Woubeir:

Your wrote above, "The problem of Westcomb is that they're a still a small company."

So good that you clarified. I hope you see my point about Goretex as well. Indeed, I do associate them with "the past" -- meaning simply that their products are not cutting edge (with all the associated pros and cons) -- but that's really because of the much-wider market that they serve -- not because their scientists aren't smart enough or anything like that.

My needs are different and yes, I do disregard Goretex completely. But for every fringe guy like me, Goretex focuses on and serves 10,000 others. No need to get defensive... some of us are simply NOT part of the market that Goretex has chosen to serve.

It's the same reason why the gear you just mentioned above mainly come from smaller companies that serve a more specialized clientele.