re: Rain Jacket Recommendation

Well it's kind of two fold. For one, Acteryx and Mammut are just head and shoulders better than Pata/TNF/Marmot/MHW/etc. The quality is just better period and it's not close. This would be true if they used Gore Tex or something else. Then there are consumer expectations. People expect Gore Tex when paying $500 for a shell. People just like to see that tag and what they don't realize is that it wouldn't be a $500 shell if it didn't have Gore Tex (those companies have to pay Gore Tex a pretty penny).

So while higher end shells do generally use Gore Tex, I don't believe Gore Tex is better as much as consumers expect to see that tag on a higher end shell.

Kind of like with boots. Vibram soles, in 2014, aren't really any better than anything else. But when someone is gonna drop $300 on some Asolo boots, they're probably gonna wonder why they don't have Vibram soles (if they don't. just an example). Might as well put them on there for that reason alone.