The Goldilocks of shells?

[E221b]

One thing I'd keep in mind, Gore Tex is a series of membranes, not a product in and of itself. Gore makes some requirements around fabric for their Gore Pro membranes, but the rest is up to the manufacturer. Both the outer fabric and inner liner fabric (and whether the latter is bonded or sewn in as a separate layer) impacts the breathe of the garment. So I'd look at the garments themselves than slashing things off the list because they shared a membrane with a military issued jacket that could very easily be a drastically different jacket. (Especially because good venting will trounce any difference in membrane breathe. Nothing on the market transports air & moisture as well as a gaping hole in your jacket). Also, the Arc'teryx does this thing with the Macai that drives me nuts. 3 layer construction is great for shells, but wholly unnecessary for insulated pieces. There's already going to be a separate liner by default to hold the insulation. Bonding that extra layer of protection on the underside of the membrane does little more than appeal to the customer who was told that the best waterproofing is 3 layer. Lower grade fill and synthetic insulation also do little to give a proper indication of how the membrane itself breathes.

It doesn't sound like you need a lot of waterproofing. I'd also consider membrane & fabric durability/maintenance (for example, Neoshell's membrane is PU, that's hydrophobic & only very slowly compromised by dirt/oil/sunscreen. eVent is also super breathable, way more waterproof than Neoshell, but needs frequent washing to hold up long term). Gore Pro is also really breathable, but if you don't need the waterproofing as well, it's easy to find a cheaper option. Some models I'd look at:

-Arc'teryx Cassiar - 3L Gore Tex Performance, but has the removable hood
-Mountain Equipment Dispersion Jacket - has a stowable hood, but only claims to be water resistant. Uses a new Gore Tex product called Infinium. They claim it's only water resistant and not waterproof, but no standard exists separating the two. (REI uses 3k mm hydrostatic pressure, Evo uses a 5k cut off, and the rest of the Gore Tex line is 20k+. They just don't cover it with the "guaranteed to keep you dry" promise, so it could easily be 5-10k and below their bar)
-Anything with Polartec Neoshell (pretty heavily used by Strafe)
-Marmot Castle Peak if you want some insulation (combines Neoshell with a thin layer of Polartec Alpha Direct, a really great midlayer material for regulating temps)
-OR Skyward II jacket (uses a proprietary membrane that's similar to Neoshell in that it's electrospun, both have similar performance)
-Norrona Gore Active Lofoten or Lyngen - both Gore Active with Gore's C-knit backer. The knit's more durable than the typical woven backer used in shells - think t-shirt material vs. button down dress shirt. (It's softer/less crunchy), but it's not as durable or protective.
-Mountain Hardwear High Exposure - same deal as above
-Anything with North Face Futurelight, I think (haven't gotten a sample, good chance I won't). Also electrospun like OR's membrane & neoshell.

All the stuff I was going to type, but now I don’t have to! Props to @Analisa
For a deep dive on this stuff, check out this article on Blister: https://blisterreview.com/features/outerwear-101

 

[Dos-Equis]

One thing I'd keep in mind, Gore Tex is a series of membranes, not a product in and of itself. Gore makes some requirements around fabric for their Gore Pro membranes, but the rest is up to the manufacturer. Both the outer fabric and inner liner fabric (and whether the latter is bonded or sewn in as a separate layer) impacts the breathe of the garment. So I'd look at the garments themselves than slashing things off the list because they shared a membrane with a military issued jacket that could very easily be a drastically different jacket. (Especially because good venting will trounce any difference in membrane breathe. Nothing on the market transports air & moisture as well as a gaping hole in your jacket). Also, the Arc'teryx does this thing with the Macai that drives me nuts. 3 layer construction is great for shells, but wholly unnecessary for insulated pieces. There's already going to be a separate liner by default to hold the insulation. Bonding that extra layer of protection on the underside of the membrane does little more than appeal to the customer who was told that the best waterproofing is 3 layer. Lower grade fill and synthetic insulation also do little to give a proper indication of how the membrane itself breathes.

It doesn't sound like you need a lot of waterproofing. I'd also consider membrane & fabric durability/maintenance (for example, Neoshell's membrane is PU, that's hydrophobic & only very slowly compromised by dirt/oil/sunscreen. eVent is also super breathable, way more waterproof than Neoshell, but needs frequent washing to hold up long term). Gore Pro is also really breathable, but if you don't need the waterproofing as well, it's easy to find a cheaper option. Some models I'd look at:

-Arc'teryx Cassiar - 3L Gore Tex Performance, but has the removable hood
-Mountain Equipment Dispersion Jacket - has a stowable hood, but only claims to be water resistant. Uses a new Gore Tex product called Infinium. They claim it's only water resistant and not waterproof, but no standard exists separating the two. (REI uses 3k mm hydrostatic pressure, Evo uses a 5k cut off, and the rest of the Gore Tex line is 20k+. They just don't cover it with the "guaranteed to keep you dry" promise, so it could easily be 5-10k and below their bar)
-Anything with Polartec Neoshell (pretty heavily used by Strafe)
-Marmot Castle Peak if you want some insulation (combines Neoshell with a thin layer of Polartec Alpha Direct, a really great midlayer material for regulating temps)
-OR Skyward II jacket (uses a proprietary membrane that's similar to Neoshell in that it's electrospun, both have similar performance)
-Norrona Gore Active Lofoten or Lyngen - both Gore Active with Gore's C-knit backer. The knit's more durable than the typical woven backer used in shells - think t-shirt material vs. button down dress shirt. (It's softer/less crunchy), but it's not as durable or protective.
-Mountain Hardwear High Exposure - same deal as above
-Anything with North Face Futurelight, I think (haven't gotten a sample, good chance I won't). Also electrospun like OR's membrane & neoshell.

Thanks a lot. That was really incredibly detailed and helpful! I ended up ordering a few jackets to check out:

Arc’teryx cassiar
Mountain hardwear tenacity pro
Mountain hardwear compulsion
Mountain hardwear alakazam
eddie Bauer neoteric
Marmot castle peak
Marmot storm king

some of those were discontinued years ago and I had to venture into the dregs of the internet to find them.

although it’s insulated and lacks the structured collar, I decided to keep the castle peak.

It literally felt at least twice as air permeable as even the other NeoShell jackets. The insulation is moderately warm but seems so airy that the pit zips can clear out the trapped heat very easily, so you get the best of all words.

thanks for your help everyone!

 

[Uncle-A]

The shell that is high quality and performance that I feel comfortable with is the Eddie Bauer Weather Edge and if there are any still around the First Assent line of EB is very good.

 

[tromano]

Recommend a bib if snow is getting in your pants. Much better than a powder skirt.

The outerlayer/shell parka is imo the least important piece of clothing from a resort skiers perspective. Start at the next to skin layer and work outward for comfort. Pants are more important since they are closer to the snow, ski edges, and skiers move the legs more than torso.

Any $100 rainshell off the rack from (insert sporting goods retailer here) will let you ski the resort in relative comfort if your base and insulation layering is right.