While ice climbing or alpine climbing I spend the vast majority of my time wearing just a softshell jacket over my base layer, and unless it's really rainy and wet my GoreTex shell is just taking up space in my pack.

Since the main reason to wear a softshell is for its breathability, I was wondering if I could replace the softshell with an eVent jacket over a light fleece layer, and dispense with carrying a hardshell around for those 'just in case' situations.

Has anyone tried something like this and what do you think?

FWIW eVent=hardshell

Supposed to be breathe much better than the other membranes/laminates but still waterproof. I've got a Lowe eVent jacket but haven't used it to attest to its breathablility. Currently packed away in a storage tote in my sister's garage rafters as my current digs doesn't have enough room for all my stuff.

bluffview wrote:FWIW eVent=hardshell

Supposed to be breathe much better than the other membranes/laminates but still waterproof. I've got a Lowe eVent jacket but haven't used it to attest to its breathablility. Currently packed away in a storage tote in my sister's garage rafters as my current digs doesn't have enough room for all my stuff.

Maybe I'm off base, but I had always thought the definitions were different. To me hard shell means it's waterproof and doesn't breathe; soft shell means it's waterproof or at least water repellent and does breathe; if it's not at least water repellent it isn't a "shell." With that in mind, it seems to me that eVent is a soft shell.

To me hard shell means it's waterproof and doesn't breathe;

"Soft shell" is a recent coinage; "hard shell" is the opposite of "soft shell". Unfortunately the softness of the shell has very little to do with the breathability or waterproofness of the garment; that's determined by the presence (or absence) of a waterproof layer below the outer shell. In my mind, "hardshell" means fully waterproof or else hard and not breathable, "softshell" is soft, is not waterproof and is very breathable.

(So my ancient department-store woven-nylon snow pants are hardshells: they're not soft or breathable at all. They're merely water-resistant, especially now that the water-repellent coating has mostly worn off, but they're defintely not softshells. Old, dirty gore-tex that has lost its waterproofness but has a soft outer layer would fall into the same category: not very breathable, not waterproof.)

Waterproof gear originally was oiled canvas or similar: completely non-breathable, with a smooth outer finish (extremely dense weave or a continous membrane, like rubber). Modern "hardshells" often have a water-repellent woven outer layer, and a "breathable" waterproof membrane (Gore-Tex or eVent) underneath. I put breathable in quotes because they don't breathe all that well. You can find graphs of transpiration rates and you'll see that Gore-tex barely breathes until the inside is thoroughly swampy. EVent starts working measurably lower on the temp/humidity curve, but I think you'll still feel more like you're wearing a raincoat than like you're wearing, say, a light fleece.

Softshells (by my definition) have a looser outer weave, and no inner membrane, so they actually do breathe. They're also not really waterproof; the outer weave is water-repellent but won't last long in a really hard rain. But they're great in winter, they shed snow like anything and they're good enough to keep your knees and elbows dry while ice-climbing even on somewhat damp ice. Wind resistance is generally not as good as with hardshells, but this varies.

If you normally climb with a softshell over a base layer, climbing with a fleece plus a hardshell (eVent or otherwise) will probably make you sweat.

Personally I don't have a softshell jacket (though I love my new softshell pants); I often climb in just a fleece. In addition to my belay jacket I often carry a hardshell in case of high wind or spring rain. It usually stays in my pack, but it's a small one and doesn't weight much. If I had a softshell jacket, I'd probalby leave the hardshell at home except if I feared rain.

eVent vs goretex, eVent vs hyVent, eVent vs softshell next up for discution:

EvENT VS the WORLD

i wonder who will win and is a better buy.

high breathability
and allot of eVentergy

I normally climb ice in a softshell (Gamma MX hoody) over a "fleece" (Patagucci R1 hoody) - though recently have begun to find this a bit too warm. In wet (read "warm") conditions, I have climbed in an eVent hardhsell (Rab Latok Alpine) over both the R1 and over just a base layer (Capilene 1 zip neck T) and have found the jacket to breathe remarkably well. I did not overheat or have perceptible perspiration. I have not done a great deal of highly aerobic activities in the eVent shell - probably mostly hiking downhill because it's raining and I can't climb - however I've also found it to be much more comfortable and breathable than Goretex in those situations.