Windshirts — Breathability vs. Wind Blocking

[Brett .]

.. I should have known my question was flawed; There are no stupid questions, only stupid people ha ha… just kidding. We are all learning; sometimes me more than others. Ill read the article at that link.

[Arapiles .]

There was an article on Outdoorsmagic (http://www.outdoorsmagic.com/default.asp?sp=&v=1) earlier this year which argued, with photos, that eVent WASN'T windproof. It was quite a negative article, unlike their usually positive spin on eVent. The article now appears to have disappeared – perhaps not unrelated to the fact that eVent sponsors OM?

There's also been a few user reviews of the Rab eVent jackets alleging that they leak (but at least some of the complaints were about the "waterproof" zips on the pockets): apparently Gore has been suggesting that eVent will leak if if gets contaminated by dirt or oil (which was the purpose of the PU membrane in Gore-Tex).

[Woubeir (from Europe)]

Damian, are you refering to this article. I wouldn't call it negative though.

http://www.outdoorsmagic.com/news/article/mps/UAN/3921/V/2/SP/

[Arapiles .]

Hi Tom

I'd just found that article and was going to post the link – I guess it is the one I was thinking of – but I recall the article I read as being more pointed about a fabric that bubbles like that therefore not being windproof.

p.s., I noticed that you commented on the article …

[Chris Jackson]

The fact that eVENT is not entirely windproof is usually an advantage, IMHO. It means you stay cooler when wearing an eVENT jacket in the rain, compared to PU or goretex. Since you'll be cooler you'll sweat less and stay drier. In very cold conditions, when you want to stay warm rather than cool, you can wear a windshirt under the eVENT shell to block the drafts.

BTW, Ryan Jordan says that he finds gore paclite to be too drafty for use as a winter alpine jacket. I find that surprising, since I don't understand how the draft gets through the PU layer.

[Arapiles .]

I use Paclite for winter alpine walks, in temperatures down to what I know was -14 C. A jacket with a thin face fabric does feel colder than a thicker one, but I had less condensation problems with the Paclite over Goretex XCR.

[Miguel Arboleda]

I'm curious… why do so few people make rain hats out of eVent? I think it would be the perfect fabric for that. The only ones I've found over the last few years are the never to be realized Bushman Hat from hats from Watership hats. There are gaitors and gloves and jackets and pants and bivies made from eVent, so why not rain hats???

As for windbreakers, I own a Montane Lite-Speed, and unlike my other collection of millions of items of redundant gear (^J^)/" , it is the only windshirt I have and the only one I need. I figure windshirts are there to act as a first layer of defense against wind, only secondly to repel water. The Lite-Speed does a great job even with the latter, so I wear it more than any other outer piece of gear, right down to drizzles. The heat from my body dries out most of the moisture on the surface of the fabric; I only break out my Montane Superfly when the rain really comes down.

I also use, instead of the Superfly/ Lite-Speed combo, the Paramo system (I have a Cascada jacket) for both wind and rain, throughout the year. I have found there is nothing more breathable and waterproof at the same time. Others complain about how warm the Paramo system is, but I actually find it quite cold on the high ridges and always need a warm insulation layer to keep the wind from chilling me. I wear the Paramo system most of the time like a waterproof shirt, with just a thin wool base layer underneath. If it gets so warm that the Paramo system is too hot, then for me it's warm enough to hike without any rain gear at all, just letting myself get wet. Once I slow down I don the Paramo jacket and within a few minutes its superb wicking abilities have me all dried out. The Paramo system has a lot of controversy and there are those who hate it and love it, but personally there is nothing out there that works as well in terms of breathability. The system isn't intuitive until you've tried it.

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