As things currently stand, for such a level of breathability, protection and low weight, there’s inevitably going to be a trade-off in one area unfortunately. That being said, developments are certainly being made – The North Face’s Futurelight is certainly one to watch here. Tester’s Verdict Complete protection from the rain while maintaining breath-ability is a lofty goal: GORE-TEX SHAKEDRY™ achieves it. With Shakedry, Gore turned the structure of membrane-based waterproofs inside out. Instead of sandwiching the membrane in the middle of a laminate, the membrane in Shakedry fabrics forms the outermost layer of the garment, supported by a single fabric layer.

Although most of us have heard about of Gore-Tex since we were kids, there’s a bit of clarification required for the Gore Wear brand, which was newly established in 2018. The company is the newest iteration of the original W. L. Gore & Associates, an American company founded in 1958 through development of its revolutionary Polytetrafluorethylen (PTFE) technology. For many years, this technology was sold and incorporated into other companies’ products and while this still happens, over the past several years Gore has also developed in-house manufacturing to create its own product line. The company focused first on two primary user groups – runners and cyclists – who had a shared need for waterproof protection that wouldn’t cause overheating or limit athletic performance. Not skin tight, but also not excessively baggy, Form Fit garments provide a sporting silhouette without being body hugging. If you normally fall halfway between two sizes we recommend taking the larger one.Based on my experience, Gore Wear is being too conservative with its sizing recommendation, especially for the US market. Mine is simpler: Buy one size up. Nearly four years ago we first heard about Shakedry, a new “permanently beading” waterproof/breathable membrane technology from Gore-Tex that eliminated the need for a DWR-treated face fabric and that purportedly wouldn’t wet-out. If true, that’d be a big deal, because it would solve one source of failure of modern rain shells.

Sizes S-XXL (men’s), 8-16 (women’s) / Proflex waterproof fabric / taped seams / stretch hood with stiffened peak / YKK AquaGuard water-resistant front zip / Velcro adjustment on hood and cuffs.

I’ve never had water soak through it even in torrential downpours, and it still looks exactly as the day I got it. Material feels flimsy but has held up so far without a single tear despite being snagged a few times. The hat-compatible hood fits well, has a semi-stiff double-layer brim, and has one drawcord adjustment to help keep it out of your eyes. Still, though, every hood I’ve ever used performs better when paired with a ballcap or visor. The simple but well designed hood. Not my best photo — I think I may have a bat in the cave. Selected for the Outdoor 100 2019/20 – Here’s our full Gore R7 ShakeDry review. BUY NOW: GOREWEAR.COM