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As somebody who spends most of their time on the Celtic and Nordic fringes, Im a big fan of non-breathable PU (fishermans) waterproofs.

I think breathability is an overrated quality for waterproof fabrics. Zips and vents combined with waterproofness and robustness is the way to go.

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As somebody who lives in PNW, my take is the exact opposite: waterproofness is the overrated quality, because the most commonly used fabrics are way more waterproof than necessary to completely block out even extremely heavy rain. On the other hand, breathability means a lot less sweat on the move. The difference between e.g. classic Gore-Tex and NeoShell is night and day.

Based on my PNW experience having a hard shell is rarely worth it, unless you are static. Otherwise softshell jackets is the way to go, much more breathable and fast drying.

I'd say it's very much worth it when hiking out in a downpour in winter.

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