Gore-Tex Paclite Men's Jacket review

The Gore-Tex Paclite Jacket is built for riders looking for proper wet-weather protection in a lighter-weight package.

As such, Gore goes to its scale-friendly Paclite material for the build.

The jacket has a pared-down design, but still has some mountain-bike friendly features.

In use, I was suitably impressed, with the jacket keeping me dry in some rather unpleasant conditions.

Gore-Tex Paclite Men's Jacket features

The Paclite material is a two-layer waterproof fabric, doing away with the liner you would find on a 2.5-layer waterproof fabric.

This helps keep the weight low, but may impact on the robustness of the fabric over time. As such, as with all waterproof jackets, keeping the Paclite properly cleaned is essential for longer-term use.

The use of the fabric, along with relatively few additional features, keeps the jacket’s weight to 216g (Large), lighter than the brand's claimed weight.

The jacket has a full-length zip, with a zip garage at the top and storm flap behind, while the mid-sized chest and generous rear pockets have a waterproof zip.

The wrists are elasticated and there’s a Velcro tab, too. The hem at the bottom of the jacket also has an adjustable elastic cord to cinch it in.

The neck has a thin but soft lining material as well as a hang tag, while there are reflective details at the back.

Gore-Tex Paclite Men's Jacket performance

I’ve been really impressed by the jacket’s performance in recent very wet weather.

Waterproof fabrics tend to work best when there’s a temperature differential on either side of the fabric, with colder outside air temperatures helping with breathability.

This has been the case recently. Despite the jacket having no ventilation zips, it hasn't got particularly sweaty, even during higher-tempo XC rides – something I often find with waterproof jackets.

I’ve found that proper care of waterproofs goes a long way to ensuring performance is maintained, so I’ve been using a proper tech wash with the jacket.

So far, the fabric has retained its ability to bead water on the surface, meaning the jacket works well as a waterproof.

The cut is good, with arms that are long enough not to pull up when you’re off the back of the bike, but also don’t swamp your hands.

I would like a little more space across the shoulders, because for my slightly broader than average build, there’s a bit of a pull across them when at full reach.

The jacket has a low cut at the back, helping prevent spray getting up and under it. Being able to adjust the elasticated hem is useful, too.

The neck comes up high enough to prevent cold breezes getting down the front.

There’s no real structure to the neck, though, so if the zip is all the way up and you tug on it to pull it down with one hand, it binds.

The tabs on the zips are fairly long, but I’d like a little more bulk to make them easier to grab with thicker winter gloves on.

Gore-Tex Paclite Men's Jacket bottom line

If Gore set out to create a lightweight jacket with ample weather protection, it has done a good job.

So far, the Paclite has kept me dry. It feels more breathable than most, and it’s small and light enough to pack neatly into a backpack, or larger hip pack.

The cut is good, and while there are a couple of small details that could be improved, the jacket has fast risen to the top of my wet-weather kit chart.