I tried on a Kili at a cycle dealer up here once. It was one thick heavy SOB. I couldn't even imagine riding with that thing in the hot weather, liner or not.
Probably a very good cool weather jacket, but I like the versatility of my Darien jacket which vents fantastically, and is easy to layer up or pop a Gerbings in when it's cold.
I guess this is where we should acknowledge that what is gear that is solid 3 season for some is apparently only 2 or 4 season wear for others.
I tend to heat up rather quickly. In the 2+ years I've owned my Kili5.0 I've used it from 14 degrees (with a heated liner) up to the low 90's. I'm not going to lie, it sucked in the 90's and Hydratex is brezzy when the mercury plummets, but this is a great jacket. I've routinely used it on 80 degree days and had plenty of ventilation (the only place on the jacket that could use better ventilation is the arms). The vents on this jacket work.
Certainly I think its more than a little unfair to compare a $300 hydratex jacket (often available for far less-I paid $140 shipped for mine) against a $450 Gore-Tex jacket (sans liner-even though I use a gerbings instead its a nice liner that comes with the Kili); I'm pretty certain the Darien is a 3-layer Gore construction (therefore not needing a mesh scrim like a 2 layer gore garment would) whereas the Hydratex is definitely a 2 layer construction. If a 2 vs 3 layer in gore product differentiation= more weight then its definitely going to mean a heavier jacket in the Hydratex Kili.
The dozen or so people I know who have Darien jackets universally say they're uncomfortable as hell above the upper 80's, which is right about where I say my Kili begins to suck.
I'm not gonna lie, I will almost certainly be buying Gore-Tex riding gear for my next cool weather set. Windproof +Waterproof wins, to be sure. But while I'll probably get the Darien pants you couldn't pay me to purchase a Darien jacket. Its too damn ugly and not enough of an improvement over my Kili to be worth my attention. Just my 2 Krugerrand, mind you.
