Quick Question

I think this will be an easy question for some of you:

I have been wearing a Precip jacket for years and i love it. It's wearing thin though and needs to be replaced. Is there anything better/lighter out there now. Gotta have the pit zips - can't live without them and, of course, a hood. I use it as rain gear, as a wind breaker, and as a shell over my fleece and/or WM down vest.

Thanks

Actually saw a couple Precip's on clearance at REI today. Was very close to picking one up were $69. Actually have a couple for that price on their site.

"Gotta have pit zips..."
Well, that rules out my parka, a Cabela's Rainy River GoreTex PacLite item. It is more breathable than the Precip laminate, I know this from experience. And it has mesh backed slant chest pocket vents, which work very well for me. The parkaa is $79. or $89. for a tall. Most parkas don't even come in a tall.

But in the past I've had pit sips sewn in various jackets including military field jackets and Browning GoreTex hunting jackets. Always worked. On the GTX jacket I had to use seam sealer on the stitching and never had a problem, even on the raniest duck hunting days.

So for $25. I can get pit zips sewn in by my tailor. I supply the 2-way zippers.

Eric

Eric:

You've got a tailor to sew in your pit zips and for other outdoor projects? -- man, you are enjoying your retirement! (I've got to admit that I've found a great -- and cheap -- Cuban cobbler here in Miami that has done wonders repairing my hiking boots.)

When you feel that you "gotta have pit zips" -- have you given a thought that perhaps it's because the Precips really aren't all that breathable after all?

I highly recommend that you look at jackets made with eVENT. It's 100% waterproof, but it's made without the extra layer of PU laminate or coating like your Precip -- meaning much higher breathability overall.

My own jacket is a MontBell Peak shell jacket -- which uses a similar technology (no PU layer). It's just a tad less breathable than eVENT, but even so, I rarely (if ever) felt the need to open up the pit zips -- even when hiking uphill. Nevertheless, I like the fact that my jacket has the pit zips, as they broaden the comfort range that much more. Just the fact that my jacket is so breathable that I rarely use the zips means a lot less fussing -- and that's a good thing.

eVent sounds good, but it's pretty pricey yet. Not sure if I want to drop $200+ on a jacket that I'll use only rarely.

Thanks,

My fleece is also made by marmot and has pit zips. I have found that, for me, I can more easily regulate my body temperature and control moisture with the zips. It also means that I don't have to stop and change layers all the time. I just fiddle with the pit zips and the front zips to adjust to the wind, cold, rain, .. that the high mountains bring on and change very quickly.

So far it looks like I'll be buying another Precip. Have they changed very much over the years. I have seen 2005 and 2006 models for as little as $50. Does it matter?

rionada

I used to fill that way about my hardshells. They weren't worth the high dollar amounts I was spending. For instance, the ArcTeryx Sirrus SL I bought (which uses Gore Packlite) wasn't used nearly as much as it's cost demanded. My Marmot PreCip was avoided only in case of severe downpours in the backcountry and was later religated to changing the oil in my car (definitely not worth the cost).

Since I've been wearing my Pearl Izumi eVent jacket and currently the Westcomb Specter LT, my opinion has change. In fact, I reach for my Specter jacket more often than the softshell jackets I used to wear around town. It is lighter weight to wear which I like and, most importantly, breaths. I never sweat or feel clammy in it. I really feel that eVent will change most people's attitudes about hardshells. In fact, I'm wearing it now and forgot I had it on (just came in from outside)!

The only downside currently to eVent is the price and I don't see it dropping in the near future. It is much more difficult to work with than Gore or PU which is really the major expense for manufacturers. Imagining taping to teflon and making it durable. I was told by Westcomb that they can only tape the seams at about 8 ft per minute vs. Gore (or PU) which is taped at around 50 ft per minute (eVent is the only membrane that Westcomb has worked with in their factory). The reason is the glue has to be forced through the membrane, allowing the tape to adhere to the face material. It takes them a minimum of one year to train their employees to tape (currently they only have five who can do it reliably).

I've heard the MontBell jackets are nice and breath well. I think they are more affordable.

I use Cabela's Ultrapack right now and am very pleased. No zip pits, but they breathe well enough that I use them as a windbreaker. They even saved weight by using a 2/3 length zipper and neoprene tabs instead of plastic cordlocks. They only problem is they only come in camo.