The breathable stuff is clearly wonderful. They
work well with cold weather too. I started with the b=mountaineering stuff back in 1979 when it first came out the new stuff is even better and the marine stuff is better than that when you are comparing the top end stuff. The basic Gortex membrane technology has been well demonstrated for more than 25 years but the design, construction and the specifics on the various laminated fabrics varies greatly.
We also have some really
cheap gortex jackets and pants from Bass Pro (complete with hideously ugly logo's) that are nice but only in fair weather. It was $69 for pants and $69 for jackets on
sale. It's not the same as the better marine
clothing but you need light weight stuff in addition to heavy serious weather gear. Details like the fit of the
hood are only really nice in the better gear. You need a lot of adjustment ability in the
hood to be able to see and stay dry. You can spend a lot of
money on good foul weather gear. You could say hey we are going to low latitudes and won't need them, but when you need them, if you need them you'll be glad to have them.