Where have all the eVent rain jackets gone?

.. WESTCOMB FOCUS LT HOODY .

. OMM Aether Smock .

Thanks for your input.

According to CampSaver, the Westcomb Focus LT has been discontinued by the manufacturer.  On Westcomb’s website, they only have XS, XL, and 2XL in one color.  That may imply they’re selling off remaining stock with no plans to produce additional items.

Have some versions of GTX cought up to eVent……maybe, but it’s hard to tell.   What I do know is Gore is a bully in the market, and they will not allow any company that sells a Gore jacket to also sell an eVent shell.  They have added Rab, Gore Tex and REI to their fold so I don’t think you will see any more eVent jackets from any of them.

One problem with eVent is that it’s parent company GE, is a financial mess and hasn’t been willing to put the $$ and resources into making a headway into the market.

Have some versions of GTX caught up to eVent……maybe, but it’s hard to tell.   What I do know is Gore is a bully in the market, and they will not allow any company that sells a Gore jacket to also sell an eVent shell.  They have added Rab, Gore Tex and REI to their fold so I don’t think you will see any more eVent jackets from any of them.

One problem with eVent is that it’s parent company GE, is a financial mess and hasn’t been willing to put the $$ and resources into making a headway into the market.

I’ve got an old Rab event shell that I don’t use if you’re interested. It’s an anorak-type shell. I think I wore it twice on a backpacking trip, worked well if I remember correctly.

Thanks, “Me of course”.  I’m not in the market to purchase an eVent jacket at this time.  My old one still has some life left in it.

This was more of an inquiry into the state of the market as it pertains to rain shells and the big players in that market.

I see that a lot of brand name gear makers still sell their “house brands”, like Patagonia’s H2No and Marmot Membrain.  However, I’d agree with Brad’s assessment that Gore appears to have bullied most of their competitors (eVent, NeoShell) largely out of the market.  There are a few sparse exceptions of course, and Pertex has representation by a number of gear brands.  For the most part, however, we seem to have fewer WPB fabric choices today than we had 5 years ago.

My understanding of Gore vs. eVent is that if a manufacturer (like REI) used eVent in one of their products, Gore would not allow them to also manufacture products using GoreTex.  Indeed, REI made some great rain shells and rain pants using eVent, and is now back to GoreTex for the house brand.  I really like the Event pants that I have, they seem more breathable than any GT product I have used for that purpose.  There is no doubt that Gore has the name recognition.

I love my old Rab Demand: three ply event, anorak, light at the time–still is. Saved my butt a few times. summer and winter. No need to replace it.

Gore-tex Pro now has breathability (MVTR) of 25k+ (eVENT = ~ 30k). Which for all practical purposes is similar. Given that GTX Pro has a *bit* higher hydrostatic head (28k mm vs. 10k mm) than eVENT (its Achilles’ heel when under the load of a pack strap), then GTX Pro is probably the king of the hill in ’19.

And as with many kings, GTX has the ability to force hands through Executive Orders (contracts), and that, of course, makes innovation in a free-market competitive environment a little bit problematic.

But then, there are the guys that sign those contracts, who of course, care most about sales volume. And Gore-Tex offers some marketing cooperation. GM, less so.

All that aside, Gore-Tex Pro is a good product.

But it will never be as light as it could be (like some of the eVENT variants) because, well, they have a reputation to preserve: GUARANTEED TO KEEP YOU DRY.

Rab Demand, thanks Jeffery, I’d forgotten what Rab top I had. Demand sounds very familiar.

If by “bully” y’all mean “outcompeted”, then I agree. eVent and Neoshell durability totally stank. Like; leaked enthusiastically almost immediately. It took me many eVent, Neoshell, and Gore shells and pairs of footwear to admit to myself that goretex struck the best balance of waterproofing, breathability, and cost (durability). That said, Patagonia Rainshadow pants are acceptable.

I think Gore Tex is the most durable shell material and it’s what I choose for my shells.  I have a GTX Active Montaine Spine (10oz) that I used in Alaska and on wet Southeast trips, and a Haglofs Ozo Pullover made of GTX Paclite (7.5oz) for trips where I don’t plan on using it much (Sierras/Rockies).

I’ve had two eVent products delaminate without a lot of use, though admittedly I probably didn’t wash them as much as I should. I currently have an REI eVent shell as my around town shell and it shows a few early signs of delamination just from use around town.

