The myth of the waterproof shell

if your out in wet conditions long enough you’re going to get wet to some degree either from sweat or precip. Andy Kirkpatrick has a few good articles on his site about keeping emphasising comfort over waterpoofness. In wet conditions I like pile or micro-gtid material next to skin with a wind shell over. something like patagonia r1 + houdini combination or rab vaporize if you prefer integrated. Then simple srain shell over that. the pile/wind shell combo stops condensation from rain jacket from chilling you and provides warmth when damp.

a light one by Outdoor Research can’t remember tthe model name. if I were doing more technical winter climbing I’d go for something more robust.
I think the fleece (or grid fleece style baselayer) + wind shell works really well. Just layer over at rest breaks or belays or if conditions really turn worse.

There is such a thing as waterproof clothing. My Gore-Tex dry-suit is waterproof. I can be submerged in water, and no water will leak in.

But I have often been wondering if this Gore-Tex fabric has anything in common with the Gore-Tex fabric used for over-the-water clothing, except the name.