| World Class All-Around Extreme Alpine Hardshell Jackets Article |
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| World Class All-Around Extreme Alpine Hardshell Jackets   | 
| Page Type: Article Activities: Ice Climbing | Page By: Duseks Created/Edited: Sep 18, 2006 / Dec 24, 2006 Object ID: 226878 Hits: 4738 Loading... Page Score: 88.59% - 12 Votes Loading... Vote: Log in to vote |
IntroductionMany of us come from the world of the hiker. As one enters the mountaineer/climber stage one quickly notices that the gear is different. Death to the uneccesary occurs, functionality is paramount, and durability/reliability is vastly more important than in the hiking world. As one strives even further, to become an alpinist, improper gear can stop a trip before it starts, or worse, stop it after it already has...
I come from the North Cascades, a land of seemingly uncountable peaks, heavy rains, and variable temperature and weather. It is common in Washington State to find temperatures high and percipitation heavy. Water-resistant fabric don't stand up to bad PacNW weather, so a hardshell of some sort usually finds it's way into a climbers pack on any outing. After sweating under and wearing out a few lightweight dwr "rain gear" jackets one starts to look beyond...for a more waterproof, better breathing, more durable, better moving, highly functioning jacket that is in every sense of the word "bomber".
Certainly gear specifically tailored to a situation will usually function better than a "one-size-fits-all" tool. Unfortunately if you're going into the mountains, or on a long extended trip, it can be quite difficult to predict the weather that one will find. The jackets in this test are basically judged under this idea "I want to throw a jacket in my pack that will stand up to just about anything, won't weight too much, won't wear out too fast, won't make me sweat more than I should, and won't restrict my movement." A high premium is placed on the piece of mind that these jackets provide, the safety (relative to other systems) that these jackets provide is a core part of their value and interpretation in this article.
As an alpinist, or as a person striving to become one (like me), serious and prolonged weather situations can develop and lives may be on the line. It is from this perspective that I evaluated these jackets. As such, this review is not relavant to most hikers, or non-ambitious 1-2 times/year mountaineers. This review is for people that need jackets built to deliver the best performance and be prepared for the wrath of the mountain gods.
Intended Uses-Trekking
-Winter-Summer Mountaineering
-Ice and Mixed Climbing
-Big Wall and Rock Climbing
-Ski Touring
-International Expeditions
CriteriaMoney is no object in this test
Non-Negotiable Criteria in order of importance:
-Extremely Breathable materials, pitzips mandatory or compensated for
-Extremely Durable (able to last ten "beat the piss out of it" years)
-Very waterproof
-Fully Gusseted and Articulated
-1 lb 8oz maximum weight
-Hood must be helmet compatible and move well w/ good visibility
-Acessible pockets while wearing pack, strong preference for waterproof/resistant zippers
Negotiable criteria and preferential additions (non-ordered):
-addtional chest vents
-large pockets
-soft collar
-quiet (stretch materials, without sacrificing waterproofness)
-Idealy 1 lb or less
Exclusionsfabrics... In the alpine we work hard, at least I do. A fabric must be able to pass sweat and heat buildup from strenuous activities like snowshoeing, rock and ice climbing, and intense trekking yet not let any of the elements in.
Standard Gore-Tex represent minimum acceptable breathability and waterproofness
Exclusion #1: Any DWR Polyurethane coated (non-membrane) jackets. Not-durable enough, only about 60% breathability of standard gore-tex, and not as waterproof. These jackets range from $30 - $150, are very lightweight.
Exclusion #2: Standard Gore-Tex. WL Gore makes a product that is lighter, more waterproof, and breathes dramatically better. Standard g-tex may meet breathability and waterproofness requirements, but since it's heavier than we have to carry...let's not.
Exclusion #3: Standard g-tex knock-offs. These include Triple Point Ceramic (lowe alpine), HyVent (North Face), Hellytech (HH), H2No (Patagonia), MemBrain (Marmot), and others. Each of these fabrics have a caveat, whether it be weight, waterproofness, but all are less breathable than the best, we want the best.
Exclusion #4: Gore Paclite (...crowd cringes...). Oh yes! Paclite, the highly praised lightweight material is a goner. It's more durable than it seems, but probably not enough to last longer than 3 or so years of hard use. Paclite 80-90% as breathable as standard g-tex, which means it's more of a plastic bag than we have to put up with.
Softshells?Soft shell jackets are great. They perform very well in dry windy condtions, and in very cold conditions where moisture comes only in solid forms. Highly breathable softshells are ideal for aerobic activities like climbing.
Despite the wonders of softshell jackets they have many limitations. For one, they are heavy for the level of protection and warmth they provide. They are much heavier than other layering options when worn under a hardshell. Softshells are not the right gear in a downpour, especially in warmer temps where the temperature gradient (the difference between your body heat and outside temps) is low. Packability is a problem, softshells are bulky and don't compress. Finally, softshells cease to provide useful function, except wind-blocking, when saturated with water. If you wait to long to put on your hardshell in a downpour the softshell will perform very poorly as a layering tool, whearas fleece would still perform excellently.
Many people take a softshell and a hardshell climbing. I've done so many times and it does work pretty well. The problem is that it is a heavy combo, usually well over 1.5 lbs. The advantage is that the softshell is very breathable and comfortable in good conditions.
