Lightening up: dooReplace Windshirt (Houdini) and Rain Gear?

I can tell you your 2010 Houdini is still about the best you can do. There's lighter, but the function on the pre-2014 Houdini jackets is hard to beat.

Mountain Hardwear's Ghost Whisperer windshirt comes in lighter at like 2-3oz.

Thanks! I decided to keep the houdini for this reason.

However, I guess I can at least lighten up my rain gear

del

I don't want to leave the Houdini at home :) I basically want both, a good windshirt, and good rain gear.

Usually for multi day hikes, I don't take the windshirt. But if I know the weather before, I can take it and leave the rain gear at home for example.

I initially wanted a rain jacket that I can also use for trail running (in addition to backpacking) but I think the better choice is to get something like a neoshell for this purpose since they are a lot more breathable (but I'm not sure if it makes a huge difference). For backpacking they seem quite heavy.
Another option would be to have a lightweight one with vents, but it seems that there are not really a lot of options.

Currently I'm considering:

Montane Minimus Smock 146g
http://www.montane.co.uk/range/men/shell/minimus-smock
PERTEX® Shield +

Marmot Essence Jacket 164.4g
http://marmot.com/products/details/essence-jacket
NanoPro™ MemBrain®

Questions:

– Does anyone know how NanoPro Membrain compares to Pertex Shield+?
– Are there any lightweight ones that can be vented?
– Which are the lightest NeoShell and Event jackets and is the breathability noticeable with activities like trail running?

Christoph, you could get marginal improvements in your current setup, but that's it. The '10 Houdini is still one of the best compromises between durability, weight, breathability, and weather protection. The various PU laminates (e.g. the Montbell and Montane stuff cited) will be lighter, but won't work nearly as well when its actually raining hard.

I'd keep what you have.

Thanks for your opinion David!
I already decided to keep the houdini – like many here I don't mind the additional weight for the better breathability.. so right now only the rain gear is left :)

How do you mean the Montane/Marmot fabrics don't work as well in heavy rain.. because of the Event?

It's interesting that many outdoor brands now list values for the fabrics used.
Comparing them:

Marmot Essence, NanoPro Membrain
Waterproofness: 10,000 mm minimum JIS-L 1092
Breathability: 20,000 to 47,000 gm / 24h JIGS-1099 B1
11,700 to 12,500 gm / 24h JIGS-1099 A1
CFM: 0.14 to 0.20 CFM Air Permeability
Hohenstein RET: 2.9 to 4.0
Technology: 2.5 Microporous lamination with Dry Touch finish

Montane Minimus Shmock PERTEX® Shield +
53g/m² 2.5 layer 15 denier with a 40 denier rip-stop 100% nylon with microporous coating and internal 'mesh' print
Waterproof to a minimum of 20,000 hydrostatic head and with a minimum MVTR of 25,000g/m²/25hrs (JIS L 1099 B-1)

It seems that (if I interpret this right) the Essence is slightly more breathable.
Is this difference even noticeable? Is membrain "better" than pertex shield+ for sports?

I think you have great wind and rain gear and would not change a bit.

The Rab Demand is not that heavy and will breathe quite a bit better than either of those PU laminates from Marmot and Montane. But even the Demand with eVent won't be great for high exertion. I have the Demand pull over too and like it better than anything else I have used. It's at least a reasonable weight for its good performance. The PU coated fabric of the Marmot and Montane will not breathe as well.

Yeah, keep the Houdini.

The breathability of eVent is obviously a very nice thing to have. Rab has also proven to have a very good DWR (something Montbell, for instance, comes up short on), and an excellent hood (miles better than Marmot, for example). I also think stiffer fabrics (which tend to be a bit heavier, but not always) are superior for sustained rain, in that they keep the jacket off you a little bit which in turn keeps you warmer.

In summary, I think the above features are at least as relevant as the laminate used. There are probably some options available which might help you shave a bit of weight (Haglofs Gram Comp), but if your Rab is going strong I don't think the $/performance ratio makes much sense.

I've decided to keep the gear and maybe replace it next year :)