Lightweight rain shell

Paclite does breathe a bit better than the Patagonia material (possibly Toray Entrant). I would suggest an alternative that had pit zips or other venting options. I have had good experience with the older Golite Phantom jacket (paclite) which has both pitzips and mesh lined chest pockets which also vent (13 oz. in L). You should also look at the reviews on eVENT jackets on this site ( this material breathes better than GT or what Patagonia uses but tends to be colder in Alpine situations—good for backpacking, maybe not as good for alpine mtneering or Winter use. There are varying opinions on this and I may eventually decide that superior breathability trumps all other considerations.

if weight is a primary consideration, you may want to look for the lightest iterations of GT paclite—the OR Zealot weighs in at 7.5 oz. in a L—no pitzips, one pocket. I personally use (the seasonally available) Patagonia Specter Pullover (6 and change oz. in a men's L)–same material as the Spraymaster in a lighter fabric, deep partial zip and venting kangaroo pkt.

Brian,
Kevin's analysis is well thought out. I do not have experience with those options, so I can only comment from personal experience.. If money is no object, go straight for eVENT fabric; I suggest the Integral Designs thru-hiker. I've owned two eVENT jackets, and nothing breathes better. However, I sold the Teva because it was too heavy and sold the Integral Designs because it was too small in a medium. So for now I am using a North Face Diad, which breathes like goretex, has an adjustable hood, full zip, pit zips, taped seams, chest pocket, wrist adjustments, waist cord, etc.. and weighs between 240 and 270g (about 9oz) in medium. It has worked for me over capilene 1 in summer rain, and over a down jacket in wet snowfall. I highly recommend it if you are not paying for eVENT; especially if you can get it on sale/used. But still, I will replace it when I can afford the I.D. again. (I'm on a no-cost gear budget- I sell old gear to finance all new gear)

(I'm wearing the DIAD in my avatar pic)

http://www.google.com/products?q=north+face+diad+jacket&hl=en&show=dd

Or get the very breathable and full-featured MontBell Peak Shell jacket for just 1-2 ounces more. In terms of breathability, I (and others) rank this jacket just behind eVENT, and way ahead of Goretex XCR.

I have not had the chance to use it in the extremes, the fit is absolutely perfect for me. I can't tell if the material stretches or not the cut is so good. It feels like I am wearing a light cotton long sleeve shirt. The fit is a little more slim than the L Houdini. I am 185lbs 5'11".

The material of the Spraymaster is very soft and very compactable.

Does anyone have any experience with the Wild Things SL Alpinist Jacket? It's an eVENT shell – but seems to be pretty heavy compared to other options (@ 16 oz).

Like most of their products, the ST is bomber gear designed for alpine mtneering. Minimal weight is not W. T.'s primary concern but I think that they made reasonable compromises to keep the weight down and still have a reasonable feature set for it's intended use.

If I were looking for a hardshell whose use is primarily for backpacking, I would probably look elsewhere—you won't need a helmet compatible hood, for example. Oz. can be shaved. If interested in eVENT I would look at the ID jackets or the Montane Quickfire reviewed on this site. Of course, IMHO.

My favorite is still the Patagonia Spectre. I have been using a Rab Drillium for several months and like it a lot, but the Spectre is a lot lighter and does all that is required.

Ed

Kevin, any idea how the ID eVENT jackets compare to the OR Zealot? They are in the same price range. By the way – I do need a helmet compatible hood as I do some alpine climbing as well.