I am thinking of buying myself a new jacket.  TBH on the bikes i usually go for as cheap as i can get away with due to the nature of falling off etc.  I am now gonna be camping etc a bit more so want something that i can throw on for the weekend and not have to add another layer etc every time it starts raining.  I wont be doing anything too strenuos really but i would like it to be a bit better than my current boil in the bag biking jacket.

I was in blacks on sun and saw a berghaus jacket but at £120 i thought it a bit steep.  It was what i fancied though.  Quite tight fitting (No it wasnt too small) and gore fabric.  It was what i would describe as more fleece like than a jacket though.

Please excuse my lack of technical knowledge.

Any suggestions upto about £70-£80 please

Gore make Windstopper which is a fleece not a waterproof - look through the threads about windproof fleece and softshells - less waterproof but more breathable than a proper waterproof shell. If you want a cheap shell I can recommend the Marmot Precip - £70 or less and breathes pretty well - the market leading fabrics for lightweight breathable shells are Goretex PacLite and eVent, both of which will be pricier than your limit, unless you find sale items.  

The windproof fleece or softshell will also be insulating to some degree I would imagine, it all depends what fabric it is actually made of.  There are some windshell/softshells that are lined with wicking material rather than insulating, such as the Marmot Driclime, which people swear by, but only showerproof.  You need to know your fabrics!!

Then you may want to decide whether you want a bike specific jacket to keep your bum covered while on two wheels...the Precip is a walking jacket, not a cycling one. 

Thanks for that.  Deffo dont want bike specific.  It wont be used on a bike.

This was a gore fleece type jacket which ties in with another thread i have read on here.  I want something that will keep me warm & dry in most weather.  I used to have a pertex jacket which had a thin fleece layer.  That kind of performance but in a tighter fit tbh.

I believe the Rab Vapour Rise products offer a good combination of breathability and insulation and will withstand a shower or two, but aren' 100% waterproof.

With the exception of the Paramo type systems the normal setup is a combination of base layer/mid layer/soft shell and a final 'hard shell' to go over the top if it's really wet!

As has been said, you need to understand the materials. Most manufactuer have their own offering eg HyVent from The North Face, Conduit DT from Mountain Hardware, Precip from Marmot, but they never seem to be regarded as highly as Gore-Tex and eVent.

eVent is the relative new boy. It works on the same principles of Gore-Tex but in all reviews/tests it comes out as the more breathable fabric. Unfortunately if a manufacturer wants to use Gore-Tex then DuPont (they own Gore) won't let them use eVent!

As a result eVent is limited to the smaller brands eg. Rab, Montane, Black's Techincals range etc...

> That kind of performance but in a tighter fit tbh.

> else the dreaded Paramo

Mutually exclusive, I'm afraid; Paramo don't offer anything that might be considered 'a tighter fit'.  Unless you've eaten a lot of pies...

I'm not sure I'd recommend a waterproof with insulation; if you need a waterproof in warm weather, you'll regret it.  You can always add a warm layer under a simple waterproof.

As others have said, if you wnat a slim-fitting waterproof, take a look at Rab and Montane's offerings; cut for a more athletic body form.

> Unfortunately if a manufacturer wants to use Gore-Tex then DuPont (they own Gore) won't let them use eVent!

Gore own Gore, not DuPont.  But yes, they do seem to withdraw their licence if you try to use a competing ePTFE membrane fabric.