Bushwalking gear and paraphernalia. Electronic gadget topics (inc. GPS, PLB, chargers) belong in the 'Techno Babble' sub-forum.

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TIP: The online Bushwalk Inventory System can help bushwalkers with a variety of bushwalk planning tasks, including: Manage which items they take bushwalking so that they do not forget anything they might need, plan meals for their walks, and automatically compile food/fuel shopping lists (lists of consumables) required to make and cook the meals for each walk. It is particularly useful for planning for groups who share food or other items, but is also useful for individual walkers.
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Re: Rain jacket - what's worth having? Not a Resolution

Sat 07 Apr, 2012 8:36 am

norts wrote: It was snowing all the way into Pelion Hut. At about the 3 hour mark in the walk I was getting very cold and I could feel that I was wet. I then had to make the decision ...

Roger


There are disturbing a parallels with this story & and that ill-fated walk into Pelion that Kate & I tool with you a few years ago Roger - glad this one ended better.

N

Re: Rain jacket - what's worth having?

Sat 07 Apr, 2012 8:38 am

nakedape wrote:No. It simply means that breathable fabrics are a load of toss. It also means that lab tests have no relevance to real world applications & marketing outguns design.

That might be going a step too far... I can certainly tell the difference between wearing a plastic bag and wearing a eVent/Goretex shell.
Differences in shells themselves might be negligible, but the idea of a breathable fabric is not pure fantasy.

Rain jacket - what's worth having?

Sat 07 Apr, 2012 9:42 am

Hi

I have the PP Vista and it is a tough fabric and has a brilliant DWR finish. Despite been much older and more used than ........ It killed that jacket. Still beading long after the other one had failed. About three years of use the driving rain on the WA decent down K meant the it force field started to not bead but still worked well.

Agree though with the lighter weight materials breathing bit better. On same trip as Norts but a day later and loved my Montane Air jacket. Sthughes who went in the same day as Nort arrived dry. My walking companion had a PP Vista and arrived dry.

Sthughes made the comment on the WA using a Kathmandu lightweight Goretex jacket that he could stay dry unlike his other jacket. Hood design was not great and he appears to much prefer the Montane Air.

Basically spend $135 at Mainpeak before condemning eVent. Actually best prices for eVent rain gear is now in the UK. Not sure if they match the brilliant service of USA online shops but I have found the four separate UK online shops great.

As I have said many times jacket design is more a factor in my choice between eVent and Goretex.

Cheers

Re: Rain jacket - what's worth having?

Mon 09 Apr, 2012 7:43 am

The Saga continues - I am an optimist , and sometimes think I must be doing something wrong.
I washed my jacket again in Grangers 2-1 and then ironed it a couple of times. water was beading nicecly off the jacket.
i thought I would risk it over the weekend on a walk to the Hydro Hut( also had someone walking with me with a brand new Hollyford- thought this would be a good comparison).
Good Friday - beautiful weather and great views from ontop of Barn, stayed the night at WFV got blown about but the AKto held up well.

Sat - as most ppl who are in Tassie know - Atrocious weather - Got to the the hut and was realitively dry, could see that the jackets DWR was starting to wet out - Hollyford was still perfect.

Sun _day walking out by the time I got back to WFV Hut the jackets DWR had failed completely, was wetting out, had to put dry clothes on for the next part of the walk. Hollyford was still beading nicely.

This is the best comparison yet, a brand new Macpac Hollyford - never used before and my Resolution.
It is definitely going to be relegated to the round town jacket.

Nakedape - I now know what you were going through on that walk on the Arm River, and the retreat to the Mole Creek Pub was the best option.

Roger

Roger

Re: Rain jacket - what's worth having?

Mon 09 Apr, 2012 8:57 am

how many people have more than one rain jacket?
i have three..... thinking about getting a fourth..... a lightweight compact outdoor research helium, or a rab pulse or demand, for the days where you might get the odd shower and a storm shell is overkil...

i've got a highly water resistant powershield pro, but have to pick and choose the conditions, it will only stand up to showers a bit better than other water resistant shells, its good in the cold, too hot for warm weatther..

Rain jacket - what's worth having?

Fri 13 Apr, 2012 10:10 am

forest wrote:I'm just back from Tassie where I used the Montane Air Jacket for a week. (Okay it didn't rain all the time but it was used in anger a bit)
Loved it, no leakage and the DWR is awesome. Just needs a shake and it's nearly bone dry.

Didin't look even close to wetting out, even with a pack on.

