Which hard-shell uninsulated jacket for PNW?

[Saffron]

Ya, I saw the thread on an insulated hard-shell jacket posted by another Orygunian. I'm just looking for something to replace my rain/snow/wind jacket which isn't keeping out the rain anymore (I guess the PNW really tests these pieces).

What would you recommend? I'm specifically looking at gore-tex paclite jackets and the Mountain Hardwear Typhoon jacket in particular. Something that can be used skiing, hiking in the rain, or ice climbing.

grazi

[SgtSkidmark]

Norrona Falketind

[Saffron]

oh, forgot to mention I'm a student. Norrona's a bit out of my price range

[whyturn]

Rei event

[justcuz]

loki event 1232435

[ikkin]

stoic stash event on backcountry.com. cheap and nice.

[johnnygolucky]

Arcteryx Alpha SV. You can find deals on Ebay or spring sales, still going to cost ya coin though. But worth every penny. TOTALLY dry in the PNW's worst and has kept me alive in hard core winter camps. I'll drop $10.00 on a value village-Good Will wardrobe but have no problem spending the cabbage on a jacket that can save my life.

[Rockhound]

get a trew jacket, a little pricy, but perfect for pacfic northwest piss(like it's been doing the past week and a half)

i know most of these dont interest you (saga ect.) but the trew test is remarkable

http://www.independentgeartest.com/a...ear-gear-tests

[Torture]

Arcteryx Alpha SV. You can find deals on Ebay or spring sales, still going to cost ya coin though. But worth every penny. TOTALLY dry in the PNW's worst and has kept me alive in hard core winter camps. I'll drop $10.00 on a value village-Good Will wardrobe but have no problem spending the cabbage on a jacket that can save my life.

Seconded. Just got an Arc'teryx Stingray (50% off wholesale! ) and god damn, nicest jacket I've ever owned.

Anything Arc'teryx is pretty unreal. Pricey but you really do get what you pay for.

If you're on a budget have you checked out MEC Gore-tex stuff? (REI In the states I believe?).

[mtb]

I just got a Marmot Minimalist ($200), which is light and gets great reviews. I got it for PNW days when my soft shell isn't up to the task.

[Rockhound]

Seconded. Just got an Arc'teryx Stingray (50% off wholesale! ) and god damn, nicest jacket I've ever owned.

Anything Arc'teryx is pretty unreal. Pricey but you really do get what you pay for.

If you're on a budget have you checked out MEC Gore-tex stuff? (REI In the states I believe?).

how is the durability on the arc'teryx, can it stand up to some tree skiing, or would it rip?

[Quinn the Eskimo]

how is the durability on the arc'teryx, can it stand up to some tree skiing, or would it rip?

Stingray is goretex softshell - absolutely bombproof. Im on my third ec tree skiing seeason (prob 40-50 days a year) with it and it looks new.

[Viva]

oh, forgot to mention I'm a student. Norrona's a bit out of my price range

www.geartrade.com

Some great deals here on once-used or even unused gear.

[whacked]

Durability of Arc'Teryx is good. It can stand up to small branches and snags.

I would endorse the Beta AR as a plain shell. Quality is down somewhat over the years as Arc'Teryx moved to China with everyone else. But the coating on mine has lasted well: three years at 100+ days per year outside in the rain. Only thing to fail was a wrist closure that I sewed back into the seam and retaped.

I found REI quality to be too low. Two zippers failed on my eVent 2009 and I returned the second one for a refund. Great warranty of course.

I disagree on the light shells suggested. I have owned Patagonia, Mountain Hardware, and Sierra Designs. These are quality coats made out of good materials, but the waterproofing fades quickly and even when new they will wet out in a few hours. I use them for running and walking to work in Eugene (where rain clouds go to die). They're fine for summer backpacking.

[GeezerSteve]

. . . the trew test is remarkable

Wow, the jacket with the least use had the best DWR. Duh. Silly test. All DWR wears off with use and after that the fabric will wet out.

[pappag]

Westcomb Chimera sounds like what you want. 560 eVent, PrimaLoft insulation, and around 30 oz. Made in BC.

[Saffron]

Thanks for the help, great suggestions

[frorider]

i skied the PNW for many years, still ski there semi regularly, and have owned many goretex jackets from arc teryx, marmot, etc.

goretex (any flavor of goretex) is dead to me.

