GORE® C5 GORE-TEX® ACTIVE Hooded Jacket Review

GORE® C5 GORE-TEX® ACTIVE Overview

The hooded waterproof jacket is made for all outdoor activities you might get caught in the rain, or need some quick protection. The Gore-Tex material offers superior waterproofing and breathability while still providing wind blocking. Gore Wear offers top of the line waterproofing for athletes that need a strong, breathable, functional all around jacket.

There is a front pocket that looks small, but held our oversizeds smartphone without issue. The pocket is also mesh on the inside so you don’t end up fogged up camera.  This is the only pocket on the jacket.

As you can see the jacket doesn’t sit as low on the back as a cycling specific jacket, but offers just enough protection to keep your top half dry.  The wrist are highlighted with yellow reflective strips. I was riding a size large jacket and like the extra room to move around in the jacket. The Gore Active Jacket has also become my mountain bike go to jacket. It packs down so small, I can throw it in a waist pack and take it with me whenever dark clouds are in the sky.

The selves are nice and long and I didn’t feel any pulling in the shoulders or across the back.

The jacket fits tight around the waist and did ride up on the waist a little when peddling, this is just a sacrifice for having a dual purpose jacket.  There is a slight drop in the tail but very minimal.

Waterproofing

The Gore Gore-tex (I know it’s confusing) keeps you dry. In our testing we went out in full on downpour. Shoes were filled with water, chamois, knee warmers and socks were soaked, but everything under the jacket was dry and protected.  The Gore C5 Active hood jacket is very thin, but still provides some protection from the wind.  By the end of an hour ride in the heavy rain and about 60 degree Fahrenheit weather was pretty cold with just a jersey on underneath. The Gore-Tex kept my jersey, phone, wallet all dry.

You can really see just how well the water beads up on the Gore-Tex fabric. The outer fabric is treated with DWR for waterproof and windproofing. Also, the inside of the jacket is coated with a Gore-Tex membrane for additional protection.

It’s worth pointing out if you are buying this for a biking specific jacket, it barely covered the back of our jersey.  It however works very well as an all around waterproof jacket for multiple sports.

GORE C5 Hood

It’s worth pointing out is the hood on the C5 Active jacket is not meant to fit over helmets. However, it can be worn under a helmet in an emergency.

After a ride with the helmet on top of the hood, you can see it kind of pushes water into the fabric and through the DWR Gore-Tex coating. However, on the underside the jacket stayed dry.

Conclusion

It’s not a cheap jacket at $279 retail price but as for superior waterproof and breathable jacket for both cycling and running, it’s hard to beat. It’s super light weight, easily packable to bring along if rain is in the forecast.  I’ve tested quite a few waterproof jackets over the years, and as for weight, waterproofing and breathability it’s hard to beat the Gore Active Jacket.  Some of the downsides are the lack of pockets. I feel like I need to wear a jersey everytime I ride with this jacket just for additional pockets. The slightly dropped tail in the back could be just a tiny bit longer.  You really are paying for the best of the best, in craftsmanship, durability, and waterproofing. It’s an investment, but should last you for many years to come, just keep your wheels upright, and stay away from sharp tree branches.  To view more information about Gore Jackets, you can visit their site here. Or feel free to jump over to GearChase.com and see what deals we might have found on Gore Gear.