jacket

I've got an oil skin coat. I's heavy, big, not that comfortable but I like it - it feels good. The whole light weight material thing just doesn't give me the same vibes.

So this one is for all you latte-sipping hippy hikers who pull the second row of sticking out of your undies to save weight. Enjoy.

Would it really be useful?

The Integral Design thru-hiker jacket is my new shell of choice. I purchased it to save about 600 grams over my winter alpine shell, a MacPac Prophet.

After researching into the latest fabric advances and never being completely happy with the 'breathability' of Gore-tex XCR I decided to try out eVENT. The goals for the new jacket were:

1. Lighter weight
2. Greater breathability
3. Less pack spack

So the thru-hiker was chosen as one of the most likely candidates. I still had some questions that only using the rain jacket in the field would answer.

1. Would it be tough enough for off trail use (bush bashing)?
2. Would I miss the features of an alpine jacket (pit zips, better hood etc)?
3. Would the front zip without storm enclosure keep rain out?
4. Would it perform well enough for long extended rain on long remote trips where getting wet is a serious risk?

Use on track