Rain jacket for bikepacking

[Scamper]

Hi, I am planning my first bikepacking trip in Austria for end of April and am looking for a packable but waterproof rain jacket to take along. I bought the Ciovita Apex hydro repel jacket but really dont like the fit - its big around the body but super tight at the shoulders and armscye. Recommendations with pros/cons would be appreciated.

[Danger Dassie]

Van Rysel rain shell from Decathlon. Compact but be sure about sizing. Alternatively take a look at a compact poncho. A shower cap works great for your helmet. 

[pbp2007]

I have used my Indola basic jacket since 2007, including what was said to be the wettest PBP ever. 
 

Indola basic jacket

[sucramuk]

I 'splashed' out on a Rapha rain jacket, fully waterproof ( tested that personally) , nice and thin so packs nicely. But as with all fully waterproof jackets you will get warm / hot wearing it!

[capediver]

Whatever you get make sure its fully waterproof and breathable with vents for airing...

Testing the Columbria OutDry Titanium Whistler Peak shell...

Underarm venting

EXTREME waterproof/breathable fully seam sealed. External seam tape, lots of adjustable drawstrings, waterproof zippers, recycled nylon

Hasn't rained hard enough for comments yet😆 but great fit

[dave303e]

match the jacket to the expectations and then decide on what hydrostatic head will work best for you. 

If you are expecting big weather then it is worth investing in something good.

From my experience in bikepacking circles Albion Zoa, Arc'Teryx are fairly popular.
The albion is designed for the hood to go over or under a helmet which is something I did not know I wanted in my life until I was caught in a snow storm at 3400m above sea level.

 

I have been doing AR with a Helly Hansen jacket and it got me through Silk Road last year and then for lighter trail runs and stuff the Salomon Bonati is also a great jacket. Both will do fine for basic bikepacking.
 

[Pure Savage]

16 hours ago, pbp2007 said:

I have used my Indola basic jacket since 2007, including what was said to be the wettest PBP ever. 
 

Indola basic jacket

Love that your username is PBP2007

[Sid the Sloth]

20 minutes ago, Pure Savage said:

Love that your username is PBP2007

Man needs an anonymous account so people don’t know he’s planning on doing winter training outside. 

[Dusty]

Decathalon have some 20 000mm waterproof jackets. I am very happy with it. Hiking section.

[Shebeen]

On 4/7/2026 at 4:03 PM, Scamper said:

Hi, I am planning my first bikepacking trip in Austria for end of April and am looking for a packable but waterproof rain jacket to take along. I bought the Ciovita Apex hydro repel jacket but really dont like the fit - its big around the body but super tight at the shoulders and armscye. Recommendations with pros/cons would be appreciated.

sjoe.. a R5k jacket that doesn't cut the mustard, I guess the lesson here is being able to try the actual garment first. 45 000mm head is quite extreme i think, and they don't even quote the weight

https://ciovita.co.za/products/mens-apex-hydro-repel-waterproof-jacket?srsltid=AfmBOorgAldklB8fsXQBsLp-rxTUh121p4Z_8uWG0axln1QT2mpMLb5w

 

 

There was a sale end of last month and I got one of these for R2k, it's probably bigger than what I want as a large but looking forward to winter testing it soon soon. You might be able to email them and request the sale price with a story

https://www.firstascent.co.za/first-ascent-men-s-vertex-expedition-jacket?srsltid=AfmBOoqHooSzEM0OgzTojTTTScKVHP81XtnqqrbPOjk-XPeQ5SKcA1_t

[splat]

2 hours ago, Shebeen said:

sjoe.. a R5k jacket that doesn't cut the mustard, I guess the lesson here is being able to try the actual garment first. 45 000mm head is quite extreme i think, and they don't even quote the weight

https://ciovita.co.za/products/mens-apex-hydro-repel-waterproof-jacket?srsltid=AfmBOorgAldklB8fsXQBsLp-rxTUh121p4Z_8uWG0axln1QT2mpMLb5w

 

 

There was a sale end of last month and I got one of these for R2k, it's probably bigger than what I want as a large but looking forward to winter testing it soon soon. You might be able to email them and request the sale price with a story

https://www.firstascent.co.za/first-ascent-men-s-vertex-expedition-jacket?srsltid=AfmBOoqHooSzEM0OgzTojTTTScKVHP81XtnqqrbPOjk-XPeQ5SKcA1_t

They have a slightly cheaper one.
I have no idea how it compares

https://ciovita.co.za/products/mens-supremo-rain-shell-jacket-flint?_pos=1&_fid=73207dd4d&_ss=c&variant=52890528743608

But a critical thing with these rain jackets is breath-ability.
Keeping the rain out is one thing, but sweating in the inside will get you just as wet. And then the cold sets in...

I have a thing about riding in the rain, so I don't even have a rain jacket and am not in a position to comment.

I have a feeling that the Goretex Shakedry was the pinnacle of that game, but they don't make them any more/

[dave303e]

you will see, a lot of the major brands use Pertex Fabric think the shield 20k/20k, it has 2 stats, a hydrostatic head for waterproof and then also a volume of breathability to get out water vapor

[Scamper]

After a bit of research I am leaning towards the Patagonia Torrentshell 3L Rain Jacket. It has pit zips for venting, is quite lightweight and packs fairly small. It also looks like a nice enough rain jacket for non-biking/hiking activities. The hood won't fit over a helmet, but I think that should be okay. 
There are quite a few brands with very nice rain jackets specifically for cycling, but not many of these are available in SA unfortunately.