rei elements laminate?

bump

people cant be that anti rei here, can they?

Uhhn? I think it's more likely that no one has done extensive comparative testing between the fabrics used on two specific models of REI waterproof jacket…

was just wondering if someone else who has this jacket or the taku jacket could chime in…both are rei best sellers.

also, there are many people here who do state of the market reports on all the waterproof fabrics available. i was being a little sarcastic though, maybe you didnt catch that. just wanted some feedback from someone who knew more than me.

at least thanks for the bump.

I had one I used for a few years. My problem with it was the pit zips were fragile, and the softshell fabric tended to wet out.

I've since switched to a golite gore paclite shell.

the whole waterproof breatheable concept is one I'm not sold on. none of them work reliably well for long periods without a lot of maintenance.

The REI Elements laminate is a basic polyurethane laminate layer. It's the same stuff as the Marmot PreCip, Mountain Hardwear Conduit, etc. It's "wet layer" breathable, which means sweat has to condense on the inside in order to move through (and this is hindered, as with all WPB layers, in highly humid environments). So basically it will keep the rain off of you, but it's not (realistically) breathable so you will sweat in hot/humid areas. I have the REI Ultra Light, and I only wear it when I start getting cold in the rain. If it's raining and I'm warm then I just don't bother with a jacket.