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.