Mountain Hardwear Women's Typhoon Jacket

I am somewhat conflicted about this jacket. I bought it 2 years ago (Goretex Paclite shell), and during spring-summer-fall, it has gotten a lot of usage, especially for biking and hiking. During the first 6 months, the waterproofness and breathability were excellent.

The hood isn't perfect, especially when biking, as it somewhat obscures peripheral vision. However while hiking, I do not find it to be a problem. The pockets are also somewhat high-- not useful for placing your hands in.

However! After 6 months of use, I washed it for the first time. I followed all manufacturer's instructions when doing so. However, despite this, the jacket was no longer waterproof. It would leak, even after a moderate rain, over the shoulders and down the arms (especially the cuffs).

In addition, dirt marks from biking remained on the jacket, for reasons unknown to me. I tried reapplying several brands of spray on waterproofing, followed by manual hair drying of all of the seams (I don't have a dryer, which is normal for most people living in Europe). But still! Leaking!

I finally thought I had susccessfully re-waterproofed and brought it with me while trekking in Switzerland. On the second to last day of our trip, it rained! Like 10 hours of rain out of 10.5 hours of hiking. After 30 minutes, I was soaked to the skin. Did I mention that it was only 8C? What a miserable day!

After this trip, I once again rewaterproofed the jacket and this time used an iron to heat the fabric. Since the ironing, the jacket has remained mostly waterproof (still seeps a bit around the cuffs). I have had Goretex jackets in the past and also another Goretex jacket from Mountain Hardwear, and I have never had such problems! Not sure if there is a problem with my fabric or this is common to all Typhoons.

Therefore: if you buy the jacket, wash it very carefully and definitely put it in the dryer afterward!

Great hard shell -- light, comfortable, waterproof, full-featured ventilation. The Gortex-Pac Lite fabric is very smooth next to the skin and doesn't feel sticky or clammy.

I've had it for a year now and used in all conditions including a 50 mile backpack in Olympic where it rained every day. Love it. 

My only quibbles are the single hood adjustment that, while easy to use, doesn't allow as much micro adjustments as a double. Despite this, it always allows for full vision. While it isn't the fault of the jacket, you're better off with a trekking umbrella in warm weather, because you will sweat if you are moving fast uphill.