How cold does it get where you live? How wet does it get? I live in the UK where we dont get much snow. I use a goretex shell and a polartec fleece, if it gets really cold I use a down jacket inside the goretex shell instead of a fleece. Like others have said I would recommend Patagonia, though it can be harder to get in some European countries. Another brand would be Arc'teryx as they provide a great service repairing older jackets. My current set of goretex shells: I have one from Arc'teryx (with more of an tighter fit which I use with thinner fleece mid layers and one from Nike's ACG range which has been surprisingly good (and can fit my down jacket mid layer underneath). I mostly use north face fleece jackets as a mid layer and use a Mammut down jacket as a mid layer when things get cold.