I rode in a pretty heavy rain yesterday morning with my newly purchased e-vent jacket from REI. It was listed as a running jacket. No hood and I would like more pockets, but I digress. This jacket with a light longsleeved baselayer in about 54 degree temps kept me dry and better yet I was not soaked under the jacket as I would have been in my other W/B jackets. No pit zips and according to the so called experts they are not needed. When it gets below 40 I would think merino wool or fleece would work really well. So I'm satisfied with this jacket and I think I will be using it a lot even off the bike. It was on sale at right around $80.00 so for e-vent thats really cheap.

thanks for the tip. I could see this coming in handy.

Nice! Do you have al ink to the specific model you bought? I hear great things about the event jackets, but haven't taken the plunge yet myself.

probably this one https://www.rei.com/product/786903

$80 for e-vent? Insane - I'd buy one if I was in the states.

Yep thats the one. Very basic but I like it.

I like that to and placed it on my "short" list. I've got a gore-tex jacket I've had for a couple of years but need something new for the fall/winter rides. Is e-vent supposed to be better than gore-tex in keeping the rain out?

Thanks for the product review.

Ride safe,

Jeff

Its supposed to outperform anything on the planet when it comes to waterproof /breatheable. All I have to go on is what I experienced Wednesday and what my gear head son tells me. My experience was a surprise in that although it was pretty warm I didn't get soaked with sweat and stayed protected from the rain. My lower half got a bit wet but thats because I was not wearing my good W/B rainpants, just some cheapie things I have had for several years and they suck in moderate to heavy rain. The water just rolls off the e-vent fabric, now I don't know if its a surface treatment and will have to be washed with techwash after a while or not. I'll need to find out

Thanks for the heads up. I just ordered one.

I'm certainly no expert on the subject, but as I understand it, e-vent is comparable to goretex in the waterproof department, but breathes a lot better.

how was the length of the sleeves, and the collar? from the reviews, those look like the only two things that anyone did not like about the jacket

Well I'm a shorter person so anything I buy the sleeves are too long but I got a large and the sleeves actually aren't too bad, the fact they are a tad long is normal for me but they weren't terribly over length and the collar might be a bit problematic for some cause it doesn't naturally lay flat but it doesn't bother me. I've just turned it down and over time I think it will lay flatter when its not zipped up too far but I like the fact it comes up around your neck a bit. Keeps the cold off your neck. I really like the jacket a lot but then I'm pretty much a minimalist. I did read the washing instructions and it says to wash often and rinse twice to get all the detergent out then dry on low or iron on low to regenerate the waterproof properties which I found weird but thats ok its easier to take care of.

Just got one also... Tired of my old jacket that was as breathable as a plastic bag. Free shipping for REI members!

Thanks for the heads up -- I was out running errands today after seeing this thread, so I stopped by REI and tried this jacket on -- it's a very nice jacket. To me, the sleeves felt long; almost like it was meant for cycling (even though it's supposed to be a runner's jacket). But I don't think they were excessively long.

In the store, this was at the regular price -- not on sale. The sales person I talked to said they had been on sale but the sale ended Labor Day -- so this web price may not last for long.

Great jacket at this price.

still shows on sale as I write this. https://www.rei.com/product/786903

darn i wish i would have seen this earlier i just ordered another jacket and i think i would have liked this one better, it does look sweet

I got mine today by USPS. In fact, I have been wearing it over my drenched back (commuted with a backpack) and about 30min. (or less) later my back is dry given I'm wearing a loose wicking shirt. Amazing!

Mine arrived today via USPS also (along with a Bell Citi helmet, and a black reflective Buff). It looks nice. BTW, I'm 5 11, and wear a 17.5 32/33 dress shirt. I think I wear a 44 suit, but not sure. Anyway, for my size the XL fits great. The sleeves are a little long, but I have short arms, so that's nothing new. And they aren't THAT long anyway.

Have yet to wear it, other than trying it on.

It's a relatively good deal, but consider...

The "stretch panels" under the arms aren't water-proof... If it's cut for running it will ride up on your neck when cycling at the same time maybe exposing your butt to rain. The arms will be cut shorter, not ideal if you use the drops.

If you get one i'd say go a size up... for sure if you're in the middle of the sizings.

No, it's not. It's supposed to breathe better than GoreTex early on during exercise.

This was not a problem for me in the least the day I rode in the rain. Unlike Gore-Tex the tag states to wash often and put it in the dryer on low or iron on low to rejuvenate the wateproof properties. Never heard of that with Gore-Tex but I may be wrong.

current Gore-Tex care is the same. . .wash it regularly and put it in the dryer. . .

A lot of gore-tex items come with tags suggesting similar treatment. Some of them will have certain caveats ... like dry, but don't iron, or even dry, but pull the item out of the drier as soon as it finishes, so that it doesn't wind up resting on hot, cooling metal.

Anyway, what's going on is that heat re-activates the DWR that came with the jacket. DWR is "durable water repellent," and it's a chemical treatment that acts kind of like static electricity. It's what makes water bead up on the surface, like if you broke an old mercury thermometer. This stuff fades as you brush your jacket against anything, lean back into a chair, wear a backpack, etc. Heat can bring what's left back to life.

You're supposed to treat a parka about once a year with DWR. You can get a bottle for about $10 that will do a dozen parkas. You spray it on ( after the jacket is clean ) then throw it in the drier. On that note, avoid the wash-in DWR, as you really don't want it on the interior of a jacket, getting in the way of your perspiration.

It is the same with goretex. You should not be using a regular detergent with either, it will leave a film which can block the breath-ability of the garment.

Thanks for the heads up about the spray-on versus wash-in DWR repair. I just bought a bottle of the wash in stuff, but am going to return it for spray on now.