Paging the fabric gurus

I have pants I made from EPIC a number of years ago. I use them as ski pants on backcountry ski trips, and for that they work quite well. Highly wind resistant, very breathable, water resistant enough for skiing in wet snow – as in temps in the 30's and snowing and a high activity level. But I have also tried them in the rain and I get wet pretty quickly. I would not consider them rainwear. They do dry really fast after they get wet – the fabric clearly does not absorb much water.

Used this shell quite a bit since I made it, including in actual rain! Test temps have yet to exceed 35 F.

On a continuum from Houdini to Goretex Paclite, the Epic fabric is 3/4ths of the way to Paclite in terms of breathability. I can wear it skiing however, without getting frost buildup on the inside, something I could never do with G-tex. The Epic is exceptionally water resistant. Two weeks ago I was out skiing for five hours, in continuous precip: up for 3 hours from rain into snow, then back down into rain. I wetted out under the shoulder straps of my pack and on my forearms, but my upper arms and head stayed dryish. It is also the only fabric I've used the dries faster than Houdini fabric.

The Equilibrium is extraordinary fabric. It has very little resistance to moisture on the surface, but never seems to get all that wet even when soaked (sounds odd I know). It wicks and breathes very well. Comparing it to the fabric in my Patagonia Traverse Pullover, it seems a bit more windproof and quite a bit more breathable. Ideal for winter applications.

I think this shell will end up filling the niche I wanted it for, including as a go-fast summer rain shell. It seems water resistant and windproof enough for most conditions.

Keep the info coming, this has been a very informative thread to watch.

BTW, the PJ bottoms in the photo's- what special fabrics are they made of… and how do they function in their given environment?

I can't be sure, but I believe the PJs are cotton. Maybe some poly. They are on permanent loan from a hospital in Ohio following a concussion and clavicle fracture (mtn bike) while I was a teenager. They layer well with a terrycloth robe, and have held up to well over a decade of sitting around drinking coffee and reading the paper.