Ski jackets: Are all waterproof/breathable shells the same? (Northface/Columbia/etc)

[JEDI]

Lots of companies have waterproof/breathable ski jackets:
Northface/Columbia/Goretex/etc

Are they all very similiar to each other?

if not, what are the major differences in the shell? (not the removable liner/fleece)

 

[Gooberlx2]

Waterproof/Windproof + breathable doesn't make any sense to me, and I wouldn't put any stock in to such claims.

The general differences are going to be the quality of stitching, zippers, button, etc.., exact materials used (such as Goretex), styling/fashion vs utility and price.

Northface and Columbia both tend to make decent, if pricey, jackets. My shell is a Volcom that I got at an incredible discount, and it's awesome. Super heavy/impenetrable material, multiple stitchings on the seams, quality zippers, and lots of utility (pockets, vents, season pass pull-out, snow guards on the wrists, headphone "routing", etc...).

 

[Cdubneeddeal]

I own tnf and Columbia gear and the only differences I see is the fit. Tnf seems to fit a little slimmer as opposed to Columbia which fits more American if that makes sense.

 

[irishScott]

Can't speak for proprietary waterproofing, but the higher end Goretex material is virtually identical in function to eVent. Cheaper Goretex jackets, however, are often made with correspondingly cheaper 2 layer variation. Still waterproof, but not really breathable and will wear out more quickly. That said I've used one of those "cheaper" jackets as my rain shell for both hiking/camping and everyday use, and it's still going strong after 2 years through snow, rain, and everything in between.

 

[irishScott]

http://www.climbers-shop.com/Waterproofs.aspx

 

[Bignate603]

I own a Columbia 3 in 1 jacket (shell and zip out liner) that works great. I haven't looked at jackets lately though, is Columbia still a bit cheaper than TNF?

Waterproof/Windproof + breathable doesn't make any sense to me, and I wouldn't put any stock in to such claims.

The materials they use do allow water vapor to pass out while keeping liquid water from getting in and do it pretty well. Also, they can still be breathable without letting enough wind through that you can notice it.

 

[GoSharks]

You can pretty much assume that if any brand name jacket is marketed as waterproof, it will be actually waterproof. Breath-ability is where the variance comes in.

eVent is currently the best waterproof breathable material on the market.

 

[JEDI]

http://www.climbers-shop.com/Waterproofs.aspx

thx. but what does northface and columbia use for their waterproof/breathable fabric? do they license either goretex or event or have their own?

 

[Triumph]

Having ridden a motorcycle in several multi-hour long downpours, you won't find a scenario that is a more taxing test of waterproofness than that. The difference in quality comes down to quality of seems and joints. That's where things will start to leak, not through large flat even surfaces. Pay attention to those details. Also, the outer material is not all the same. At least in motorcycle gear, the Gore Tex is just the liner, because it's no good for sliding on pavement. Many outer materials do a good job of repelling water, some do not. If the outer material doesn't do a good job of repelling water, it'll eventually just get soaked, and then you'll start getting wet around the collar, or hem, or wrists, or zippers.

So no, they're definitely not all the same.

 

[moshquerade]

http://www.spyder.com/

 

[darkxshade]

From the research I did when looking for a new snowboard jacket, eVent > Goretex. However, finding shells using the eVent fabric is hard, there aren't many selections because Goretex dominates the market. There's only a few company that uses eVent exclusively. Westcomb is the one I can think of off the top of my head.

With that said, not all jackets are the same in waterproofness. There are degrees of waterproofness measured in ppi(pounds per inch) of water pressure. Since they don't generally give that spec out when shopping, you can't tell exactly how waterproof it is. The only site I've ever found to give any sort of waterproofness rating is dogfunk.com but they almost sell Burton jackets exclusively and most Burton jackets don't use goretex or event as far as I can tell.

TNF uses goretex but not always, if you shop online, it'll tell you if it uses a gore-tex shell or not, if it doesn't, then it's not goretex. All jackets with gore-tex also has the logo stitched into the jackets since the name ususually means quality(even though it's not true) and gets more sales. Personally I avoid tnf because everyone and their mother wears it here, can't go a day without seeing that damned logo. Makes me think the quality has gone downhill since they churn these jackets out by the millions now.

Don't know too much about columbia since I don't think they use goretex at all.

I ended up buying Arc'Teryx, they're really expensive but the quality is great. They use goretex as well. I usually wait till off season and snag up their technical jackets at deep discounts(usually over 50% off). Just looking at their zippers, you know it was made to block water.

 

[abaez]

Any recommendations to look for an eVent jacket with summer coming up (and discounts)?

 

[shortylickens]

Make sure it has a YKK zipper.
I know that may sound obvious, but if you've ever had anything without one, you'd know the difference.

 

[NetWareHead]

I ended up buying Arc'Teryx, they're really expensive but the quality is great. They use goretex as well. I usually wait till off season and snag up their technical jackets at deep discounts(usually over 50% off). Just looking at their zippers, you know it was made to block water.

One of the best jackets on the market.