2ering

I've read some great things about e-Vent fabric being much better than Gore-Tex in vapor transmission. I've used Gore for running & riding & while it does keep out wind & rain it doesn't live up to its claims for breathability. Does anyone have experience with both products? Any favorites? Thanks.

permanentjaun

Not sure what the e-vent fabric is, but one thing to consider if you're touring is keeping the goretex clean. You can't just toss it in a washing machine. If it gets dirty it loses it's water proof ability. Can be a tough situation while on tour.

bccycleguy

I've been using Gore-tex for decades, in fact the first Gore-tex jacket I had was in 1978 when the material first came on the market and jackets had to be custom made. It's a great material, but it doesn't belong on a bike. Not breathable enough.

The best jacket I've used is MEC's Whoosh Jacket, see: https://www.mec.ca/Products/product_d...=1185150035900 I prefer the yellow jacket for visibility.

jlarkin

I don't have any direct experience with eVent, but I have heard some pretty good things. The problem with Gore-Tex is that it can't vent directly. What that means is that the moisture must condense on the inside of the fabric, and then is diffused through the fabric from your body heat. eVent can directly vent the moisture vapor through the fabric. The really limiting problem with eVent is that manufacturers have been hesitant to adopt it due to market reasons. Most US manufacturers that have used it, dropped it because Gore-Tex is a more recognizable brand.

I have used Gore-Tex extensively, but I have been very tempted by eVent.

cuffydog

I've used both, and for cycling I found the ShowersPass Elite e-vent jacket superior to my Goretex jacket. Granted, the Goretex jacket is not new, and it's not cut for cycling, but I found that it eventually felt like a plastic bag, which the e-vent jacket never did. This may be because of the multiple vents on the ShowersPass. I found myself using the ShowersPass jacket when it was windy, no rain, and didn't overheat.

littlewaywelt

I am extremely familiar with both. They both work extremely well, but eVent is more breathalbe than Gore XCR.

HardyWeinberg

Can anybody compare 'gelanots' from the late lamented burley raincoats to e-vent or goretex? I am absolutely not a gore-tex fan (maybe they have single layer coats I've never seen, but the coats I have seen are very clearly not suited to me). I like my burley coat a lot, but I can't swear that most of the venting I get is from cranking the pitzips all the way and opening the front zipper to max airflow through the pits and backflap. Fabric might not matter at all.

littlewaywelt

fabric matters a lot in terms of breathability, and how well it holds onto the durable water repellant which is an extremely important part of any shell. Once the dwr is gone the outer material "wets out" and the gore or whatever can't breath through that area. Moisture will condense anywhere the outer material is soaking wet. Most complaints about poorly breathing gore shells are with jackets that have the dwr worn away so as soon as the jacket gets wet, breathability is severely reduced.

there are many types of goretex. the most breathable is Paclite. It's laminated to lighterweight nylons in a single piece. There are two layer and three layer gore jackets. The two layer jackets have the gore laminated to the nylon and then hang a skirt (often coolmax) inside that to pick up moisture and protect the laminate. Three ply is when the gore is laminated to the shell and the protective layer is laminated to the gore. It's a little counter-intuitive, but 2 ply feels like 2 layers. 3 ply feels like a single layer. 3 ply is generally more breathable.

2ering

Thanks to all who responded. I learned a lot--direct venting versus moisture movement across layers, had never heard of gelanots so I googled it & found hundreds of hits. It sounds like a good product. Also came across a site, www.cycleapparel.com where they describe the design of dozens of fabrics from Gore-Tex & e-Vent to pima cotton & good old lycra.

I've tried many Gore products, standard, XCR & Paclite and all leave me feeling like I was encased in the plastic bag cuffydog describes. The Showers Pass Elite jacket looks like a winner if I can find one in large. Thanks again.

cuffydog

2ering: I got my ShowersPass directly from the manufacturer in Oregon. I called, had a good conversation with the folks there, and had the jacket in a couple of days. (www.showerspass.com) I found the previous years' model on a couple of sites for about $30 or $40 less, but not in the size I needed.

I don't think you'll go wrong, and I if didn't already have my Goretex rain pants, I would have gotten the Showers Pass cycling pants as well.

CD

TruckerMike

I've ridden a whole winter on the ShowersPass Elite 2.0 with eVent and was very impressed. It does one better than relying on the fabric to help with venting - the pit zips and back vents did a great job and the fabric was as good or better than Goretex I've tried.

Elite 2.0 were nice too. Great cuffs, handy front chest pocket, nice cut, hang loop, compressable etc.

ShowersPass really put the eVent to good use in their designs and for the biking application I haven't seen a better solution. Lots swear by the Burley jackets, but I've not read one review where they've also tried the ShowersPass and gone back to Burley.

Porten2

After all this time, is the showerspass jacket still waterproof? How long does it stay waterproof, and does it need to be replaced after a while like other "waterproof" bike jackets?

staehpj1

I tried Goretex several times since it was introduced and have found it to be not worth bothering with for any activity where you sweat a lot. Plain old coated nylon works just as well for me. If I am going to be soaked any way, the little breathability it provides just makes it clammy and makes me colder, but still wet.

A garment with well designed vents works best regardless of the fabric.

Late Spring, I bought a jacket made from Biovent and my initial reaction is that it works pretty well. This time of year I don't bother with rain gear and just get wet, so I have only used it in a fairly light rain in moderate temperatures and have not yet toured with it, as a result I will not yet pass judgment on it. Fall is coming so maybe it will get a better test soon.