My rain pants are coated nylon and I too question bothering to take them in August. In May you'll want to stay dry because there's always a windy cold front that follows rain.

I have two high quality anorak style (pullover) tops. They are exactly the same design. One is coated nylon with a moisture disbursing liner and the other is GoreTex. Both are >15 yrs old and work as well as new after ironing or DWR treatments. The GoreTex is far more comfortable.

The shell needs to be clean for GoreTex to work properly. Once the shell is saturated, moisture will begin to condense and you will get damp in that area. For me, it's the arms and shoulders. I wonder how often condensation is mistaken for leakage. None of mine leak anywhere to my knowledge.

There are two things I really like about my jacket. The wrists have adjustable neoprene cuffs so paddling is still dry and the hand-warmer pockets are above the elbows. I thought that was an odd placement until the first time it rained and my hands found the pockets.

Staying dry and warm in May is priceless! It's at least worth a few extra bucks on something that should last many years. I'll admit my shell is a bit overkill in summer but it's what I have although a decent   (You need to Login or Register might be nice. If I wasn't so frugal...  ;D

I normally wear a long sleeve cotton shirt and once in a while I'll forget to roll the sleeves up a bit under the jacket. When I forget, the sleeves will wick moisture up from the neoprene cuffs all the way to my elbows. Arrrgh!