Rab Drillium Jacket REVIEW

I have an few year old Pearl Izumi event jacket that fits and works great. It comes in at 16.5 ounces though.

I am still waiting for a no frills jacket similar to the ID using the lightest 2.0 ounce fabric that is out.
A nice fitting 7 oz jacket would sure catch a lot of peoples wallets.

The Drillium is simalar to My Pearl and 5 ounces lighter.
Not bad…

I found I could leave the Drillium eVENT jacket on much longer than other jackets due to its broader comfort range. However, it’s not a silver bullet – when I hike uphill carrying a pack, especially in the sun, I eventually start to sweat too much, and the jacket has to come off.

Nice review! I understand that it can replace a windshirt, that is in cold weather i think? I think testing it uphill carrying a pack in the sun tested the jacket to it's limits,but how many hikers are going to do that,hiking with a rainshell in sunny weather? I own a Haglofs LIM ulitimate paclite jacket,but it doesn't breathe very well in my opinion.So i'm thinking off getting an eVent jacket.

My paclite jacket also lacks pit-zips or other forms of venting.I thougt eVent didn't need pit-zips or other forms of venting because it breaths so well?

… on the Drillium from the British "OutdoorsMagic" site—
http://www.outdoorsmagic.com/news/article/mps/UAN/3906/v/2/sp/

Does the wire brim need delicate treatment when stowing the jacket? Do you need to fold/roll it up carefully, protecting the wire brim, or can you "stuff away" and simply straighten the wire each time you put it on?

I wasn't going to say anything concerning the criticism of the wire brim, because I thought it might be petty on my part, but seeing as this is the second time at BPL that wire brims have been criticized I thought I ought to chime in.

First, to answer Richard's question, in my experience with wire brims on all the British rain jackets and hats with wire brims I've purchased over the years (three Paramo jackets, a Montane Superfly, a RAB Vapour Rise, and a Lowe Alpine Mountain Cap) the wires used have always been somewhat stiff yet very malleable. I've never had a problem with bending them and re-bending them and stuffing them away. Slightly more attention must be kept to make sure they fit around the neck when put away into the collar enclosures, but this is easy to do. In all the years I've had them I've never had one break.

Second, about the criticism of wire brims. After having used all kinds of other jackets without wire brims I've come to the conclusion that using a wire is better than not. The wire can be formed according to one's own preference, adjustable to the dimensions of your head and face, and stands up to strong winds without collapsing in on itself. With a wire brim no cap with a bill is necessary under the hood, plus it offers a better solution when wearing a helmet. In climates such as Britain's (or here in Japan), where constant, days-long rain is part of one's everyday experience of being outdoors, having a hood that doesn't sag into your eyes after the material wets out is a big plus.

Also, the feature of being able to store the hood in the collar creates a much better guard against wind blowing in through the neck, when one doesn't want the hood deployed, that simple hoods without collars cannot do very well. On a freezing, rainy winter day this little detail can really make a difference in terms of comfort.

Why these two features would be considered drawbacks I'm somewhat confused about.

Hey Kevin,

As you saw in my Quickfire review, I love the wire hood. It does get bent out of shape a bit when packing but I find putting it back into shape is really easy. The hood also extends long enough out to cover my big honker (a rare feat indeed) and can be shaped for use with a climbing helmet. Probably the best hood I've used, in my opinion.

I've washed it once or twice I think, but not routinely. I haven't ever noticed any degredation in breathability, but it may have occured to some degree. With the wet, muddy conditions I often faced, it certainly got dirty but I never noticed anything other than stunning breathability (oh- am I going off on eVENT again? Just wait until you see my review of the Rab Summit Extreme- the only eVENT tent left in the world- I REALLY go off there!)

Kevin- I bet you'd love this jacket. And I'd appreciate it if you'd mention this e-mail to GE at the time of your purchase for my cut. Ha! KIDDING!

My only interaction with Montane has been when researching other, non-eVENT stuff for my personal use. Those folks are always very nice and helpful. Good company.

