I am from the PNW and do a ton of hiking in the rain, this is how I came to have such a poor opinion of goretex. I’ll add that I sweat too much on a hard hike for goretex to keep up, which could be a physiological difference that makes it not work for me. Sweat will literally be pouring out the bottom of the shell.
For the light constant rain in the PNW, wool with the natural lanolin intact will keep me dry all day with incredible breathability. There are a few companies that make high end wool based gear. I’m also curious if you’ve actually tried a modern higher end polyurethane shell (not PVC) that has well designed vents all over it, or are you just talking about old fashioned PVC “oilskins” which lack good vents?
A couple of years ago, I did the Cape Wrath Trail (230 miles +/-) in the Scottish Highlands. 17 days with endless rain (+/-). I had a Mountain Equipment jacket and Rab non-goretex pants/trousers. Temperatures were mild. Can't imagine trying to wear wool (other than the smartwool t-shirt/fullsleeve tops I did wear). The GTX did wonderfully.
I would never wear GTX for trail running, for the reason you highlight. But then for trail running, short of a torrential downpour with cool/cold temps., I doubt I would wear anything waterproof at all.
It's a fair point that with venting, PU might be much better today than the PU shells of my youth, which were totally unvented.
For the light constant rain in the PNW, wool with the natural lanolin intact will keep me dry all day with incredible breathability. There are a few companies that make high end wool based gear. I’m also curious if you’ve actually tried a modern higher end polyurethane shell (not PVC) that has well designed vents all over it, or are you just talking about old fashioned PVC “oilskins” which lack good vents?