westcomb order feedback: Focus 2 layer event jacket

[wayno]

i havent noticed anyone else mention this brand, so i thought i'd post about my initial dealings with them
I just ordered a jacket from outdoor clothing manufacturers westcomb in canada.
they get good reviews for their gear quality hence i decided to buy something from them
according to the bill i'm paying nothing for shipping.
i havent been billed on my credit card yet so yet to confirm this is the case but i'll update this when i do presumably get billed
so this may be a brand for people to consider when buying overseas. there is no bar on shipping to down under so you can order from them no problem
shipping time is 6 to ten days depending on immigration.
they didnt have stock of what i wanted to they went around their partners who distribute their gear to find the item i wanted.
their gear tends to be on the lightweight side, extensive range os shell jackets in event and neoshell they are supposed to have the lightest neoshell and event jackets on the market.
they arent a 24 seven operation, only open 9 to 5 monday to friday, i ordered on a friday so there was a delay in the processing of the order for that reason.
they are shipping through USPS priority mail. i havent had issues with them when i've used them in the past, they track but its not always totally up to date as some of the courier firms.
i note campsaver does a fair range of their gear if you are fussy about how its delivered you could go through them to see if you can use the method of your choice.

[wayno]

by coincidence a comparative review of a westcomb jacket against a comparable arcteryx one just posted

http://coldthistle.blogspot.co.nz/2013/ ... hells.html

[cams]

My brother was lucky enough to attend a private Westcomb factory outlet sale with the UBC Outdoor Club when he was on exchange there last year. He picked up various bits and pieces including a couple of jackets, pants and gloves I think. Very happy with them overall.

[quicky]

i havent noticed anyone else mention this brand....

...I recall my own post mid October 2012 viewtopic.php?f=15&t=10767&p=155354&hilit=westcomb#p155352 ...so I really look forward to your findings Wayno, particularly if you have ordered the Focus LT Hoddy in the newer 2.5 eVent DVL. Which jacket did you order?
Keep us posted!

[wayno]

mate you're totally spooky , thats what i got.... i wanted the lightest possible event shell i could get. for when i only need a shell on for limited periods of time in warmer weather when i don't need a storm shell... i'm doing to tas in feb so i'll hopefully get to use it then...

[Nuts]

viewtopic.php?f=13&t=7285&p=93861&hilit=westcomb#p93861 ... It was a nice colour..

[wayno]

rab was putting out a jacket of the same 2 layer event fabric but it was a good 200 grams heavier...

http://gossamergear.com/wp/buzz-blog/hi ... ackpackers

[wayno]

sure enough, there was no charge for shipping of my jacket from the states.

[quicky]

sure enough, there was no charge for shipping of my jacket from the states.

I like the sounds of that!

[wayno]

um yes well, i havent received it yet, it was shipped on the 16th our side of the dateline and updates stopped a day later, the tracking hasnt showed further updates. I'll have to assume for now it's still on it's way and that USPS isnt good at providing tracing updates , they have been hit and miss in the past. delivery is expected to take 6 to ten working days depending on customs and customs are pretty efficient in nz, this article is below the threshold for attracting duty and tax so it should sail through, i pretty much always get a tracking update when it gets into the country but there hasnt been any yet..

[wayno]

its just shown up now on tracking at the LA international postal centre
packages from the states to nz usually go through sydery in my experience

hmm i just refreshed the page and it doesnt show the LA entry and the last entry was the 16th US time.... nice one USPS

[wayno]

focus review http://coldthistle.blogspot.co.nz/2013/ ... focus.html

[wayno]

westcomb gave six to ten working days to ship depending on customs in the country, it's shopped to
so far its been seven working days and its still in los angeles. so theres no way you'll get your package in six working days assuming smooth transit through
customs. it could be up to ten working days at best. or longer if there are delays.

would have been nicer to get a more accurate estimate of delivery time. USPS can't meet their own shipping estimate times.

