Help with finding the right eVent Hardshell

needs to be 3 layer fabric and the fit needs to be ideal for layering

Well since the criteria has changed. Never mind.

No the products page shows their products , i.e. their fabrics, Their news section features products using their materials but for some reason some of the links lead to dead webpages ….

I’m currently Looking at the Westcomb Shift LT or the slightly heavier Apoc
the Helly Hansen Alpha 3.0 or the slightly heavier Odin 9 Worlds

and to update the OP, it doesn’t necessarily have to be eVent I guess, Polartech, GTX, etc, all are fine

Perhaps the safest bet now is GTX PRO (not regular GTX or GTX Pro Shell); it’s also air-permeable and probably more durable and durably waterproof then eVent or Polartec Neoshell.

GTX is nice stuff, especially the GTX Pro and GTX Active Shell, and I’m completely fine with a GTX shell

However through endless research it seems that the latest/newest/ improvements in waterproofing + breathability have come from polartec with their Neoshell material (oh you mentioned them already! ahha nvm)

Are you sure about your durability concerns? GTX Pro is definitively more durable in it’s WP’ness and it’s overall durability? and GTX Pro is better than the what seems to be highly praised “GTX active shell” material?

if you are absolutely sure I will refine my search to include GTX Pro Materials only

The materials debate aside…I keep coming across information stating that the newer technology softshells are slowly eliminating the need for a hardshell…might just start researching some of these more advanced modern softshells and see if that is what I may need

meh..I’m not sold on the hard face softshells…they don’t seem to be weatherproof enough for my liking

So I’m gonna stick to hardshells for now.

Answered some of my own questions:
While the new Gortex Pro is really breathable almost on par with the Neoshell fabrics …it does not stretch. So while to me GTX Pro fabric may be more durable than Neoshell at face value, Neoshell stretches while GTX does not. So durability is a wash imo. More rugged GTX is more rugged than Neoshell, but prone to damage by not stretching, neo shell is less rugged but less prone to damage cause it can stretch …so it seems to be even basically.

I’m opting for neoshell

In fact, durability means here the risk to delamination and I see a lot more issues with NeoShell today as Polartec is still relatively new to WP/B-game.

Okay, So I’m gonna go with the Westcomb Apoc …I was going to go with the Arc’Teryx Alpha SV but I think it is just too much for Western NC’s mountains …would be overkill IMO. The conditions here are harsh, but nowhere near, CO, or WA, etc. I guess if I plan to travel I can go ahead and grab the SV…but IDK.. to give an example our highest peak is 6k feet. High but no where near what you see in Colorado and WA…doesn’t get quite as cold either. Mt Mitchell’s lowest ever recorded temp is -8 degrees(VERY rare) and the typical temperatures here are 10-18 degrees or so at the worst …so yeah, still cold as hell but I might often find myself in temperatures of 18-30 degrees on average, with not a ton of snow fall, more so rain than snow, etc. The SV might prove to be overkill, really.

So help me decide guys…The Westcom Apoc (neoshell) or the Arc’teryx Alpha SV (GTX pro) ?? they are both the same weight …. the latter is a lot more durable but do you think it would be too warm for around here?

Thanks woubeir …I’m about to order the Arc’teryx Alpha SV …I’m just worried it may prove to be overkill and counter effective around NC…would anyone here not recommend I purchase it due to my locale? (western NC)

If you are looking for durably waterproof, I’d skip out on eVent. I’ve retired my eVent outerwear far earlier than expected… face fabric also seems less tough and pills vs. tried and true GoreTex.

I now use Pertex Shield if weight is more important than comfort and durability and GoreTex Pro when comfort and durability is more important than weight.

The Arcteryx Alpha SV is too heavy. Mine (actually, Theta SVX) hangs in the closet while the Beta LT gets all the action. I have never desired pit zips on this jacket – if I am hot I unzip the front.

The Beta AR and Zeta AR meet your criteria more closely; are lighter than the SV and are still durably waterproof and with more useful pockets. But all of Arcteryx’s lighter GoreTex Pro jackets are distinctly lacking in pit zips.

I just finished a 14 day off trail hike in Alaska with the Montane Spine jacket and was pretty happy.  10.4oz, GTX Active, Pit Zips, nice cuff and waist adjustments, and sufficient length.  It’s a 30d face fabric and it saw its share of Alder, Willow and dwarf Birch the past two weeks.

BTW- DWR is the death of WP/B shells.  When it wears out the shell will never be the same even when DWR is reapplied.  I do like GTX or eVent over non membrane WP/B but wouldn’t sink tons of money in a shell that will have a limited lifespan.

A $600 WP/B shell is outrageous

BTW- DWR is the death of WP/B shells. When it wears out the shell will never be the same even when DWR is reapplied. I do like GTX or eVent over non membrane WP/B but wouldn’t sink tons of money in a shell that will have a limited lifespan.

Therefor it might be interesting to see what Gore can do with their Shakedry-technology and if they can make it more suitable for backpacking.

I am very interested to see if Gore can make shakedry more durable or Columbia can make outdry extreme more breathable

“BTW- DWR is the death of WP/B shells. When it wears out the shell will never be the same even when DWR is reapplied. I do like GTX or eVent over non membrane WP/B but wouldn’t sink tons of money in a shell that will have a limited lifespan.”

Sadly there aren’t a lot of options for budget technical hard shell pants and jackets that don’t require sinking a lot of money…

I’d really love to find a Polartech Neo-Shell Jacket, with Pit Zippers, a helmet friendly hood (that doesn’t suck when not wearing a helmet) a number ykk 5 or 10 waterproof zipper , adjustable wrist and waist, and at least one pocket, that is 1.5 lb or less and is under 500 dollars. Cant seem to find it

FWIW, I used a Patagonia Specter ($100 on sale) in all kinds of weather for around a decade until the DWR wore out and was never disappointed (under 8 oz).  Now use their M10, about 8.5 oz in XL ($250 on sale), and have never been disappointed by that one either, although wish it were a tad longer.  The full zip is a lot more convenient for putting it on and taking it off in changing weather.  So I feel no need to spend hundreds more for a rainshell, but carry SUL rainpants from Luke for extended rain if it gets too cold to wear just baggies and short GTX gaiters.

Ended up snagging the m10 for 199 and an Act’teryx Alpha FL for 318, I think I did pretty good :) …sacrificed some zippers…but I had a 1k dollar budget set aside for a jacket(s) …meaning I have about 480 left over saved for my next replacement shell, which will have zippers, but that won’t be for a while hopefully …So, ended up getting two nice pieces for half my budget! hopefully the zippers aren’t too sorely missed , either way I have some money left over…

Interesting plot twist. So after determining you weren’t going to buy Arcteryx products, deeming  shells w/out pit zips as useless, and preferring neoshell to goretex, you ended up with an Alpha FL?

Curious how you arrived at that decision?  Also wondering what conditions are going to determine which of your shells you will bring?  I use an older alpha fl by the way.  I have not tried either of your other two jackets to compare, though I have tried and moved on from quite a few wpb shells over the years

And how come you’re not counting your Westcomb Apoc against your budget?  Is that considered more of a soft shell because of the stretch?