UKC

I need a new waterproof shell. I like the price of THF Varius but i'm not sure how good 'Hyvent' is. Any feedback would be greatly appreciated.

In reply to captiangitfinger:

No.

But its good enough for most purposes. about 80percent of Goretex breathability

Get eVent if you want maximum performance breathability-wise. Otherwise Hy-Vents ok.

In reply to Dave Hunter, Rock + Run:

Sounds like value for money. Lets see - Goretex lets out only 20% of vapour (no liquid), so Hy-Vents will let out only 16% of vapour (no liquid).

Captiangitfinger - get a Paramo, or something else highly breathable (pertex, ie buffalo) + a cheap bombproof waterproof (100% waterproof, 0% breathable) for when the heavens open. Don't waste your money on Goretex etc, + very short life and bitch to repair.

In reply to captiangitfinger:

I have some TNF Hyvent trousers - too sweaty for me.

In reply to chambers:


same here, but so is my gore-tex jacket.

In reply to captiangitfinger: depends on use, although gore-tex aint that expensive any more. gore tex is also very good at fulfilling gaurantees. i bought a gore tex jacket in 1998 and while its true they dont last very long they replaced it for nowt in 2000 when the original started leaking and again in 2003 when that one went so I,ve still got a waterproof jacket 7 years later. I worked in climbing shops for a long time and goretex were always good about replacements as long as the jacket wasnt too old. Hopefully my current jacket will start leaking soon...

In reply to Dave Hunter, Rock + Run:

Did nobody find it odd when Lowe Alpine went to eVent, but only for 1 year, and then with a fanfare decided to go to gore-tex? Why was that I wonder?

PeterM

In reply to PeterM:


Was that not due to the change of ownership?

In reply to Bokonon:
Purely marketing I believe. eVENT may have been vastly superior, but Gore-Tex is the label that every man and his dog want on their jacket down at the pub, simple as that.

In reply to captiangitfinger:

I have 2 HyVent coats - TNF Varius Guide and TNF McMurdo parka. I also have a Berghaus Paclite jacket which is GoreTex.

Personally I have found the HyVent coats to be fine as far as waterproofing's concerned. The only parts where I sometimes get leaks (when falling in deep snow) are the pockets - so it depends how much that bothers you (I just put things in the inner pockets).

I use all the coats for different things. I got the Varius for snowboarding but I like it because it looks smart (black) and you can zip in a Redpoint (down liner) so it's versatile. After looking at the Varius Acclimate in the shop, I reckon it's worth paying a bit extra for the Redpoint rather than getting the down liner in the Acclimate 'for free' because the Redpoint is warmer, and smarter so you might actually wear it by itself.

The McMurdo is the warmest coat ever, and you could quite happily bivvy in it. No probs with leakage with that one.

The Berghaus was probably a similar price to the Varius but it's a totally different jacket, not the type you would wear out smart as it looks v sporty. It's very light and totally waterproof (I wore it sailing whilst waves were crashing over me and the only leaks were from the water in my face!). You don't get much protection other than waterproofing as it's v thin, so you have to layer for warmth. I didn't wear it for snowboarding because I thought it might get wrecked with all the falling over, but it's great to keep in your pack because it packs up tiny.

In reply to Ridge:

Personally I thonk Gore were a little scared that if a mainstream manufacturer started to uses a superior technology, profits/market share would be hit. Consider LAs original investment , inc. advertising.

PeterM

In reply to Nao:

I would reccomend the Mountain Equipment Lhotse XCR Jacket.

Has got to be one of the most waterproof jackets on the market. Is built to an amazingly high quality standard and as it rains mostly in this country/there is a lot of moisture in the atmosphere it is all round perfect for the hills as you can just chuck a fleece on underneath for winter if required.

So I say Gortex as I had a HyVent TNF jacket and it was all round terrible.

AndE

In reply to PeterM:

The way i was told the story was Gore have never been that keen to give Lowe a license to use gore as they already had plenty of market share as it was (and gore are hard to get a license with) but Asolo (lowes new owners) are already a huge Gore user and pressured gore into extending the license to garments!

nothing to do with lowe or gore more to do with our friends in italy throwing around there considerable weight!