The problem of Westcomb is that they're a still a small company. I believe they only exist since 2004. The first time I heard about them was somewhere in 2006 and I have been trying to find out more since then. But there website has little information and the catalog/workbook I received has little more. They should pay more attention to what makes them different from the rest. Ok, they use eVENT but so do brands like Integral Designs and Loki and European brands like RAB are trying to get a piece of the NA market. So the fact that they use eVENT is not enough to make them different.
I have a number of catalogs and workbooks from Arc'teryx and they are a master in showing there attention to detail. I think Westcomb should try to do the same.
You are exactly right about how available and how hard it is to find info on them and their products. This is something they are working on, but they are very limited with their time, personnel, resources, money, and a million other road blocks. Arcteryx had similar issues when they first began. However, Westcomb owns their own factories, something that Arcteryx never has (being made in China now). In fact, Westcomb built many of the Arcteryx jackets back when they were made in Canada. As you inspect both Westcomb and Arcteryx jackets, you will see similarities. We were sued twice by Arcteryx, and won both times. I guess they're a little scared<img src="/forums/images/graemlins/smirk.gif" alt="" />. We aren't going away and you will soon see some very compelling reasons why we should be taken seriously.
The outdoor industry is all about companies like Westcomb that bring new innovation and ideas to market. This is a small percentage of goods, but most of the ideas from other companies come from small startup ventures. I'm honored to be a part of it and look forward to the future. I'm not looking to make millions of dollars, but rather am passionate about new innovation and workmanship. I like owning something that I can be proud of. They are taking huge risks and sacrificing a lot to bring their ideas and products to market. This is what most of us crave as consumers in this industry.
One of the things I regret is that the latest jackets from Westcomb have no specific ventilation openings. BHA can tell me what they want, no membrane currently works that well that I can't overwhelm it.
The
Mirage and iMirage both have pit zips. We have a couple of other jackets that also have pit zips. The use of eVENT does allow us to not include them in our lightweight shells, but all of our more 'heavy duty' shells do incorporate pit zips.
Things can change very quicly by the way. As already mentioned, Gore has the possibility to make membranes similar to eVENT. They already have them, just not in jackets currently.
Fine. I'm all for innovation. If they bring out something better than eVENT then I'll be all over it. Right now, however, eVENT is putting a big hurt on Gore, like it or not.
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