[wayno]

ok, it's arrived, but he long term forecast is good, so dont know when i'll put it to much use...
they are selling out, i think theres limited colours available at the moment, westcomb had to go to campsaver to get my blue one as they'd run out... and they were out of orange..
i like the fit. not too baggy, not to tight
Large, i'm 5 11, 75 kilos, long upper body, long neck and big head.
decent arm length, longer than average body length cut. so i'm happy so far... just have to wait for the rain to come,,

[wayno]

the focuses main zip is a no 3 size
thats a pretty small lightweight zip.
bear in mind i didnt get this jacket as my main storm shell, just for moderately wet and or cool windy days..
a zip like this isnt going to be as durable as your standard stormshell zip, you'll have to handle it with care otherwise you stand to break it...
it will be more fiddly trying to handle it with gloves.

[wayno]

after a couple of day walks, in wind with no rain, wearing the Focus jacket with a day pack on,
i've found the breathability great.. left it on for a while despite sweating in it to see what happened,
found no buildup of sweat in the jacket, minimal moisture down the back, despite having a pack pressed against my back,... works well as a windshirt...
i estimate teh wind was at least gale force on one of those days, i found the jacket was cold in the wind, colder than my heavier event jacket. the event dvl has been rated as 20 to thirty percent more breathable than three layer event... so if it's letting more air through, that may be why it feels colder.. i found i needed more layering underneath to stay as warm as i normally am in my heavier event jacket.
there are a couple of small patches of the white event aterproof membrane around the waist on the inside that have gone transparent. they are a fraction of an inch across in some places there are transparent lines around the waist on the inside which coincide with the thicker ripstop thread.
i thought the membrane may have rubbed off,
to test i held the outside of the jacket opposite where the patches were over a tap nozzle and turned the tap on to get some water pressure on the fabric to see if the water got through, but none did

i did a test and compressed a patch of the fabric between my fingernails . one on each side of the fabric and the membrane went transparent so it was the same colour at the face fabric on the inside of teh jacket, no sign of any membrane coming off..
on the backpacking light review, ryan jordan claimed the membrane had rubbed off in one area but it may not be the case if it was the same as my scenario.
it would seem under a certain amount of pressure for some reason the membrane turns transparent. no sign of it loosing its waterproofness. , i cant tell from such a small patch if the breathability is affected.
the clear patches at th touch feel the same as the rest of the event membrane, so there is definitely still a membrane attached to the face fabric still. no sign of delamination. with time i would expect high wear areas like where my pack hip belt goes and possibly shoulder straps from my pack go to turn larger areas of the membrane transparent
at present theres no sign of transparency where the shoulder straps are.

[wayno]

finally got some rain to try it out in... breathes really well. except DWR is so so... wetted out and breathability reduced. got a bit damp in it. not too bad though, dried out reasonably well when the rain eased...

[radson]

I too ordered a Westcomb Neoshell Switch LT jacket last year. Great thing about Westcomb is that you dont have to deal with an intermediary to get it shipped to Australia like Arcteryx, Patagonia etc. My ideal jacket is the Arcteryx Alpha SV but can never quite justify the price although I havent been happy with my Helly Hansen and Westcomb jackets that I have bought in the interim.

The Westcomb with the new Polaretec Neoshell fabric was great but the zips annoyed me. The main one would get stuck in cold temps and the recessed chest pockets I found finicky. Still Westcomb is a great alternative for Aussie purchasers unwilling ti pay Aussie retail prices and not have to deal with hopshopgo etc.

[wayno]

switch was a cutdown version of the apoc, their flagship neoshell jacket, but i'm not certain the apoc had a better zip.
how do you find the breathability of the neoshell against other menbranes?

[radson]

I cant give an objective opinion on breathability. I insist on pit zips on all my jackets and breathability is compromised by wearing a pack. The neoshell certainly didnt leave me wet but then neither has Goretex or Event. My wicking underlayer I think is just as important as the shell on my outer layer and I am looking at you my trusty wonderful Patagonia r1 hoody.

[wayno]

i've picked up a neoshell westcomb shift jacket going half price, im hoping the absence of large pockets makes it more breathable since theres one less layer of fabric to breathe through, i'll find out with time...