Running Jacket Research

There was a recent thread on the Tejas Trails Facebook Group about jacket suggestions for cold, rainy races.  This is a subject that I find very interesting because I got caught in a thunderstorm in a jacket that was only water resistant at the Bandera 100K back in January.  That cold, icy trickle of water down my back was highly unpleasant and I don't really want to repeat the cold, sodden feeling I had by the finish.  After the race I picked up a waterproof jacket from REI, but it's heavier than I really want and not very breatheable.  When the thread came up on the Tejas Trails group I took that opportunity to do some new looking at waterproof running jackets.

I found a number of options ranging from relatively inexpensive to extremely expensive.  Here are the jackets that I found ordered from lightest to heaviest.

1. GoLite Malpais Trinity - This weighs a paltry 7 ounces, including the hood, and is fully waterproof.  Oh, it costs $250.
2. GoLite Kenai Pertex - At 10 ounces this weighs a bit more than the Trinity but it has a couple more pockets.  It also has a two-way front zipper, which is actually a really awesome feature.  It also is cheaper, at $200.
3. GoLite Tumalo Pertex - This also weighs 10 ounces.  I'm not clear on what the differences are between the Tumalo Pertex and the Kenai Pertex except price, with the Tumalo Pertex coming in at $150.
4. Arc'teryx Alpha FL Jacket - Now we're talking big money.  This jacket costs $399 and weighs 10.3 ounces.  My understanding is that this jacket is very expensive but it will last until Armageddon.
5. Arc'teryx Celeris Jacket - Although this jacket is only water resistant, it is windproof.  It is the lightest jacket I looked at at only 4.3 ounces, but I'm including it at the end of the list since it is not properly waterproof.  It costs $129.

References

1. Tejas Trails Facebook Group
2. Bandera 100K
3. GoLite Jackets
1. Malpais Trinity
2. Kenai Pertex
3. Tumalo Pertex
4. Arc'Teryx Jackets
1. Alpha FL Jacket
2. Celeris Jacket