My first legit rain jacket for backpacking was an eVent jacket made by Stoic.  Anyone else remember the brand?  It was backcoutry.com’s house brand.  Stoic went away for a while, but it appears that they’ve brought the brand back.  Most of their current pieces appear to lean outdoor casual.  More “Uniqlo” than “Arc’teryx”.  I still have that jacket, but it’s a Size M and I’ve gotten fatter so I can’t layer under it like I used to.

My current eVent jacket was made by Luke’s Ultralight from back when they were an exciting, reputable cottage company.  I wore it on a cool rainy fall day last year while helping to set an orienteering course and unfortunately poked a few holes in it while bushwhacking through some thorny patches.  The holes have been patched with Gear Aid.  I wore it trail running yesterday, on top of a light woven polyester shirt.  Temps were mid 50’s with the weather radar showing scattered storms all around me.  I got sprinkled on, but nothing heavy enough to really test the jacket’s waterproof-ness.  With the pit zips wide open and the front zip 1/4 way down, I arrived back at the car damp but not soaking wet from sweat.  The jacket did a pretty darn good job of letting moisture out during high output, which is what I value it for.

I’ve had no signs of delamination on either of these eVent jackets.  The older Stoic will probably go to Goodwill soon.

I also have a 5 year old Marmot Pre-cip for casual around town use, and a new OR Helium 2 that I take when weight is my primary concern, such as this year’s 2 week drip on the JMT.

I bought a Columbia Outdry Ex Lightweight for cheap at one of their outlet stores last year.  I had intended for it to replace my Lukes Ultralight eVent jacket, but it’s significantly less breathable so I just don’t enjoy wearing it as much.  I’ve held onto it thinking it will be my “bomber” rainproof but I haven’t had a chance to try it in those kinds of conditions to build up any trust with it.

In regards to reports of eVent leaking.  I haven’t experienced that.  Up until this year, a significant portion of Rab UK’s line of hard shells were eVent.  I just can’t imagine a brand like Rab sticking to eVent for their hard core mountaineering shells if it was that notoriously bad. Alas, for 2019 Rab has switched to Goretex for their high end models (Latok, Muztag, Ladakh).  They’re using Pertex for their lower end jackets.

Though I’ve had them delaminate, before the delamination I never had an eVent jacket leak.  I have had Pertex shells and other “proprietary” shells leak.  I’m not a mountaineer, but I imagine most conditions a mountaineer would see would be below freezing so absolute waterproofness might not matter as much.  Of course I generally think European brands have better hood designs and are generally better set up for constant rainy weather than US brands.

Having recently retired from Gore after almost 30 years of selling GORE-TEX fabric to key customers like Patagonia, Mountain Hardwear, etc., let me offer a different perspective on some of the comments about GORE-TEX products. To be clear, I am offering my personal perspective based on my industry experiences and in no way represent Gore or their products.

!) Customers are free to make their own choices regarding product technologies within their product line. If a customer chooses to offer competing technologies (which many do) in their product line, then it’s their choice to do so with no interference from Gore.

2) eVent Fabrics is not currently owned by GE… a bit of history to clarify: eVent fabric was introduced in 1999 by BHA, sold to GE Energy in 2004 and then sold to the current owner, Clarcor, Inc., in 2014. The key part most everyone doesn’t understand is that the primary business of each of these companies is industrial air filtration products, not WP/B fabrics, which in turn explains why eVent fabrics doesn’t get a lot of support in the outdoor market.

3) Each of the recent switches from eVent fabric to GORE-TEX fabrics by Rab, REI, MHW, etc., is because they chose to do so for a variety of business reasons. It should also be pointed out that Mountain Hardwear offered GORE-TEX products for many years but after the buyout by Columbia, they chose to go with their own branded version of eVent. Their recent choice to switch back to GORE-TEX fabrics was a business decision on their part which speaks volumes as to which technology the outdoor consumer prefers.

4) Yes, GORE-TEX products are offered in a wide variety of different technologies, e.g., GORE-TEX Pro, PacLite, C-knit, Shakedry, etc. The primary reason is GORE follows the principle of ‘fit for use’ which simply means different end uses require different performance characteristics, i.e., the same membrane technology used in GORE-TEX wader fabric is not the same membrane technology used in GORE-TEX Pro, etc… in essence, each product has its own technology tailored to meet the needs of the end user.

