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Shakedry Tech
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Home › Forums › Gear Forums › Gear (General) › Shakedry Tech
- This topic has 14 replies, 10 voices, and was last updated 3 years, 5 months ago by Matt Dirksen.
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Oct 21, 2020 at 7:46 pm #3680569
Has anyone seen review or have any experience with a rain jacket that uses Gore Shakedry fabric where someone has actually worn it while wearing a pack? I have found unboxing type videos from hikers and extensive reviews from runners and cyclists but nothing that says anything about how they hold up when wearing a pack.
Oct 22, 2020 at 4:11 am #3680592I’ve read lots of reviews of the Arctyrx Norvan SL and The North Face Hyperlite and they’ve been very mixed. Some hikers say they hold up fine, others that they get pinholes under the shoulder straps. My guess is they have a fairly short lifespan for hikers, especially with heavier packs.
Gore Bike Wear made a heavier duty version called I believe the H5 Shakedry Jacket (there is a non Shakedry H5 too) that was rated for backpacking and Skurka did an extensive review. The problem is Gore appears to have discontinued their entire hiking line, just retaining biking and running clothing.
Mont-Bell also make a shakedry jacket, but I’m not sure if it’s made of the thicker membrane or not.
Oct 22, 2020 at 5:37 am #3680593<p style=”text-align: left;”>Do a search. Stephen Seeber lab tested it and found it most breathable of all WPBs tested. Also provided good info re durability.</p>
Oct 22, 2020 at 6:46 am #3680597There is a lot of good info on this site regarding that tech. Gore and Columbia versions.
The Gore h5 hooded shakedry version WAS the jacket to have…but alas no longer available. I confirmed with Mont-bel that their shakedry jacket uses the thinner version as well. Hence, their disclaimer.
I chose not to tempt my fate with the thin shakedry and managed to snag one of the few remaining Columbia ex featherweight jackets. (i bought it at very beginning of year and have yet to wear it…frogg toggs work alright and are super cheap!)
Oct 22, 2020 at 7:17 am #3680602I have a Gore Shakedry R7 Trail. It may be from similar fabric as the H5? It’s a slightly heavier fabric (jacket weight in XL is just under 8oz if I remember correctly). Description says “Suitable for use with a backpack”.
My wife and I have both used these with 40+ pound packs but, alas, not enough to comment definitely on their durability. We’ve reached used them maybe 5 days under heavy loads with no issues so far.
What I can say is that they are very breathable and having a surface that doesn’t wet out is a game changer. My wife runs cold and in extended rain struggles with the jacket wetting out and causing evaporative cooling, even while hiking. This has helped immensely with that.
I really wish there was more development done on this fabric but I suspect it doesn’t appeal to mainstream users.
Granted the R7 trail is a running jacket, it runs VERY small. I’m usually a L and very occasionally an XL. I gave up on this jacket in an XL and got a XXL. My wife, normally women’s M, got men’s M. The jackets fit and features are not ideal for hiking, but the fabric is amazing.
Oct 22, 2020 at 7:43 am #3680603I’m surprised that the H5 fabric isn’t used by all major companies as it seemed to be the perfect fabric. It was super breathable and didn’t wet out. For some reason Gore was the only company to use it. I know it only came in black but Gore is experimenting with colored shake dry on their cycling lineup.
I thought Shakedry and Outdry EX would make regular DWR Wp/B jackets obsolete, but they haven’t caught on as quickly as I thought, and it seems the best options for UL backpacking are all discontinued. Does this mean this tech is going the way of the Betamax?
Oct 22, 2020 at 8:49 am #3680609A couple of British brands use shake dry: Mountain Equipment and running brand Ronhill (in collaboration with ME).
Oct 22, 2020 at 9:19 am #3680610Thanks William! I hadn’t heard of either of those jackets. The Mountain Equipment jacket uses the “Hike” version of Shakedry as well. It’s not available in the US, but could always be shipped.
I have some Mountain Equipment GTX Active pants that are my favorite pants for nasty weather and pretty light at only 7oz. I’ve never used a ME jacket, but most European brands seem to have a good hood design.
Oct 22, 2020 at 10:31 am #3680616“Thanks William! I hadn’t heard of either of those jackets. The Mountain Equipment jacket uses the “Hike” version of Shakedry as well. It’s not available in the US, but could always be shipped.”
If you’re buying, just be careful; there was an earlier ME jacket also called “Impellor” but which didn’t use Shakedry.
Oct 22, 2020 at 1:52 pm #3680637I have a ‘short experience’ , yet positive, https://backpackinglight.com/forums/topic/feedback-montbell-peak-dry-shell-jacket/
also, look at Skurka’s blog for a longer discussion.
my 2 cents
Oct 22, 2020 at 9:34 pm #3680699If you are hike often through brush or squeeze against rocks, you should probably look elsewhere. For my purposes, it is my go to year round shell for hiking. But you have got to treat it with the care you would any ultra light weight jacket. MVTR of the jacket will give you as wide or wider a range of activities than anything I have tested. However, as with any WPB, at some point, if your exertion is high enough or the vapor pressure difference low enough, you can overcome its ability to dispel moisture. If you get one, I would get a Tenacious Tape repair kit with precut little repair circles and periodically check for tiny holes in the jacket, which are then easily fixed.
Oct 23, 2020 at 6:04 am #3680715Stephen, does T tape stick to the outer surface, or do you apply to inner fabric layer?
Oct 23, 2020 at 7:17 am #3680720Outer fabric. Since the jacket is black (Like the Model T Ford), the black patches are nearly invisible. I have not had any fail despite storing it crumpled in my pack. This is what I purchase: https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B00SCVGMCE/ref=ppx_yo_dt_b_asin_title_o00_s00?ie=UTF8&psc=1
Oct 23, 2020 at 10:19 am #3680748My impression from reviews is that the “hike” fabric is durable under a pack, but it’s a fabric for lightweight backpacking on trail.
I had a Columbia Featherweight for a couple of years which eventually fell apart pretty badly. But it lastted at least 150-200 days of frequent use.
The h5 was (maybe still is) available on some random shops in obscure sizes.
Montbell, Mountain Equipment and Kathmandu seem to be making a jacket with the hike fabric. I have a Kathmandu one to try out.
Im concerned that gore discontinued their model, and I’m concerned that Columbia don’t seem interested in replacing their lightweight outdry jacket for hiking.
I wonder if the tech is too confusing of a sell to catch on at the price? 99% of Comments I see on local hiking fb groups suggest people don’t comprehend the fundamental problems of conventional rain gear – so it’s a tough sell to sell something that addresses a lot of issues they seem unaware of.
Oct 23, 2020 at 10:34 am #3680753I’ve been using a Norvan SL hoody for a couple years and have simply thrown my windbreaker over top of it while hiking in tight places. My biggest fear has been the chaffing potential under the shoulder straps, but that’s where wearing the windbreaker outside really takes the brunt of the impact.
And since the windbreaker both dries quickly and is far more breathable than the Shakedry fabric, I’ve been pretty comfortable hiking in this way.
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