7 Great Cycling Jackets Replacing Gore ShakeDry – Outside Magazine

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Two years ago Gore ShakeDry fabric technology left the market. You could still find previously manufactured products for a while but that stock is pretty scarce these days. Luckily replacement technology is here and a number of brands have PFAS free jackets that are just as good, if not better, than Gore ShakeDry.Winter might be winding down but jackets in this category are perfect three-season choices. Now is the time to buy and I’ve been testing options so I can tell you what works. Here’s 7 choices to see you through wet and cold conditions for the rest of winter, into the spring, and for years to come. You can also check out other warm, and cold, weather clothing options among our bike clothing reviews.When you think waterproof breathable, you likely think Gore-Tex. Gore fabrics invented the use of Teflon (PTFE) as a waterproof breathable layer. The innovation of ShakeDry was to remove the face layer from the Gore-Tex membrane.For 50-years, Gore-Tex products were pinnacle products. The outlawing of PTFE represented not only a threat to a specific product but an existential threat to the whole brand. Gore responded with the GORE-TEX ePE Membrane. Now Gore fabrics is not Gorewear but the two brands exist under the same owner.The Gorewear Spinshift represents the first in the line of pinnacle cycling specific waterproof breathable jackets from the original inventor of the concept.The result is a jacket that’s both quiet and relatively unremarkable. On the fabric side, it’s as good as anything else on the market. This will keep you warm and dry in a wide variety of awful weather. It’s also a perfect weight for balancing packable vs protection.The downside is the way that Gorewear keeps that packability is by compromising zippers. Even more odd are stylistic choices around this. What you want is a nice big zipper that you can unzip from the bottom if necessary. Instead there’s a small zipper with what’s called a “reverse coil” that’s designed to “create the illusion that the zipper elements are pulled together tightly.” It also happens to be more difficult to use.Making things worse is the design at the top of the zipper. On the upper chest there’s a Gorewear wordmark printed on the zipper. It makes the zipper thicker and more difficult to use.All that said, this is a jacket I’ll be using more of. It’s a racy fit with sizing that makes sense and it packs small enough to fit in a jersey pocket. The performance is good even if the zipper isn’t.Check out the Gorewear website for more information.Rapha has a long history of working with Gore-Tex (Gore fabrics) so if you like everything I just said about that fabric but want the details (mostly) right then this is where you should direct your search. Be careful though, Rapha naming is madness.There’s a jacket called the Rapha Pro Team Gore-Tex rain jacket. It’s got the iconic arm band and it’s a different jacket. This one is called the Rapha Gore-Tex rain jacket and it uses the new ePE material.Given that it’s the same material, the rain worthiness of this jacket hasn’t changed from the Gorewear version. It will keep you dry and in cold but dry weather it was breathable enough to keep me feeling toasty.What’s different is the fit and features. With Rapha I had to size up from Gorewear and the fit ends up being looser. A Gorewear EU Small / US XS is between a Rapha Pro Team fit size small and medium. I can wear a size small in Rapha but it’s not really comfortable so in this case I went up to medium and it’s quite comfortable but on the looser side.Aside from being a bit bigger, the Rapha jacket adds bulk in features. The zippers are the kind you dream about. Big and beautiful teeth with a fantastic feeling and it opens from both the top and bottom. Both jackets have a zippered pocket but, oddly, Rapha puts the pocket in the front like a non-cycling jacket while Gorewear keeps it on the back. Rapha also has an interesting drawstring system at the waist that is very easy to grab and pull.With the sizing and features, the Rapha Gore-Tex Rain Jacket ends up being a good option as a do it all 3-season jacket. There’s enough room to add more layers and it’s more usable in a wide range of situations. It’s less packable though.More information is available on the Rapha Website. Unless this isn’t in stock when you read it then the page won’t be up.Instead of a Gore fabric, LeCol utilizes Pertex Shield and builds a highly vented jacket aimed at the gravel crowd.While Rapha and Gorewear keep things sealed. LeCol uses big vents on both sides and across the upper back. Each vent has mesh on the interior and a cover on the outside to keep the open slit from getting any water inside.In terms of fit this