I would appreciate any advise on selecting a suitable jacket. I'm looking for something suitable for general usage around town, but that can also be used for wet weather and/or snow. (General UK winter walking Wales, Lakes Scotland etc).
I've been considering a 3in1 but the choice is huge. I have a budget of £200.00. Thanks

You're right, the choice is huge. Personally I'd forget the combined fleece, shell jacket things - you just get a cold spot along the main zip.

I'd look at the Mountain Equipment range - excellent UK-conditions hoods and well thought out - or, from left field, check out the Craghoppers eVENT jackets, which use a very breathable fabric. The initial versions we tried had a hood which was a little restrictive, but if that's been fixed, it should be fine. Don't bother with the two-ply version, the three-ply is the way to go.

Plenty of other good jackets out there - Berghaus, Lowe Alpine etc, etc. If you run cool then you might also want to look at the Paramo stuff, which works well.

Btw, my take on things is that you can wear pretty much anything around town, but anything that looks like a smart town coat is going to be compromised on the hill.

Appreciate the comments. I'll check out the suggestions.....thanks

I've checked on the Paramo website and there are some interesting jackets available. I'm not familiar with this brand name. Technically, how do they perform. I live near a stockist so I can check them out b4 buying but would be gratefull of any comments from users.

Ok, here goes.

Paramo Pros; warm, very waterproof, zero condensation, repairable and can be re-proofed over and over until the cows come home.

Paramo Cons; can be too warm for some people, heavy.

I only use mine (Velez) on the coldest, wettest days and it is, IMHO, superb. Stays at home the rest of the time tho.

Not exactly ideal for year-round use although some may disagree.

I use a Paclite smock outside of winter as my main rain gear.

HTH

paramo stuff is amazing, i reckon it's fine for all but the warmest days. but i've never had a waterproof that is. you don't need to wear long sleaves under it, the venting options are great and breathability/comfort isn't affected by humidity (unlike paclite etc.) it removes the need for a mid layer a lot of the time so it's great around town because you don't need to find something to put on under you waterproof. the newer ones aren't that heavy, and after christmas i'm sure a few grams in a jacket is dwarfed by other gains...