The Gore H5 ShakeDry Insulated jacket ($399) is a waterproof rain jacket for cold weather hikes. It is made with GORE-TEX ShakeDry technology to ward off rain and is insulated with Polartec Alpha Active Insulation.
What I Love
GORE-TEX ShakeDry
Love it or hate it, Gore-Tex remains the gold standard in waterproofing performance. As the name implies, one shake and the jacket is dry. But with GORE-TEX ShakeDry technology, it never actually gets wet in the first place.
GORE-TEX ShakeDry is a waterproof membrane continuously sheds water by virtue of a “persistent beading” surface. This means that moisture will never build up and soak through. The difference between ShakeDry and other waterproof fabrics is in the layers—or lack thereof. In non-ShakeDry rain jackets the waterproof membrane, which is what keeps you dry, is under a face fabric that has been treated with a waterproofing agent like Durable Water Repellent (DWR). With ShakeDry, the face fabric is eliminated and waterproof membrane is the face fabric.
ShakeDry is a solution to an actual problem, one that I encountered backpacking in Greenland: Trying to keep a soaked rain jacket from coming into contact with my down sleeping bag and Exped Downmat inside a very small tent. If I had had the Gore H5 ShakeDry Insulated jacket I could have removed the jacket inside the tent because it would have never got wet.
Fit
The Gore H5 ShakeDry Insulated jacket is in the fit class of “form fit”. It’s not skin-tight and it’s not baggy. Gore designed this jacket for “fast hiking” but the fit is more in line with that of a cycling jacket than a hiking jacket. But make no mistake, it is a rain jacket for hiking. The contoured hemline is shorter on the sides (for optimal symbioses with a backpack hip belt) and longer in the front or back. My size small sample’s hem hits right at the top of my hip bone on the sides. My personal preference is a longer hem, like that of the Gore H5 Active Hooded Jacket (review coming).
Still, I still found much to appreciate with the Gore H5 ShakeDry Insulated jacket. The shorter length and form fit remove any potential for bulk or bunchiness. When not wearing a backpack this isn’t as important. But when wearing a backpack bulk and bunch can translate to discomfort and hot spots under a loaded backpack.
As for sizing, it runs small. I am a solid size small but I found that the arms are on the shorter side and it is definitely tighter in the shoulders. This isn’t as bad if I’m wearing a form-fitting baselayer underneath. But if I’m wearing something bulkier, like a mid-weight baselayer or a down sweater, I felt constrained in my shoulders and chest. A size medium would really be ideal for me. So size up!
Both Waterproof and Insulated
The Gore H5 ShakeDry Insulated jacket comes with Polartec Alpha Active Insulation. This technology was developed for the U.S. special forces who required a synthetic insultation for extreme temperature variations and the “start/stop” conditions of combat. Lofted fibers in the insulation are hydrophobic and continuously release excess body heat before it builds to prevent any overheating or sweat from building up.
Polartec Alpha Insulation will not stop a bullet but it will keep you warm when the skies spew bone-chilling rain on your hike. In terms of temperature, the coldest which that I wore the Gore H5 GORE-TEX hooded jacket was about forty degrees (and it was drizzling). That day I was wearing just a mid-weight merino wool hiking shirt under the jacket and I was actually a bit too warm.
Backpack Friendly Design
More and more jackets are being designed as “backpack friendly”, and the Gore H5 ShakeDry Insulated jacket is no exception. But what does “backpack friendly” mean? It means that front pockets are placed higher to be useable while wearing a backpack with a hip belt. Seams on the shoulders are flat to avoid any discomfort or chafing under the shoulder straps of a loaded backpack.
Gore certainly achieved all those points. But in typical Gore fashion they did just a little bit more by eliminating the shoulder seams altogether and placing the torso seam to not interfere with sternum straps. A drawcord at waist cinches down while preventing the jacket from bunching.
Breathable
What makes GORE-TEX fabric in a league of its own is the billions of tiny pores that are 20,000 times smaller than a water drop but 700 times larger than water vapor. This brilliant design keeps out rain while allowing perspiration to vaporize. In addition to the GORE-TEX fabric, Gore added a two-way water-resistant front zipper for torso venting.
I found its breathability to be good, despite its lack of pit zippers and mesh liner fabric. Certainly its breathability as a rain jacket is light years ahead of non-GORE-TEX jacket. Since my review period was September and October in Minnesota, the lack of pit zippers wasn’t critical. But if I was hiking in warm or humid temperatures, I wouldn’t be wearing an insulated rain jacket anyway.
What Could be Better
Fit
As I stated earlier, I recommend sizing up. The “form fit” is not skin-tight and works amazingly well in removing any excess fabric that could uncomfortably bunch up under a backpack; however, this comes with a few limitations.
I found the Gore H5 ShakeDry Insulated jacket size small a little too tight in my shoulders when wearing a mid- or heavy-weight baselayer and the arms and hem on the short side. When hiking in the rain with hiking sticks I like more arm length to reduce exposure to my hands. I also like my rain jacket hems to hit at the hip. The Gore H5 ShakeDry Insulated jacket hits right at the tip-top of my hip bone.
Packablility
This is more of a “head’s up” than a “what could be better”. The Gore H5 ShakeDry Insulated jacket does not pack into its own pocket due to the Polartec Alpha Insulation. It’s not excessively bulky at all but its insulation is not nearly as compressible as down.
Final Thoughts
The Gore H5 ShakeDry Insulated jacket is without doubt the most impressive rain jacket I have come across. Like all Gore products, it is well-made of high-quality, durable materials. Its construction and materials also commands a $400 price tag. It’s also worth noting that it isn’t designed as a multi-sport jacket. It is niche rain jacket, designed for cold-weather “fast hiking”.
Fast hiking is moving quickly for long distances or over technical terrain, rather than taking your time watching birds, etc. If this describes you as a hiker, and you have opportunities to hike in high elevations or where the climate is colder, this is an absolutely ideal rain jacket.
