Polartec Neoshell

[roysta]

How does this fabric rate in comparison to eVent, Dry Q Elite or Goretex Pro?
I'm interested in opinions.


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[wayno]

Polartec made some pretty big claims about the breathability of neoshell
they claim its twice as breathable as the nearest competitor, they don't name the competitors membrane but I'd assume they are talking about event.
http://www.polartec.com/shelter/polarte ... ights.aspx

i've got a lightweight neoshell jacket. havent used it that much but so far its deinitely at least a bit more breathable than gore tex from my own opinion and limited use.

a lot of reviews state the same thing, it breathes extremely well, definitely better than gore tex, arguably beter than event,
and they claim it needs less cleaning than event which tends to need regular cleaning

but, reviews state in very cold windy weather you feel the cold more than you would in other membranes especially the non air permeable gore tex, except their new gore pro which is like event...
also a lot of the neoshell garments don't bother with vented pockets and pit zips because it breathes so well. but nothing breathes as well as physical vents on a jacket, so if you think yo'll need venting which you probably will if you walk in warm to hot weather a lot, then shop around... Westcomb have pit zips on some of their models for instance.. cant recall if montane do.. but most neoshells i've seen dont have vents...
but also breathability can come down to fabric thickness as well. a comparative review on backpacking light of a moderate weight rab neosehll up against gore tex active and other membranes had the neoshell coming off second best for moisture buildup against thinner shells and especially ones with vents.
i ony bought a neoshell because it was half price and i was interested to see how it performed..
also teh waterproof HH rating on neoshell is 10,000 new but drops over time, i think to pssibly 6 or 7k?
theres a lot of argument about what hh rating constitutes a storm proof jacket. one argument says a jacket needs to have a rating of 10k,,
so over time if the rating drops to 6k it should still be pretty waterproof, and i cant remember how many washes about 50 i think, so it shouldne drop the rating that fast you should get years and years possibly tens of years of good use from a neoshell garment before the rating gets to the botom of its raing.
but at 6k in a heavy rainstorm with strong wind its theoretically possibly to drive water through the membrane, you can do it at 10k also, but i dont know how severe a storm you'd need possibly hurricane strength....
so if you really need a bomb proof storm shell in the rain and cold, you might not want to use a neoshell.
i've also read comments that people find event jackets colder than the gore tex and generic non air permeable membranes.
for some people bomb proof storm gear has meant gore tex.... as much because of its good warranty
polartec do make high quality materials. so i wouldnt expect neoshell to degenerate as fast as some of the cheaper generic alternative membranes....

[wayno]

the waterproof comparative reivew i mentioned is here, need to purchase the report or subscribe to view it

http://www.backpackinglight.com/cgi-bin ... pFXqsQW24E

http://www.backpackinglight.com/cgi-bin ... part3.html

[wayno]

How does this fabric rate in comparison to eVent, Dry Q Elite or Goretex Pro?
I'm interested in opinions.


Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

bear in mind Dry q elite is eVent rebranded and the new gore tex pro is event with extra membrane layers and is pretty comparable for breathability, quoted as up to 28% more breathable than the old proshell which had the polyeurethane membrane on it that was retarding its moisture permeability rating

[photohiker]

I've got a RAB NeoShell jacket.

For the kind of walking I do, it's ideal. It's the only jacket I've had that I can walk in without it raining inside the jacket.

That said, it definitely breathes more than goretex, so in very cold windy places it might not be the best choice. Like all things, there are trade-offs.

[roysta]

I have a MHW Dry Q Elite softshell jacket which is a beauty.

[photohiker]

I have a MHW Dry Q Elite softshell jacket which is a beauty.

Cool. Are you going to post a review?

How is it's breathability vs windproofness?

[Ellobuddha]

Ive got a Marmot Zion jacket. Its a great jacket. Really breathable but does let very strong cold wind in - only a little though. I would want my other "hard shell" if I was in going to get into some serious rain.

I think the best way to describe Neoshell is a really burly softshell material that is waterproof - to a point.

[wayno]

I think the best way to describe Neoshell is a really burly softshell material that is waterproof - to a point.

neoshell is a membrane, it gets bonded to a variety of fabrics, in the zions case it gets bonded to a substantial softshell material with an extra liner for warmth..

neoshels like the rab ones and the westcomb ones are more like hardshells, the membrane is bonded to a thinner shell and there is only the nylon tricot packer as you get in other hardshel three layer waterproof jackets, there is no additional liner for warmth in this type of fabric
. there is a slight amount of stretch in the fabric, but its lighter than the material in the zion...

[Ellobuddha]

I think the best way to describe Neoshell is a really burly softshell material that is waterproof - to a point.

neoshell is a membrane, it gets bonded to a variety of fabrics, in the zions case it gets bonded to a substantial softshell material with an extra liner for warmth..

neoshels like the rab ones and the westcomb ones are more like hardshells, the membrane is bonded to a thinner shell and there is only the nylon tricot packer as you get in other hardshel three layer waterproof jackets, there is no additional liner for warmth in this type of fabric
. there is a slight amount of stretch in the fabric, but its lighter than the material in the zion...

You're right Wayno. I should've said, "the best way to describe the Zion"