Integral Designs eVENT Jacket or Thru Hiker?

The Thru Hiker was my choice. I really like the length for rain with wind. I am 5'-9" and 205#. My jacket is size Extra Large. It allows me to layer underneath if necessary. The sleeves are long enough to cover my hands which helps with temperature control. I can't say enough about the eVent. I've never been able to sweat enough to overcome the breathability of this jacket. It's a little heavier than some other rain jackets but is still light enough that it doubles as a wind shell too.

I just finished a week on the Lost Coast and it rained for most of three days. With my ID Thru Hiker I was always warm and dry.

Dirk, I bought the jacket, and it is tailored very short, as well as being very trim. I sold it and intend on eventually buying the thru-hiker for the extra length; and Im ordering a size up; L, and Im 5'10". Extra length ensures it overlaps your wind/rain pants when bending, and keeps it under a harness if your into class3+ stuff.

I have had an ID eVENT jacket for about 6 months. I have been happy with it so far but I have yet to use it in a serious downpour. I am 5'7" and 150 lb and I have a medium that fits me well but I like athletic cut clothing. I just wished the hem was 2 inches longer in the front. The breathibilty of the eVENT is great but I have been able to exceed the breathability during strenous hiking (i.e. hiking 4 mph uphill).

I have the Thru-Hiker and went with it for the added length. I have had shorter jackets in the past (not ID's) and when crouching in camp ( e.g. trying to setup my tent in a downpour) water would get under my rain protection via the gap that would open between the jacket and pants.

I like the thru-hiker because there is plenty of overlap. My understanding is that the cut of the thru-hiker is a little less form-fitting which helps with layering. This winter I was able to layer a North Face nupse jacket beneath it without overly compressing the down.

I love the jacket, and would purchase again in a heartbeat. I also own ID's eVent Rain pants and like them quite a bit. I am 5'9 155lbs and the Medium fits me perfectly.

Dennis –

Glad to hear that you like the jacket. You tested it on in a good place, the Lost Coast is an excellent location for rain testing. I went to college up the road at Humboldt State. Fog, wind and rain are pretty typical of the area and I am sure were staples of your hike. I hope you enjoyed it! The roads out there take quite a bit of time to get to; a great reason to visit as it never is crowded.

Thanks for the information. I am glad you are enjoying the jacket.

Brett –

Thanks for the information. You echo a lot of the sentiments I've read about the jacket. Ordering a size up is a consideration. My weight generally fluctuates between 165-185 depending on the season (winter is a dark microbrew drinking season here in Washington and trust me, it doesn't help – I've got to do more snow travel next year.) Obviously you are taller, I am shorter, so I wonder if I would be better served with a medium…Alas, decisions, decisions.

I completely agree with the desire for overlapping, I find that helps keep the heat in and rain out. Do you find the jacket breathes well?

Thanks for taking the time to answer my questions!

Dirk

Stuart –

Four miles per hour uphill? Yikes, you must have been really flying. I am always amazed (and humbled) by the number of people who shoot by me on the trail like I am standing still (and I feel like I am working pretty hard).

I have heard great things about the ability of eVent to breathe in wet conditions and dry out quick. I hope the jacket proves itself under those considerations for you.

Thanks for the information, it is greatly appreciated.

Dirk

Brett B –

Another vote for the thru hiker!

Glad to hear that you have had good luck with the jacket. And thank you for the cut information about the thru-hiker. The "snugness" factor is a concern. I am stocky and would like to layer this jacket if at all possible.

I am also interested in the pants. Do you find that they are tough enough for bushwhacking?

Thanks again for providing that information.

Dirk

I mean I do not have the eVENT pants. I only bought the jacket and sold it when it did not fit. I doubt I would buy the pants due to the cost.
I'm now thinking the thru-hiker will be long enough and cut looser, to buy medium. It is difficult to find a store with that item here in Tokyo, but it would be worth it to try on before dropping a couple Washingtons.

PS, its always beer drinking season here in Japan, but homebrews are hard to find.
I was stationed twice at Ft. Lewis and have great memories of the Seattle area.

Brett –

Thank you for the clarification, I re-read your post and don't really understand know how I could have become that confused.

It's good to hear that you once lived in this area. I live in Olympia and pass Ft. Lewis when I work in Tacoma. I am sure you visited Mt. Rainier on occasion while you were stationed here. You should see how it has changed since the Big Flood in November. Sunshine Point campground just inside the main gate at Nisqually is gone, they had massive landslides, the road to Paradise was cut (it's recently reopened), the park is a pretty big mess. The Wonderland Trail is closed for this season, which is saying something, since that trail was one of the (relatively) long-distance gems of the National Park System.

Park crews and volunteers are doing a great job getting the park together. I you haven't seen some of the damage, check this out: (warning this is a fairly sizeable PDF file) http://www.nps.gov/mora/parknews/upload/floodPP.pdf

Sunday I will be attending a microbrew festival in Seattle and will raise a toast toward Japan in your honor. Thanks again for the help and clarification.

Stuart-
Regarding bushwhacking with the pants. They are durable and I have done a little bushwhacking with them (mostly through thorns and Pennsylvania underbrush). Due to the price I would be reticent to abuse them too much, however I don’t feel I need to treat them with kid gloves. What drew me to them was their flexibility. The breathability is very good, and because of that I use them like wind pants (for instance when hiking in 45-50 degree dry weather). They are obviously great rain pants, and when I have gotten a little overzealous and pushed my WM Caribou sleeping back into the low 20’s, I have worn them as another layer inside my sleeping bag. They are also very nice to just wear around camp.
Brett

Dirk,

I was hiking uphill at 4 mph so I could test the breathability of the jacket. I can only maintain a pace like that for 30 minutes.

Wow! Now that's truly impressive. I was able to get to 3.6 on a treadmill test last week. I only had to do 2 minutes at that pace before my doctor said he was terminating the test. My pulse rate was 152 and I was p–ped. He said my target heart rate was 137 and I had to beg him to let me keep going. I had signed a waiver that if I dropped dead it wasn't their fault.

.. and toast you, and the soggy Seattle area, with a frosty Asahi tonight.. It's already Friday here ha ha..! Instead of TGIF, here they call Friday night partying 'Hanakin' (sounds suspicously like Heineken to me..)

…if I had the money.

But I didn't so I got Cabela's Rainy River PAC LITE Gore-Tex rain suit at about $170. for parkas and pants.

"Medium Light" but tough.

Eric

I've been testing the Thru-Hiker. Compared to my Frogg Toggs abd DriDucks, it's about as breathable but heavier. Compared to my Montane 180 smock, it is a lot heavier and really still too short in length for my tastes (but more breathable). I can't imagine how short the original one must have been… It also lacks the brim stiffener of the Montane, and this has caused me some strife in blowing rain. This means I'm either going to have to add a stiffener too it, or carry a peaked cap to wear underneath (as I do for Frogg Toggs and Driducks). Now if they would take the Event fabric and make a Montane 180 out of it, I would be a very happy hiker. As for size, it is plenty wide enough for layering, very long in the arms, but not long enough in the body to cover my longest insulating layers. I regret buying it, for the price I could have bought a heck of a lot more Driducks to compensate for their lack of durability.

Allison:

Your experience with Driducks is exactly the same as mine — I too find it extremely breathable. Much have been written about the fragility of Driduck's non-woven fabric — but for pretty much all hikes — bushwhacking excepted — the fabric is actually quite durable. I do trail hikes, and I've hiked for hours on end with a full backpack over my Driducks — it's going on its fourth year — with no wear on either the fabric or the coating underneath! Best $15 I've ever spent on any piece of gear.