is closer to Rapha but the sizing matches with other brands. Meaning in size small it might even be slightly bigger than the Rapha size medium. There’s definitely room to layer and there’s a hood that is both adjustable and will fit a helmet. Plenty of room in the tail to fit over full jersey pockets also.For pockets, LeCol does something a bit odd. The website claims there’s two side pockets but that can only mean that the spot I called a vent earlier is actually a pocket. I’d call that slightly ridiculous but I guess you could technically use that spot to hold something. There’s no zipper there and it’s in an odd spot for a pocket. Might be good for something soft like gloves. The only thing I consider a pocket on this jacket is the “third” pocket which has a vertical zipper on the chest.Which nicely transitions into zippers. Like Rapha, these are the kind of zippers you dream of. Big teeth and two way functionality. There’s also pull cords at the waist although they aren’t as fancy as Rapha. Overall it packs into a similar shape as the Rapha jacket given similar features.The real buying decision here is going to be about the hood. If you like a hood on your cycling jacket then this is the only one I looked at with a hood. One side note though, the LeCol Pro Lightweight jacket is the same thing but lacking the hood, pockets, and vents. As I write this, that jacket is 40% off and an absolute steel. It’s worth considering.More information is available on the LeCol website.If road racing is more your thing then the Castelli Gabba R is what you want to look at. I definitely need a size medium in this one to be comfortable but I also understand the point here. This fits like a jersey and overall you can think of it like a waterproof jersey.I can fit a base layer under it (sleeveless only) and I wouldn’t expect to fit anything more. The outer is a polyurethane that feels almost rubberized and maybe a bit like latex. I’m trying to avoid any comparisons here but you can see the pictures.Further backing up that this is a jersey, that’s exactly how it’s otherwise built. There’s nice quality pockets in a standard jersey configuration and the same one-way zipper as other Castelli jerseys.On the inside there’s a layer of fabric that feels good next to the skin. There’s a very similar fabric used at the ends of each arm and for the pockets.You’ll want to buy this if you want a jersey that will block wind and rain. There’s a short sleeve version available as well. I’d think about using this on a short, fast, group ride with insulated bibs when it’s not all that cold.More information on the Castelli website.I’ll say upfront that since I started using this jacket it’s my favorite for serious winter riding. I first used it during an atmospheric river in California a few years ago and I later used it when a winter ride turned into a hike through the snow. If you need to brave real weather, this jacket should be your outer layer.The PAS Normal Essential Shield jacket uses Schoeller Textiles and a PU (polyurethane) membrane with a hard wearing exterior. Like all PAS Normal jackets, the front is quite short and the rear is quite long. Under the long rear there’s plenty of room for lots of layers and bulging pockets.The Essential also has its own pockets with one on the arm, one on the chest, and one on the lower rear. You’ll find zippered vents on the sides and while I gushed about other zippers, these are even better. There’s still big plastic teeth and a dual direction zip for the main zip. On top of that now there’s a storm flap behind the main flap, nice big fabric pulls, and zipper garages at the tops of many of the zippers.Pas Normal has a couple of features not seen on any other jackets on this list. The neckline has a waffled fleece while the ends of sleeves have something I’ve never seen on any other cycling jacket. Instead of elastic there’s a hook and loop closure. It’s not fabric though. Fabric can catch on your other gear so this is a hard plastic that fits together. It’s a brilliant piece of thoughtful design.It’s not impossible to pack this but it’s not going to easily fit in a jersey pocket. You’ll want to look at the PAS Normal Essential Shield jacket when you need to brave some serious weather and won’t likely be taking your jacket off. Even without heavy layers underneath this isn’t that light of a jacket.If you are a woman reading this, watch out for missing features. I’ve never gotten a good answer as to why but the women’s version lacks the arm pocket and the chest pocket.Check for more info on the PAS Normal website.Totally switching lanes, the POC Supreme jacket switches from a maximal design to a minimal design. Despite being waterproof and able to handle some serious weather the POC Supreme jacket only weighs 89g in size medium and it packs into