Yeah, just looking at Rab and OR they are now primarily a mix of Gore Tex, Pertex, and house (Proflex, Ascentshell). Have one of each type:

Marmot Bantamweight (4.9 oz, Pertex Shield 2.5, HH 20k, MVTR 40k)

Arcteryx Zeta FL (7.2 oz, Gore Tex Paclite Plus, No numbers from Gore)

Rab Kinetic Plus (10 oz, Proflex, HH 10k, MVTR 35+k)

All three have strengths and weaknesses, but for me the Kinetic is the best all around mix in terms of breathability, fit, mobility, and fabric comfort. Proflex is different, it is really soft, stretchy, comfortable, highly breathable, and waterproof. I have had some wetout on the shoulders and hood in moderate rain, but never got through the membrane or zippers.

I like the Zeta FL fit and feel. More trim and less crinkly feel than the SL. Breathability is actually not bad and interior feel is fairly good. No numbers, but water runs right off, this would be best of three for heavier rain.

Bantamweight is obviously really thin and light, yet has two exterior pockets and interior mesh pocket. Fairly athletic fit, very breathable. I have only had it in warm and muggy light rain so far, but it breathes well in those conditions and easily sheds water.

Of course, none of these are going to be as durable as a GTX Pro or similar type jacket.

Dan Madden, thank you for that perspective.  Consumers have many fine choices, actually, and they do vote with their pocketbooks.  Companies must to be sensitive to that.  Right or wrong, it’s just how things work.

Thanks for being there Dan, for clarifying the misconceptions.  Much appreciated.

Dan, thanks for chiming in.

Also, Parker purchased Clarcor in 2016. So eVENT still stays under the umbrella of a filtration membrane company.

The nice thing about all these acquisitions is that the eVENT leadership team has had some consistency through it all. Maybe there’s hope for a resurgence with eVENT in outdoor products, at least for the smaller brands.

Dan,

Thanks for contributing.  I don’t dislike the wide range of GoreTex fabric choices, but they can be overwhelming, and that’s coming from a total gear geek.   Try explaining them to your average beginner backpacker (our outdoors club runs intro to backpacking classes).   Their eyes will glaze over and they’ll instead walk into an REI and get a Marmot Precip for $70.

I’ll also admit that I have a soft spot for the “underdog” in various markets:  Linux vs Windows, AMD vs Intel, etc.  Time and again companies with an overwhelming majority of a given market will abuse their position to hold onto or increase their market share.

Competition is a good thing, which is why I find it kind of saddening that eVent and NeoShell have largely dropped out of the market rather than work to improve their offerings.

NeoShell have largely dropped out of the market rather than work to improve their offerings.

And it, Event, and a host of others pushed Gore to develop better products.

Agreed… competition makes us all better (or bitter…) and guess what? Neoshell has been reincarnated by TNF in the form of Futurelight. Unfortunately, the only thing that has really changed is VF/TNF has a much larger marketing budget (they just added another $20 million a month or so ago) to promote their latest/greatest ‘be all/do all’ WP/B fabric. As with all products, time and the consumer’s credit card will be the final judge of its performance and acceptance in the outdoor market.

At the end of the day, we are all blessed with an abundance of riches when it comes to products designed to help us enjoy our experience in the outdoors and certainly, GORE-TEX products are to be included…

If you are interested, go to https://www.gore.com to learn more about GORE as a company. In a nutshell,  GORE is a material science company focusing on product innovation across a broad range of end uses, including aerospace, military, industrial filtration and medical, e.g., checkout this article on the development of the GORE-TEX Eye – https://www.gore.com/news-events/news/bloomberg-businessweek-article-the-gore-tex-eye  

You can also view other end uses for GORE-TEX fabrics that go far beyond enjoying life on the trail… https://www.goreprotectivefabrics.com

OR’s AscentShell sounds like it’s very similar to FutureLight:  a web of spun fibers that form a membrane.  TNF calls it nano-spinning. OR calls it electrospinning.

If Polartec NeoShell is produced similarly, then they all appear to be related.
From what I can find, OR claims 15,000mm HH and 30,000 MVTR.  According to Stephen S’s tests, Futurelight tests out at 16,000mm HH.  His numbers for MVTR don’t appear to be comparable to the numbers quoted by the brand names.  TNF claims 75,000.   Polartec NeoShell reportedly has a HH of 10,000mm.

Yup, OR is basically saying that Futurelight is electrospinning and just following their Ascentshell example.

https://www.outdoorresearch.com/blog/gear-geek/how-it-works-the-science-behind-breathable-waterproof-ascentshell-technology

Saw that they will be releasing a new Ascentshell jacket (Microgravity) in 2020. Their Interstellar is actually very similar to Rab Kinetic in terms of weight and performance characteristics.