New Gore Shakedry for hiking and mountaineering

Mike, I’m going to let Stephen reply. But I was talking about MVTR, not CFM.

Yes, I have tested both the Shakedry made by Montbell, which I use constantly, and the allegedly heavier version (it was really hard to tell if the fabric was different.  Might be, I couldn’t confirm it).  I have also tested three versions of Outdry.  My MVTR numbers are not comparable to any of the other standards, just as the available standards are not really comparable to each other.  So, for reference,  MVTR for a 2019 Houdini is 2250. The highest windshirt value I have measured was a BD Alpine Start at 3510.  My Shakedry was 3370.  The H5 was 3060.  Columbia Outdrys: 2019 Featherweight-1488; 2015 Diamond-1680; 2020 Outdry Extreme (I bought this because it was on sale and really cheap and thought it would be nice to have around for testing.  I don’t think I will ever use it.)-1360.  So, MVTR of Shakedry is excellent.    Outdry seems to get worse with newer versions and is generally very low. Lower than any windshirt I have tested. Although my Shakedry has the best MVTR of any WPB jacket I have tested, it is till inadequate for high level exertion so I had pit zips added.  Even with such high MVTR, I think pit zips and a full front zip are essential.  I will tell you, that black fabric heats up pretty effectively when hit by full Colorado sunlight high up in the mountains. Sometimes this can be desirable.  Sometimes not.  As I have stated elsewhere, I use this on my day hikes.  I have used it with a light backpack (day hike light) and a lumbar pack.  No wear issues from straps.  I have gotten a bunch of little holes.  The jacket is pretty long.  When you sit down on a rock, pull it up.  If you are going to abrade rocks or thorns or branches-well don’t.  We know that ultralight fabrics, say 7 or 10 denier must be treated very carefully.  Shakedry is no different.  Well, maybe a little different.  My feeling is, if I can get a year out of a Shakedry jacket, I am satisfied.  I am coming up on a year of constant use on mine.  It has a bunch of tiny patches, but still functions well.  When it doesn’t, I will buy a new one.  Of course, as Ryan evidently did, using this under a heavy pack may lead to unacceptable outcomes.  It is simply not something I have done with mine.  Others who have posted to BPL have done so successfully.  Perhaps Ryan can relate his usage and how it failed.

I’m hoping the weather turns really bad here so I can get caught up on some gear review writing ;)

Also, yes, my context is almost always wearing under pack straps. I generally day hike with a loaded pack up to 30 pounds 5+ days/week when I’m not backpacking.

My subjective experience with shakedry (Novan SL and Gorewear H7) is that it more breathable than any other WPB I have used, in the league of better windshirts, and not up to the Alpine Start. I can overwhelm it while jogging, bicycling, or on a serious uphill section while backpacking / hiking. The remarkable thing is when the trail levels out, or I finish my run and switch walking to cooling off, the speed at which the moisture gets out. I *almost* don’t need pit zips. The only other garments where I seems to dry out when slowing down was eVENT’s DVL which I don’t think anyone is using these days, and to a less degree Rainshield’s light weight version of Propore.

My jacket has made it through several seasons, but it’s mostly used for cold weather runs (street and well maint. trails), cycling, and hiking with a fanny pack. It has gone on backpacking trips on well maint. trails… but typically with a <16lb pack and often stays in the bag.. use a windshirt unless raining hard enough to justify pulling it out because I believe the windshell is more durable and much cheaper to replace.

If I expect any sort of abrasions I switch back to a more durable jacket. I just can’t justify $300+ / year replacement cost.

With Columbia’s Outdry (I think it was the Featherweight)… I used it for a single season. During that season it didn’t wet out in conditions early gore-tex jacket would have… but I found it’s subjective breathability significantly less than the shakedry, and also less than my jacket made of eVENT DVT. It seems about the same, or maybe worse than DryTech from Montbell from a number of years ago that they used in the Peak Jacket.

–mark