Waterproof and breathable is a spectrum
Every waterproof shell is a compromise between keeping water out and letting vapour escape, and no membrane on sale wins that argument outright when you are working hard. Once your output exceeds what the fabric can move, you get wet from the inside and the label stops mattering.
Which is why mechanical ventilation — zips you can open — beats membrane marketing in practice. The Foray's full-length side zips are the most useful feature in this entire category and they are not a headline spec anywhere.
The bottom line
Buy the Foray. Keep a Frogg Toggs in the car boot anyway; it weighs nothing and has saved more days out than it has any right to.
Sources & evidence
What this verdict is built on. Sample build — these are placeholder references, not real citations.
Moisture vapour transmission rates across membrane types
Textile testing standard (placeholder)
Tell us we’re wrong
How many seasons before yours wetted out? DWR longevity is the number the industry never quotes.
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