eVent Gear?

You will hear most people around here talking about the Integral Designs Event jacket. I have one and love it – first time I ever felt myself dry out while wearing a waterproof jacket. It is pretty minimal in features, no pockets and no pit zips, which puts some people off, but at 9oz is about the lightest Event jacket option. Some folks recommend the Thru-hiker model for better below the waist coverage. You might also check out the Rab Drillium, which is more full featured, but a few oz heavier. Good luck with your choice.

The thru-hiker also has a more protective hood, and my XL Thru-
hiker is 11.3 oz (with waist drawcord removed…my backpack hipbelt takes care of that).

I have a Montane eVent jacket that I received as a gift. Believe you me, eVent is not all hype. It's incredible.

Montane, if you can afford it, makes excellent garments. They have a whole range of weights and functionalities.

Living between a rainforest and an ocean, I get to torture-test breathability and venting when I'm doing anything from walking to work to hiking for a week. No Gore Tex garment I ever owned was even in the same league with eVent.

Another vote for Montane.

The lightest in the range is the Quickfire but it's still very well specced and performs well enough for English rain – which is a high recommendation!

I'll add my voice to the chorus of praise for the ID Event jacket. I've never managed to get wet inside it, even up here in the soggy Northwest. You can get plenty of venting, if necessary, by unzipping the front as required. I prefer the shorter version because it's lighter and I always hike the back of my jacket up aove my pack's hipbelt for comfort anyway.

I have the Rab Drillium and I too, am convinced of the worth of eVent. I tend to perspire easily and I have found Gore-Tex, Paclite, etc not much good at keeping me dry on the inside in foul weather. After perspiring too heavily in my Marmot Precip while hiking this fall in a rain/snowstorm in 35 degree temps with a wind blowing, I decided to try the Rab. At about 12oz for size L, it is equal to my Precip in weight and is fully-featured. I wore the Rab while snowshoeing this winter during a snowstorm with temperatures in the low 30s. Even though I was breaking trail in heavy snow with a 20lb pack and had the hood up and the parka zipped completely, I was completely dry from both perspiration and precipitation. I wore the parka for approximately 5 hours without taking it off, and this period covered both snow and rain. I have never found a product that could keep me dry like that! The fit is slim, similar to that of Patagonia's slim fit products, but I can still fit my Montbell down sweater under it. Rab products seem to feature a wire brim in the hood so they need to be stuffed carefully to avoid having to reshape the brim after unpacking. I tend to store clothing loose in my pack so this is not an issue for me.

As for Montane and Integral Designs, I believe their products too are of the highest standards. Everything I own from ID is made in Canada rather than China, as is the case with some products, at least, from Rab & Montane. As a side note, I have a windshirt from Rab in Pertex Quantum and a similar product from Montane in Pertex Microlight. The Montane is a better fit and much more breathable.

Does anyone know why the makers of Event have not let anyone make gear with this stuff? I dont understand why someone that has such a great product like this will not let it out for people to make products with. They might just miss the window of opportunity. In this mad science world of get rich quick someone has to be making something better. So whats the hold up Event, lets see some new stuff. Start selling it at $10 a square yard and dominate the market.

Rant over
Jeff

What is the name of the Montane eVent jacket — URL? Weight/size?

eVent is willing and able to get big into the U.S. market; they're all over the place in Europe and Canada. Rab, Montane, Vaude, ID, Westcomb and many others OUTSIDE the U.S. have extensive lines of product. Problem is, their opponent here is W. L. Gore…and Gore has a stranglehold on this market. Gore is not unlike Microsoft in their dominant position in their industry, and like MS they do whatever they can to crush competition. One major domestic name brand – Arcteryx, TNF spring to mind – needs to step up and give us what we want despite Gore's influence; until that happens eVent is mostly mail-order-overseas gear despite its superiority.

Another vote here for the Montane Superfly jacket, it is excellent if slightly heavy by UL standards.

REI is coming out with an eVent version of the shuksan jacket next year, hopefully that'll spur some more mainstream manufacturers into using eVent.

Why dont they make it available to the do it your selfer then?

hi-jack over

The one thing I'm having a hard time finding? A simple eVent pullover with a hood…

Here's some eVent gear at Montane:

http://montane.co.uk/productlist.php?rid=11&rn=eVent%AE

I have the Superfly XT jacket, which is way way overkill (and overweight) but is a dream in wet snow or sustained rain. Tonnes of venting options, tonnes of pockets, etc.

Not something I would have bought myself but something I'm always happy to put on!

Hi Brian. I've got a hooded event pull-on from UK company Crux. The smock is to be updated later this year. Brilliant bit of kit. Here's a link.
http://www.crux.uk.com/en/crux_clothing_flak_smock.php

Take a look at the Westcomb Cruiser anorak

http://www.backpackinglight.com/cgi-bin/backpackinglight/westcomb_specter_lt_hooded_jacket_orwm08.html

http://basecampcomm.com/westcomb_pr/posts/view/6

Jason Livingston should be able to tel you more because currently they are difficult to find.

Hey sweet that company is about 20 minutes from my house!

Wow; a coveted piece of lightweight gear that's from Canada rather than the US or the UK! (ID is a Canadian company, too, but it's sold everywhere.)

Must stop by their store…