Another rain jacket thread

I think the membrane delaminates when it absorbs body oils and sweat.  Not from old age.  Maybe eVent is worse than Gore Tex.

I have a heavy Gore Tex jacket that’s maybe 20 years old and is still waterproof.  I haven’t used it a lot because it’s heavy.

I think any of the WPB versions are similar in performance

Just to clarify, WPB stuff is always rain resistant, not waterproof. In rains and drizzle extending for an hour or more, they will usually wet out. Waterproof stuff does not, but you may get sweat soaked.

I much prefer to hike cool, or wet in warm weather. Usually, I bring along a cheap Wally World jacket. Nylon with PVC liner. These weigh in at about 8oz or so. I always buy them extra large for me. They fit over my down jacket and fleece if it is very cold, but otherwise the jacket is loose and floppy. The sleeves hang down below my hands. Ha, they probably make me look like a real bum. But I don’t really care…the bears don’t seem to mind either.

These cost 20-30 dollars and last 4-5 years. They are rugged enough that off trail stuff does not seem to bother them, but cheap enough that I do not care if I get an occasional hole in them going through a pine forest. Duct tape works pretty well and lasts as long as they do. When the inner tape starts going bad, I often seal the seams till they get get really ragged. I wear my hat under the hood, so I do not care about a lot of hood features. Nor do I care about pit zips, they are large enough to ventilate easily if they are not tightly zipped.

I know a lot of people have the experience that WPB just wets out and isn’t effective

I do a lot of backpacking in Oregon and Washington and experience a lot of rain, especially extended periods of light rain.  EVent and Gore Tex both keep me dry inside.  Body heat causes water vapor to exit.  Even if it starts getting wet, it’ll dry out after a while.

Yeah, if it’s above 40 or 50 F and I’m exercising I’ll get sweaty inside.  If it’s not too windy I’ll unzip the front so there’s a lot more evaporation.  I’ve never found pit zips to be very effective – too small an area – you need to unzip the front to make a big opening.  Other strategies are to slow down or duck under cover until the heavy rain stops.

Occasionally I’ll get wet (warm and heavier rain) so I have to revert to plan B – wear as little as possible so when it gets wet, it’ll dry out quickly when I stop exercising.  WPB jacket will dry out after a while.

I wouldn’t worry about unused old stock. I haven’t experienced any issues with “closet time” in any reasonable time. I’ve seen jackets and bivies experience coating deterioration, but they were quite old— 10 years plus and poor storage conditions.

Delamination on typical 2.5 layer stuff is more from abrasion and dirt/body oils, especially in the neck and shoulders. DWR takes a hit where the shoulder straps rub.

Careful laundering makes a difference in performance and longevity.

A poncho solves all these problems.

If you plan on wearing this rather than carrying it in your pack a bunch and don’t want to spend alot of money, I might look at a Gore Tex shell (or eVent) from Cabelas or REI.  I think Gore Tex is a lot more durable than the 2.5 layer “proprietary” stuff.