by slparker » Tue 20 Nov, 2018 6:43 pm
I still think a marmot driclime is the most versatile of my shell garments (I also have a couple of 'windshirts '. A pile inner with a low cfm outer. I can walk/ski/cycle all day in cool - cold weather and it withstands light and intermittent rain - the sort of alpine weather that has you taking a rain jacket off and on again if you didn’t have a driclime on. The moisture in the garment just evaporates away as soon as the rain stops.
It has a low cfm so technically isn’t as good for the outdoors as a more air permeable garment but that doesn’t stop me reaching for it every time I load my pack. I run hot, walk fast, sweat freely but still rate this low air permeable garment. I get the science behind the 30cfm thing but in practice when you saturate a garment with sweat like I do The pile interior comes into its own. I consider it a heavy duty windshirt but in no way is it a hard shell.
To answer your question, the crossing point, in my opinion, is an air permeable membrane garment. Anything less is really just a windshell, especially given the poor DWR of garments these days.