its own special pocket. Fully packed it will fit in the palm of your hand no problem.Despite being that small, the material isn’t particularly fragile. I’ve used this jacket more than anything else, even during events like the Traka 360 when it wasn’t the right choice as, and it’s always held up. This jacket has saved me so many times I can’t count and I love it. I also wish it was a little heavier with a better zipper.Can’t win them all I guess. I do like the fit, no weird weight savings there, and size small has room for a jersey and stuffed pockets without issue. My only request of POC would be a more generous cuff size. The only way you can get this off is to pull it inside out.I’m not saying much about this because it’s so simple. This is the ultimate waterproof and breathable emergency jacket but it’s all about the fabric. You can find options for a lot less money that are nearly as small but they don’t breathe like this. The POC Supreme is comfortable to wear even though it’s expensive.Anyone looking for the last emergency jacket they’ll ever buy should look at the POC Supreme.You can read more information on the POC website.7Mesh is a company based in British Columbia with a co-founder who seriously understands the wilderness. This brand knows adventure and knows technical products like few others. 7Mesh also used to make a ShakeDry jacket and has made a concerted effort to switch to materials that are better for the environment.The latest piece from 7Mesh is the Mission jacket. 7Mesh doesn’t call this an emergency jacket but that’s how I view it. It’s still ultralight but it adds bulk in a way that makes it far more usable. There’s more room to layer under it. The zipper is much nicer and unzips from the bottom and there’s a drawstring at the waist.For those that like some reflectivity, everything here has some small details but this one has more. The Mission jacket has a big section of reflective material capping the bottom of the tail.Just above that reflective bit, there’s a nice bank of pockets. Each one has room for expansion and plenty of stretch and reinforcement. If some of these zippers are worthy of a dream, so are these pockets. 7Mesh knows how to build a pocket and these are some of the best. Nice and deep with plenty of stretch and they sit in just the right spot. Truly a joy. The middle also has the real trick of this jacket.You might not have the same minimalist design as the POC Supreme but this still packs smaller than anything other than that POC jacket. When it’s time to pack it, the idea is to turn the center pocket inside out and shove the rest of the jacket into it. Once you finish there’s a flap to close it and a pair of clips to attach to a bike. Bonus points for the reflective logo that’s on the inside of the pocket and is now visible.The whole design puts the Mission jacket into a middle spot. Like the POC jacket it’s incredibly capable for its size. It’s also a lot cheaper than that jacket and more capable. It’s still quite light though and, for real warmth in situations like my Traka 360 experience, you probably need a second layer. 7Mesh has the Seton jersey which would be a perfect pairing but that does mean carrying more.You want to consider the 7Mesh Mission jacket for changing weather conditions or a minimalist day without extra layers. You could head out wearing the Seton and if it starts to rain, pull the Mission jacket off your bike and add it on top. Alternatively you could take advantage of the pockets and pair it with only a base layer for all-day wear when it’s not all that cold.For more information visit the 7Mesh website.Gore ShakeDry was Teflon and that was magic. No water could stay attached to the outside and that made it technically unrivaled. Today’s fabrics can’t technically match that.Despite what’s technically true, I’ve found it doesn’t matter that much. This new generation of materials might not be quite as good in the lab but these options are more usable, provide similar results, and are better for the environment.I haven’t talked a whole lot about actual rain performance because they all work. That’s the point.Instead I tried to pick a selection of jackets that I’ve tested and can see being used in a variety of situations.For my own use I grab the Pas Normal Essential Shield jacket and pair it with the Pearl Izumi Pro Alpha Layer and an Assos Ultraz base layer when things look dire outside.Going forward the one change I plan on making is that I expect to use the Gorewear Spinshift a lot more in place of the POC Supreme. They aren’t the same category but the Spinshift packs down small enough and it’s a lot warmer. I’m not shifting my use because one is better but rather because I need to stop underpacking.© 2025 Outside Interactive, Inc

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