And the coolest thing Kevin- no one who ever sees your jacket will have the slightest idea what the heck it is. :-) It's like driving an Alfa Romeo!

Doug

I used to drive an Alfa Romeo (Spyder).

Hey, Doug—-you promised the Rab tent review months ago!

And I promise to make sure GE gives you your cut. Hee Hee.

I absolutely love Paramo rainwear. It is by far the most breathable and versatile rainwear I've ever worn and deals with rain and moisture in a completely different way from other systems, and its "directional fabric" often confuses those who haven't used it before. There is no barrier layer to keep rain out; it works by beading water on the surface like DWR finishes and on the inside by extremely efficient wicking system that works the same way that animal fur works. The garments have to be periodically washed in the Nikwax solution to keep up the waterproofness, but as laminate garments require washing, too, this is no problem. I didn't believe that the Paramo system would really work when I first bought it, but countless days out in heavy rains here in very humid Japan, when other systems always left me drenched in sweat, but the Paramo system always left me dry. Others have complained of Paramo jackets being too warm, but I either wear the jacket with only a t-shirt underneath, or else it is too warm outside to be wearing a rain jacket in the first place, and in that case I let myself get drenched in rain and put on the Paramo jacket at the end of the walk to induce its wicking properties and dry out my shirt. My only two complaints about Paramo garments is that they are rather heavy and, for me at least, and similar to my Superfly eVent jacket, they don't do well in keeping out cold drafts when the temperature drops. For UL enthusiasts the weight might be a problem, though with the wicking liner inside I compare the jacket to a thin thermal layer underneath that helps prevents the chill of cold rain from getting to the skin. With these jackets you don't need a windshirt, though you will need an insulated layer for colder temps. For me I nearly always end up taking my Paramo Cascada, rather than my Superfly, even though it is heavier. The longer length helps keep my waist area dry. I am thinking of purchasing the Paramo Cascada trousers, too, but have reservations about the tendency of the fabric to wet through when pressure is applied, so that sitting down in the pants would tend to make my bum wet.

To answer your questions about pushing through wet brush, Jon, I personally haven't been bothered by that, even when pushing through some really thick rhododendron and bamboo grass patches in the mountains. The wicking liner always keeps me warm enough even when I feel the water, and after a few minutes of activity the wicking always dries away the moisture.

I heartily recommend Paramo products and wish they were better known in the States and here in Japan.

Thanks for taking the time to discuss the Paramo, Miguel. It seems to me like it would be the perfect garment for the cold rainy winter/spring season here. I guess I'll have to save up some clams and eventually take the plunge. Cioch seems to make shells that use the Paramo system and offer better designs. Anybody (Damian!) ever see any of these?

There's also Furtech, which was started by an ex-Paramo employee who has an engineering degree:

http://www.furtech.co.uk/scripts/default.asp

http://www.outdoorsmagic.com/news/article/mps/UAN/4622/v/1/sp/

but it seems that it's only available by mail order.

Actually, the Q&A and Testimonial sections are really interesting, not least because the Testimonials have the owners reviews of the Jam 2 etc:

http://furtech.typepad.com/q_a/

http://www.furtech.typepad.com/furtech_testimonials/

I suspect that Paramo et al could be made a lot lighter than they are – a Pertex shell and a microfleece liner shouldn't weigh more than about 400 grams, if that. Mont Bell has a family of DWR treated windshells lined with a very light fleece mesh – they're like a Marmot Driclime – that weigh between 160 and 270 grams.

What I've always wondered is why the Paramo approach of a fused garment (i.e., a shell and a fleece in one) should be any more effective than a windshirt over a light fleece?

"I also wonder about how durable the waterproof characteristics of the Paramo-type garments would last when subject to the abrasions of bushwacking, off trail travel and general mtneering. Maybe someone here has experience in this matter?"

Given that Paramo stress how important it is to wash and reproof their garments I suspect that the DWR is not particularly durable. On one of the threads the Furtech site links to someone actually says that without its DWR Paramo is not at all waterproof, "pump liner" or not.