I think the "rain jacket" designation is more a reflection on the extended tail (aka droptail hem).

In case anyone is interested, I heard back from Showers Pass regarding the difference in fabrics between the Elite 2.1 (eVent) and the Refuge (Elite). According the them,

"The Elite and the E-Vent are very similar, but different. E-Vent is a brand that has been in the market for years and Elite is a material that we are working with under our own name. Personally we like Elite better over here, the dexterity and feel is a little (like barely) more comfortable than the E-Vent and it tends to perform slightly better.

In the end, they are both still the middle layer of the 3 layer laminate. The inner and outer layers are exactly the same material we've been using for a while now."

I think I'll wait for an earlier adopter to check out and report on the Refuge before I pony up almost 3 bills for this one.

Thanks,

KB