

this is highly condensed and in some cases oversimplified but if interested PM me and i can point you in directions of interest...

first off a little about goretex. Gore is a monster of a machine and has monopolized the market and makes it extremely difficult for new tech to emerge. their marketing machine has convinced everyone breathing fabrics are a good thing and they are, if they actually breathe. but if you look at the % of flow compared to, say, a trash bag over you, there's not much difference. in fact, a trash bag will work better especially if you can vent it somehow to keep from overheating. that leads to vapor barrier gear (read about it if interested, it's a game changer for me) which does not breathe but prevents evaporative heat loss and also keeps your insulating layers dry no matter what which could be life saving in some situations.

try wearing some subway sandwich bags underneath your socks on a really cold day and see how much warmer your feet will be...or latex gloves underneath your regular gloves. seriously, it works.

Event is slightly better but nothing radical and if it's way cheaper go for it. mountain hardwear has it's DRY Q elite which is basically event fabric. there are lots of similar like h2no from patagonia or membrane this and that from marmot, north face, etc and all are roughly the same thing. the fabrics and quality vary greatly though and is what separates the men from the boys...not the waterproof tech in most cases. polartec neoshell is another and i've not used it yet but many people think it's a great alternative being much more breathable but still fairly waterproof.

If all you truly want is to stay dry and don't really care about what you look like a poncho is your best friend. frogg toggs make ponchos and also have tops and bottoms for really cheap that work perfectly fine and they are extremely light and packable.

if you just want light rain protection and not downpours, check out windshirts instead. they are way cheaper and super light and pack down to nothing. an example would be the patagonia houdini or arc'teryx squamish jackets

arc'teryx and patagonia (patagucci) are perfect if you have deep pockets or can find their stuff for 50% off. It looks decent on the streets compared to most other high end gear. you have to be careful with their stuff because they have A TON of product line and a lot of it is extremely overpriced for what it is and not as functional as you may think.

the FL shell I mentioned before costs $400 is very lightweight ~10oz, packs down to about the size of an orange, and is water and windproof with a huge hood you can wear a helmet under. it fits very trim and is perfect for athletic build skinny people. i'm 6' and medium fits me like a glove.

other brands that are just as good, if not better, are outdoor research, westcomb - they are what arc'teryx used to be, and Rab.

I prefer OR or patagonia if on sale. both have better customer service than arc'teryx does these days. patagonia likes to preach about how eco friendly they are. OR just makes stuff that works.