Hands down, the westcomb revenant jacket is much better than any of those goretex jackets. much wider comfort range thanks to the better breathability of eVent. The Revenant, btw, is a great compromise shell weight -- i've hit sharp tree snags w/ no rips, but the jacket is not ridiculously heavy or stiff. it deals with PNW snain as well as any goretex i've owned, but is more comfortable to wear.

for backcountry skiing, i have the REI SHuksan eVent jacket. Shortish cut, plenty light, good water resistance, even more excellent breathability, but is not as warm as a heavier shell, and I had to get it repaired when a bad tear resulted from brushing a tree limb.

on price: well the REI jacket is pretty cheap, and therefore tends to be sold out. the westcomb stuff is carried on backcountry.com, and occasionally gets blown out at a big discount (by luck, that's when I got mine this December.)

[gbob636]

I have the Helly Hanson Odin shell. It is a pro shell very durable and waterproof. It has pit zips, reinforced shoulders and hip points for backpack protection and all the bells and whistles, including ski pass pocket and Recco. I ski in it and wear it around town. May be worth a look. My 2 cents.

[GeezerSteve]

I just put up an XL Rab Latok Alpine eVent jacket for sale over on Gear Swap. Fit is Euro XL, i.e., between US L and XL. Nice 3-season lightweight mountaineering shell in excellent condition for a great price ($150 = 50% MSRP). eVent is the tits but this jacket doesn't quite fit me [/spam]

[willmtbike4food]

how is the durability on the arc'teryx, can it stand up to some tree skiing, or would it rip?

I have a Theta AR, and love it - it's GoreTex Pro Shell, and definitely breathes much better than my Arc'Teryx Stingray. It's kept me dry in heavy midwest summer downpours, and breathes excellently even in near 100% humidity - I've VERY RARELY felt like I was wearing a garbage bag - and when I did, it was after about an hour hiking in 80 degree weather, with 90% or so humidity. Not sure there's any jacket out there that would pass a test like that.

If you're concerned about durability, especially through trees or around rocks, would highly recommend Gore Pro Shell over eVent or Gore's Pac Lite.

That being said, my girlfriend has an OR Enigma shell - the male version (the Furio) could be exactly what you're looking for - Pro Shell arms and shoulders, Pac Lite torso. Full side zips, to help with venting for 4 season use. $300 retail, lifetime warranty, OR makes quality gear.

[ey_allen]

Arc'Teryx Theta AR is what I use. DWR is still going strong after a year of use, and I wear it all the damn time (walking to the bus, riding my bike, hiking in the summer, skiing). Breaths really damn well too, and has pit zips when you need them. I absolutely love this jacket.

Oh, and the goretex pro is certainly burley enough for tree skiing.

[GeezerSteve]

Please share your secret for making DWR last so long. My Arc'Teryx DWR wore off just as fast as all the other non-cheapo stuff, i.e., a half-season of brushy routes, which are impossible to avoid on many approaches to the best PNW alpine wilderness. Avoiding brush (with my lift-served garments) might extend the factory DWR to a year or so, except where the backpack straps erode the DWR.

And if any one manufacturer of PTFE laminate (i.e., GoreTex, eVent) garments is doing something different with DWR, please advise. AFAIK, all the manufacturers, including Arc'Teryx, use the same DWR treatments from 2 or 3 manufacturers, they are chemically similar and they use the same application techniques. Also, there are only a handful of mills that make the fabric for all the garment manufacturers.

When Epic fabric came out, I was hopeful that someone might figure out a way to laminate a PTFE membrane to it, but it's too slippery for that.

IME, eVent breathes better than any Gore product (even Windstopper) and is at least as (sorta) waterproof as the most storm resistant Gore product. Eventually, DWR is going to wear off, and after-market DWR is going to last 1/2 as long and not work as well as factory DWR. Unless you avoid brush (not an option for me), DWR is going to wear off and garments are likely going to wet out at some point. So IMV, one issue is what stuff works best when it wets out. IME, for the stuff on the more breatheable end of the spectrum, eVent works better, i.e., at least as "waterproof" as Gore PacLite, Pro Shell, XCR or standard, and eVent is more breatheable than all those, even when wetted out. The other way to go is PU, which is barely breatheable, but tends to be more storm resistant when wetted out and (ETA) is cheaper.

[Schemeboat]

PNW = Tree Skiing.

Get something cheap because it will deteriorate much quicker due to regular foliage abuse. Spend the money you save on well ventilated goggles with excellent low light lenses.

[GeezerSteve]

. . . it was after about an hour hiking in 80 degree weather, with 90% or so humidity. Not sure there's any jacket out there that would pass a test like that.

So, just wondering why in the hell were you wearing a shell in those conditions? Some sort of heat training technique? Are you suggesting that an Arc'Teryx GT Pro Shell jacket would breathe better than another brand GT Pro Shell jacket? I don't get that.