I'll be taking mine to NZ next week and I have heard on the grapevine it rains there on ocassion :roll: :roll:
At this stage I have no reservations about mine.

hi forest, how did the jacket work for you in New Zealand?
I've just completed a hike in the Gold Coast Hinterland, it did not rain.

Re: Rain jacket - what's worth having?

Fri 13 Apr, 2012 10:28 am

wayno wrote:how many people have more than one rain jacket?

6 for bushwalking, and 2 or 3 to wear around home etc. Just a little OCD perhaps :shock:

Re: Rain jacket - what's worth having?

Fri 13 Apr, 2012 6:55 pm

i dont feel so over indulgent having three rain jackets now... i could still buy anther couple and not feel i'm over doing it....

Rain jacket - what's worth having?

Fri 13 Apr, 2012 7:33 pm

Um? At least one for every day of the week and a spare or two.

Cheers

Re: Rain jacket - what's worth having?

Sat 14 Apr, 2012 1:25 pm

wayno wrote:hi forest, how did the jacket work for you in New Zealand?


Go figure....

I buy a new rain coat, fly all the way to NZ for a week :oops: :oops: .

And it didn't even rain. I had clear blue skies for 8 days. :roll: :roll:
Terrible place NZ, Just terrible. Weather was hard to pick, it was either sunny or------ sunny.

Worked great as a shell though in the wind. Breaths very well.
Used it every day.
Sorry it's only seen a little rain.

Re: Rain jacket - what's worth having?

Sat 14 Apr, 2012 3:21 pm

the weather gods here, save their worst for those with crap rainwear.....

Re: Rain jacket - what's worth having?

Sat 14 Apr, 2012 6:34 pm

or no rainwear!

I've only ever been bucketed on in NZ when I've only got a softshell or worse at hand

Re: Rain jacket - what's worth having?

Sun 15 Apr, 2012 12:12 pm

the weather gods rest their case....

Rain jacket - what's worth having?

Mon 16 Apr, 2012 6:38 pm

Same here, I'm lucky to see a few sprinkles of rain since purchasing my Montane Air Jacket.

Re: Rain jacket - what's worth having?

Tue 17 Apr, 2012 10:11 pm

icemancometh wrote:or no rainwear!

I've only ever been bucketed on in NZ when I've only got a softshell or worse at hand


Isnt that why a montane lightweight smock and pants costing less than the size of a fist and weighing nothing permanently resides in the top of your pack, transferred into a pocket when you go for a trot?
You wont ever have to wash them, just a wipe or a rinse after long walks, a wash maybe every five years seems fine. Ive tech washed and TX Direct the other halves gear once in yonks. Couldnt prove mine has ever been done.

Rain jacket - what's worth having?

Mon 23 Apr, 2012 10:27 am

ImageOkay, so I just spent another 4 hours or so walking in the rain in Montane Air jacket. I'm still enormously impressed with the DWR and breath ability.

BUT!
Having only worn it for about 8-10hrs total it is beginning to delaminate where the pack sits on the shoulders and lower back/hips! Not too happy with that!
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ImageUploadedByTapatalk1335140814.962913.jpg

Re: Rain jacket - what's worth having?

Mon 23 Apr, 2012 10:47 am

Wow.. wouldn't be happy with that!!
I thought it was event without reinforcement but I'm starting to think it might be a manufacturer thing. I have an RAB Demand jacket that's showing no signs of delaminates after a few weeks pack carrying. My montane Venture pants did that ^^^ around the crutch, maybe friction ?. :) . Not good.. Are they advertised as suitable for pack carrying???

Re: Rain jacket - what's worth having?

Mon 23 Apr, 2012 12:00 pm

Well one of it's suggested activities is "trekking". That usually involves a backpack, as does "travel" for many people. Might try an exchange...

Re: Rain jacket - what's worth having?

Mon 23 Apr, 2012 12:27 pm

I recently had a similar failure with my Westcomb Event jacket. The wear was mainly due to waist strap, shoulders are reinforced. I put in a lot of days ski touring with a heavy pack though.

To their credit, they replaced the jacket without question under their lifetime warranty. Hopefully the new one will be a bit more durable.

Image

Image

Rain jacket - what's worth having?

Mon 23 Apr, 2012 6:09 pm

Hi Sthughes

Not good news re the jacket. As mine is a twin with as much use no issue yet.

Rather dubious of eVent compared to Goretex on the longevity front. My mid weight Montane Venturer jacket has rub marks but nothing too bad yet. My PP pro-shell is just unmarked by use. I know Goretex is anti using their lighter weight Pac-lite with a pack or at least with my Kathmandu one. It appears that Goretex is more careful in using what grade for a task. With eVent you seem to be at the mercy of the individual garment maker's choice.

eVent seems to be featuring rather strongly on negative reviews with long time users. At the moment very happy with my eVent gear but then again delighted with my Goretex stuff.