Today's best hardshells are highly breathable, fully gusseted, and have many venting options. The come close to the breathability of softshells while offering drastically improved weather protection. This article seeks to find jackets that allow you to ditch the softshell and bring lighter insulating layers making a comparably breathing more versatile, better protected, and lighter combo than the softshell/backup hardshell. What's Left?Only two fabrics stand up to my criteria Gore-tex XCR and eVENT. Both are membranes that can be faced with any fabric and both come in 2 and 3 layer versions. This essentially means that durability is a matter of choice. Higher denier (a measure of thread weight) nylon face fabrics are more durable but heavier, the same is true for 3 vs. 2 layer. Gore XCR is generally incarnated in more durable forms than eVENT.
eVENT is slightly more breathable than Gore XCR (which is 25-200% more breathable than standard g-tex) because it does not require a polyurethane coating to protect the membrane from oils and other contaminants. This means that water can pass through eVENT in vapor form, while it must condense, push through, and revaporize with Gore XCR.
Gore XCR is very breathable, not that much less than eVENT. eVENT is just as waterproof but not as windproof (one can detect air coming through in high winds). Furthermore some users complain that eVENT jackets are colder necessitating more layering which offset any weight or breathability advantages.
Either way these are two of the most technically advanced shell materials in the world. Both are excellent.
Can we get to the Jackets Already?!Gore XCR Jackets:
Arc'teryx *Best in Class*
Beta AR, Alpha SV, Alpha LT, and Theta AR
Arc'teryx makes some of the most technically oriented gear on the planet. Expect any of these jackets to be streamlined, move well, be as light as possible, and be the absolute most durable on the market. They all retail for $400+ and are worth every penny. These are investment class jackets that will most likely last you the rest of your life. Arc'teryx uses the same facing material as found in high-end backpacks.
The North Face
Universal Stretch Infusion, Ama Dablam Stretch Infusion, M Guide, and Mountain Light
The North Face and Vaude lead the world in stretch waterproof jackets. Expect these jackets to move superbly and quietly, Keep water out at all costs, and breathe well. TNF does not use as burly of a face fabric as Arc'teryx so they are not as durable.
Mountain Hardwear
Tenacity and Tenacity Lite
Mountain Hardwear makes good jackets, not as detailed as high-end TNF's or Arc'teryx but also not the price. Details like waterproof zippers are missing. They do use a burly face material though, these jackets will last and do their job with vigor.
Mammut
Zenith, Quesar, Lhotse, and Logan
Mammut is a top european manufacturer that makes excellent gear. Particularly the Zenith jacket is excellent, very lightweight, perhaps not the most durable. Good attention to detail as you would expect from Mammut
Mountaineering Equiment Co-op
Spectre and Aegis
Good jackets, essentially Arc'teryx knockoffs. ~$300
eVENT Jackets:
Rab
Latok and Latok Alpine
Rab is a manufacturer out the the UK that makes serious quality gear. These jackets are designed for Scotish winter climbing, aka the world conditions in the world. They move well and breathe well, but lack pitzips, I'll make a minor exception here because there are large chest pockets that provide core-venting and it's made of eVENT. Expect these jacket to be at least $400 by the time they get to the US. Rab also make a couple of other eVENT jackets worth looking at but excluded for various reasons.
Vaude *Best in Class*
Mirage and Alpinist Stretch
These are probably the best jackets in the world. Outdoor Magazine gave the Alpinist Stretch its 2006 gear of the year award. Superburly face fabric, excellent cut, stretch materials, and detailing make these jackets expedition essentials. Expect to pay half a grand for one of these badboys. Hard to get in the US.
Lowe Alpine
Lowe Alpine used to make eVENT jackets, but for unknown reasons stopped and signed a contract with Gore-tex. If you can find one of these jackets snatch them, they weren't as expensive as today's eVENT jackets and not quite as nice but still they are world class and if you see one you should snag it before someone else does.
Integral Designs
eVENT Jacket and eVENT Thru Hiker
These jackets are super lightweight at the cost of durability, probably the best hiking jacket in existence but not for the alpinist. Not up the rigors of continual mixed climbing in Banff.
There are a number of other companies that make N/A but very nice eVENT Jackets, check their website for a list of manufacturers.
ConclusionThe best alpine hardshell jacket is a 3 layer XCR or eVENT jacket that fits you, moves with you, has the venting options and pockets that you want, and is durable but not too heavy. Find that... and you've found the ultimate hardshell. It won't be cheapest, smallest, or lightest but it will be worth every ounce, penny, and square inch you spend on it.
I consider Arc'teryx and Vaude to be the respective champions of their fabric. Based on use, fit, testimonials, and specs the Alpha LT and SV and the Alpinist Stretch resound most with me. Though The North Face has come under fire in recent years for a continual decline in the quality of their consumer lines, their elite lines remain some of the best in the world. Rab is a manufacturer that would do well to enter to US market more prominently, they make high-end gear we want.
Remember that the hard men of old just wore wool. Even as recently as the 70's and 80's, alpinists would have killed for any of these jackets, and conquered amazing feats of alpinism without them.
-Scotty
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