[SilverEars]

If you are looking for highly packable (shrinks to small size to fit in your back jeans pocket), I'd recommend Patagonia Houdini

I was looking for a rain jacket as well, and was looking for something I can carry around that is light, and easily packable, this was it. It doesn't get any smaller than this one when packed. It's easily packed into it's own chest pouch pocket. It's so thin and light, it's more like a cyclist's rain jacket (so, may not suit for everybody, and others may find it to be not so durable due to the thin-ness of the material, particularly if you think durability is highly important for your needs). Seems highly beathable, and more durable than the Mountain Hardwear Ghost Lite which is the lightest rain jacket there is. Despite the lighter weight of MH, the Houdini compresses and packs smaller due to the smaller size of the chest pocket.



The above is more for warm weathers.

If you are looking for more durable material and a cheap option, I'd look for 32 Degrees rain jacket. They can be had for under $20. If I didn't want the packable-ness, I'd go for the 32 Degrees rain jacket due to the cheap price, and thicker shell (which seems durable). I think these withstand colder temperatures.

 

[blackdragon87]

would go with arcteryx or mec myself

 

[kid vic]

Arc'teryx gang and a Necro bump.

 

[Mocs123]

Just thought that I'd jump in this old thread as I'm an avid backpacker. For years I've really enjoyed the Haglofs Ozo pullover, a 7.5oz Gore-Tex Paclite shell. Paclite isn't the most breathable but it's proven durable and has the best hood on any jacket I've ever used. For all day rain, I really like the Montane Spine jacket, it's a 10.3oz 3-layer Gore Tex Active Shell jacket with pitzips. I find the combo of 3-layer Gore-Tex and Pit Zips the best for long rains, and this jacket, though heavy compared to some UL options, is about the lightest you can get with that combo. I also have a Columbia Outdry EX Featherweight that is 7.1oz with no DWR to wear off that I've liked so far, but it only has a few hundred miles on it.

 

[PatekBruguetMogul]

Gortex SIMMS but pricey

 

[m-i-c-k-e-y]

Have Arcteryx Beta AR and Atom AR. And impressed on what they do.

 

[SilverEars]

Just thought that I'd jump in this old thread as I'm an avid backpacker. For years I've really enjoyed the Haglofs Ozo pullover, a 7.5oz Gore-Tex Paclite shell. Paclite isn't the most breathable but it's proven durable and has the best hood on any jacket I've ever used. For all day rain, I really like the Montane Spine jacket, it's a 10.3oz 3-layer Gore Tex Active Shell jacket with pitzips. I find the combo of 3-layer Gore-Tex and Pit Zips the best for long rains, and this jacket, though heavy compared to some UL options, is about the lightest you can get with that combo. I also have a Columbia Outdry EX Featherweight that is 7.1oz with no DWR to wear off that I've liked so far, but it only has a few hundred miles on it.

I found out Houdini jacket sucks for waterproof-ness. I think Gore-Tex is the way to go. I wonder if Gore Tex enough, and no need for DWR coating? Those military Gortex shells withstand the rain pretty good, but still a bit thick. I wonder if there is any good flexible Gortex, but very thin shell? I like light weight anything.

I found North Face Apex Flex GTX work well for waterproofness as it is Gore Tex material. What I didn't like was the stiffness of the shell. I wish it was more flexible. I had various North Face jackets in the past, and I find they are well built to last. Very durable build quality.

 

[Mocs123]

The Houdini is just a wind shell and not waterproof. It may be good for a 5 minute shower but not much more.

The Gore Tex membrane will not allow water through the shell but after the DWR sets out, it’s like wearing a trash bag and you’ll sweat inside. Keeping your DWR fresh is essential for a rain shell.

There are a couple of new waterproof breathable alternatives that don’t rely on DWR Outdry EX used by some Columbia shells and GoreTex Shakedry. Both look like plastic bags and neither has a face fabric. The Gore isn’t durable enough for backpacking but breathes well. The Columbia is more durable but doesn’t breathe well.

 

[megabigeye]

I don't think I've ever had a GoreTex anything that's been fully waterproof. I'd call some of it highly water-resistant, some of it not so much. That includes an ancient North Face jacket, Eddie Bauer, Arc'Teryx jackets and gloves. The North Face jacket was probably close to 30 years ago, so I won't comment on that; but the EB always leaked in the sleeves and hood; the Arc'Teryx was a Beta LT that never had a good DWR but was more or less waterproof for up to an hour for a year or so and then delaminated; and the Arc'Teryx gloves say "GoreTex" but don't even pretend to be waterproof... My hands will be wet after a few minutes of anything more than a light drizzle.
I've also been a bit disappointed in my Rab (can't remember the model) with eVent.

I've had better luck with Marmot Precip jacket and pants, a parka with whatever Marmot's old technology was called (EcoDry, maybe?), a Mountain Hardware Acadia, and a good ol' PVC-lined sailing jacket. The Precip and Acadia both had a problem with delaminating, but at least they're ~$150 jackets, not $350 - $500 (and they'd have probably lasted longer if I'd taken better care of them). The EcoDry (?) Marmot was also very good for several years, but I have no experience with they're newer waterproofing. The sailing slicker could literally keep me dry in a deluge in a rain forest or on the bow of a boat on stormy seas, required pretty much zero maintenance, but was ugly as a mud fence and breathed as well as a plastic bag.

EDIT: Oops! As soon as I posted this I remembered one pair of Asolo GoreTex boots that held up for several years, but were eventually defeated by the salt and city street sludge..