Given the cost of rain gear it should work. Gave the cheap and cheerful Three Peak water proof pants out and yes there are worse materials out there but they are at least cheap. Good enough for shorter walks where you can get dry at home!

Cheers

Re: Rain jacket - what's worth having?

Mon 23 Apr, 2012 7:28 pm

If the face fabric is light weight ( say 40d or under) it is not up to use with packs generally. Tis is true whether the ptfe has a PU coating like gore, or not ( like event.) Eg. Most au and nz companies use 70or 70x160 weight... Our expectations are high here..

Rain jacket - what's worth having?

Mon 23 Apr, 2012 8:49 pm

blacksheep wrote:If the face fabric is light weight ( say 40d or under) it is not up to use with packs generally. Tis is true whether the ptfe has a PU coating like gore, or not ( like event.) Eg. Most au and nz companies use 70or 70x160 weight... Our expectations are high here..


Hi expectations driven by marketing in many cases. We are told something will do the job so should expect it to. As mentioned Gore-tex at least on the Kathmandu label made it clear that the jacket made out of Pac-lite was not suitable for packs. Though I have noticed a few Pac-lite walking jackets but not as common as light weight eVent fabrics.

Maybe a warning like with Pac-lite that the fabric is not suitable for use with a pack? Regardless, eVent is getting a bad reputation for poor longevity.

Re: Rain jacket - what's worth having?

Mon 23 Apr, 2012 9:55 pm

Cam, I have one of your Traverse jackets. What are the fabric specs? I haven't worn it with a pack yet (or much at all to be honest!).

Rain jacket - what's worth having?

Mon 23 Apr, 2012 10:10 pm

Yeah my Goretex Active shell only advertises itself for "done in a day" activities, but I have carried a much heavier pack much further and it looks brand new. The fabric is even lighter than that of the Air.

Re: Rain jacket - what's worth having?

Tue 24 Apr, 2012 5:47 am

my macpac resolution is delaminating after a few uses on the reinforced shoulders.......... useless considering how heavy the material is and the useless dwr.....

Rain jacket - what's worth having?

Tue 24 Apr, 2012 7:02 am

Durability, This is what had me concerned when I saw my new Montane Air eVent jacket turned up in the post. So far I've not had to wear the jacket with my pack on. Ive only worn the jacket thus far on outing up town or around the block, kept me dry and breathes well.

It's a bit concerning reading some of the reports of delamination where the straps are on the packs, it would be encouraging to know if Montane will honor a warranty claim if this happens to my jacket.

Those that have had this problem thus far, how did you adjust your packs, did you have the straps up tight or loose? I'm wondering if you done them up a little tighter if this might stop the rubbing causing the wear.

Re: Rain jacket - what's worth having?

Tue 24 Apr, 2012 7:12 am

guys in the bivouac shop said pertex is usually pretty reliable. they hardly have any complaints about it, less than with gore tex..

Re: Rain jacket - what's worth having?

Tue 24 Apr, 2012 10:41 am

Ent wrote: Regardless, eVent is getting a bad reputation for poor longevity.


Some jackets are perhaps. So far our eVent shells are looking good, a few approaching 15/20 odd weeks of pack hauling.

I guess if GE started.... by enforcing design approval we would have another expensive option (like gore). Otherwise, perhaps its best to think of it as a propriety fabric and subject to whatever standards any company applies.

It seems obvious though, this being the case, that buying one of the lightest jackets from (a company that has had some 'duds' and) a range and at a dirtbag price doesn't reek of a bargain. Otherwise intelligent people still expecting miracles :P :)

Rain jacket - what's worth having?

Tue 24 Apr, 2012 11:18 am

Hi Nuts

Yes I walked in with my eyes open and no great expectations and the price was a big factor. Personally I would not pay anywhere near the asking price for eVent gear simply as you write there are no centralized standards so you are at the mercy of a manufacturer's specifications.

Still be nice for a product to meet merchantable standards as being fit for purpose without having to do a masters in material properties. As said mine is ok and like the design and performance.

Looking at this thread and chatting to a few walkers their is strong dissatisfaction with eVent jackets longevity. Glad that you are having a favourable experience. Will you post the brand and model so we all can learn what works well?

Cheers

Re: Rain jacket - what's worth having?

Tue 24 Apr, 2012 12:13 pm

macpac resolutions arent lightweight jackets, it has the heaviest material on the shoulders and the event has still delaminated on mine after only wearing it a handful of times with a full overnight pack...
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