This is where Gore-Tex ShakeDry comes in. This new version of Gore-Tex has been engineered for people who plan to move at a consistently high intensity; when it’s essential that the fabrics they’re wearing are lightweight, water and wind proof as well as capable of shifting hot air away from the body. The hat-compatible hood fits well, has a semi-stiff double-layer brim, and has one drawcord adjustment to help keep it out of your eyes. Still, though, every hood I’ve ever used performs better when paired with a ballcap or visor. The simple but well designed hood. Not my best photo — I think I may have a bat in the cave.

The C5 resists water well but does not create the immediate beads that roll off so readily on the R7s. My perception is that it breathes slightly less well than the R7s, and is comparatively warmer. In contrast to the Shakedry pieces, the C5 has a dry, non-waxy hand feel. A performance item for serious runners who need to get on with their training in all weather. Also ideal for mountain biking, hill walking and commuting in the rain. With Shakedry, Gore turned the structure of membrane-based waterproofs inside out. Instead of sandwiching the membrane in the middle of a laminate, the membrane in Shakedry fabrics forms the outermost layer of the garment, supported by a single fabric layer. Based on my experience, Gore Wear is being too conservative with its sizing recommendation, especially for the US market. Mine is simpler: Buy one size up.

Our Favourite Lightweight Shells

As things currently stand, for such a level of breathability, protection and low weight, there’s inevitably going to be a trade-off in one area unfortunately. That being said, developments are certainly being made – The North Face’s Futurelight is certainly one to watch here. Tester’s Verdict

If you don’t read this section, you’ll get the wrong size, guaranteed. The H5 Shakedry has a “Form Fit,” which Gore Wear describes as: Nearly four years ago we first heard about Shakedry, a new “permanently beading” waterproof/breathable membrane technology from Gore-Tex that eliminated the need for a DWR-treated face fabric and that purportedly wouldn’t wet-out. If true, that’d be a big deal, because it would solve one source of failure of modern rain shells. The cuffs are elasticated and don’t have any adjustment. The hem does have adjustment though and this is via a toggled drawcord at the hem. Although most of us have heard about of Gore-Tex since we were kids, there’s a bit of clarification required for the Gore Wear brand, which was newly established in 2018. The company is the newest iteration of the original W. L. Gore & Associates, an American company founded in 1958 through development of its revolutionary Polytetrafluorethylen (PTFE) technology. For many years, this technology was sold and incorporated into other companies’ products and while this still happens, over the past several years Gore has also developed in-house manufacturing to create its own product line. The company focused first on two primary user groups – runners and cyclists – who had a shared need for waterproof protection that wouldn’t cause overheating or limit athletic performance. I’ve never had water soak through it even in torrential downpours, and it still looks exactly as the day I got it. Material feels flimsy but has held up so far without a single tear despite being snagged a few times.The most unique feature of the H5 Shakedry is its fabric: Gore-Tex Active with Shakedry technology. Unlike other waterproof/breathable fabrics (including standard Active), the PTFE/Teflon membrane is on the outside. It’s not sandwiched inside a laminate or protected by a DWR-treated face fabric. I think you may misunderstand all the confusing array of Gore marketing jargon, as you stated, “Gore has terrible naming conventions.” Gore calls SHAKEDRY a “technology” not a 2 layer ePTFE material. The ePTFE is the Gore-Tex membrane itself and Gore has imbued magic sauce for persistant beading (essentially PU, but shhh) and calls it SHAKEDRY technology. Infinium and Windstopper are just labeling names, with Infinium being TM and Windstopper being R (e.g. unregistered trademark and Registered trademark respectively). Think of it as Infinium line of clothing and Windstopper being what it does, stops the wind. Gore is simply trying to merge all of its non-guaranteed waterproof under the Infinium hang tag. Gore also markets Infinium with persistent beading (sound familiary? Like Gore-Tex Shakedry?), but doesn’t call it SHAKEDRY even though it’s still the gore-tex membrane on the outside with persistent beading technology (e.g. SHAKEDRY), but again since white hang tag, not calling it SHAKEDRY. Not skin tight, but also not excessively baggy, Form Fit garments provide a sporting silhouette without being body hugging. If you normally fall halfway between two sizes we recommend taking the larger one.