Reviews > Clothing > Jackets > Integral Designs eVENT Rain Jacket > David Sowards-Emmerd > Long Term Report

Long Term Report - Integral Designs eVENT Rain Jacket
November 21, 2005

Name: David Sowards-Emmerd
Age: 28
Gender: Male
Height: 5' 8'' (1.73 m)
Weight: 155 lb (70 kg)
Chest: 41'' (104 cm)
Email Address: drunken_marmotATyahooDOTcom
Los Altos, California, USA

Backpacking Background:
I began backpacking semi-frequently about four years ago, soon after moving to California. I generally take weekend (1 night) trips, and occasionally take 3-4 day trips. Most of my backpacking experience is at moderate altitude, 6,000'-12,000' (1,800-3,650 m), in conditions ranging from dry desert to hail/heavy snow in the mountains. In winter and spring I split time between Southern California (SoCal) deserts and snowshoeing/skiing/snow camping in the Sierra/Cascades. Summer and fall I tend to stick to the high country. I have reduced my pack weight down to less than 50 lb (23 kg) over the past year - including food/water and a bear barrel. I'm trying to include more mountaineering, climbing and bouldering in my trips.

The product was received on May 11, 2005.

Product Description:

Manufacturer's Description:
Sizes: Small 34-36'' 8.5 oz (242 g)
Medium 38-40'' 8.9 oz (251 g)
Large 42-44'' 9.5 oz (270 g)
X-Large 46-48'' 10.3 oz (293 g)

Packed Size: 4'' x 8'' x 2'' in Silcoat Stuff Sack
Colours: Yellow, Dark Green''

Specifications (as measured by tester):
Weight(jacket): 9.7 oz (275 g)
Weight(stuff sack): 0.42 oz (12 g)
Color: Yellow
Size: Large

Product Description:

The eVENT Rain Jacket is a trimmed down, highly-breathable rain jacket constructed of the direct-venting eVENT fabric. Features include a large, urethane-zippered (YKK) front pocket, a full length front urethane zipper (YKK), a sewn-on hood, a shock-corded bottom hem, and adjustable cuffs. For a more detailed description of the jacket, see my Initial Report.

Field Testing:

For details on the first few months of field testing, see my Field Report.

Continued Testing:

Since my Field Report, I've worn the jacket on several dayhikes, cool morning walks into town, and a rainy weekend of wineries in Napa and Sonoma. In addition to the trips below where I actually wore the jacket, I carried the jacket on a few other trips where conditions didn't warrant use. I also have worn the jacket on my bike commute home (1 AM) from the train station on Wednesday nights since mid-August. Since my ride home is uphill, and I'm generally carrying a 15-20 lb (7-9 kg) pack, I usually need to unzip the jacket before I get home for extra ventilation. Temperatures for these rides ranged from approximately 40-50 F (4-10 C). Details of the main backpacking trips follow:

Lyell Canyon and Tuolomne Backpackers campground, Yosemite National Park, CA
September 29-31, 2005
Elevation: 8,600-9,000' (2,600-2,750m)
Conditions: clear and cool, ~40 F (5 C) the first night, mostly clear and slightly warmer with a few sprinkles the second night.

I mainly wore the jacket around camp after sunset. The second night, the bugs were really bad, so I wore the jacket to keep them off my arms and neck when it was still relatively warm out - the mosquitoes seemed to be drawn to the jacket, but didn't bite me through it. It's really nice to put on a jacket to keep the bugs off, and at the same time, allow my sweaty shirt to dry out underneath it.

Gem Lake, Emigrant Wilderness, Stanislaus National Forest, CA
September 3-5, 2005
Elevation: 8,200' (2,500 m)
Conditions: Perfect, sunny weather for Labor Day Weekend, with temperatures probably around 50 F (10 C) in camp.

I wore the jacket around camp in the mornings and evenings and was very careful to avoid sparks from the fire both nights. I also wore the jacket for a quick jog up a couple nearby peaks for sunset photos.

Rock Creek Lake and Treasure Lakes, Inyo National Forest, CA
September 29 - October 2, 2005
Elevation: 9,700-11,200' (3,000-3,400 m)
Conditions: Windy and variable (no precipitation, although the sky sure had me fooled!)

This was a group car camping trip with dayhikes, bright yellow aspens (the jacket served as camouflage), and lots of drinking around camp. The wind always seemed to be blowing, and the trees around camp lost almost all of their leaves by the time we left. The site was mostly in the shade, and this along with the wind and altitude meant it was cool out all the time. The main dayhike was a cross-country scramble towards Bear Creek Spire. Our group decided to turn around at Treasure Lakes, where the wind had picked up considerably, and it began to look like a storm was brewing. Otherwise, much of the trip was spent, beer in hand, sharing stories with other hikers around camps and hottubbing in Long Valley.

Tiltill Valley, Hetch Hetchy Area, Yosemite National Park, CA
October 15-16, 2005
Elevation: 5,600' (1,700 m)
Conditions: Rainy weather off and on.

A big storm was forecast this weekend, with a snow level around 6,000' (1,800 m), so I was expecting sleet. The rain slowed to a stop after picking up wilderness permits. I started the hike with the jacket on, but took it off soon after crossing the dam since I was quickly warming up with a 40 lb (18 kg) pack on. In camp, it rained off and on (both water and enormous sugar pine cones), but not enough to keep me from sitting around a campfire for a while in the jacket.

Penner Lake, Tahoe National Forest, CA
October 22-23, 2005
Elevation: 6,900' (2,100 m)
Conditions: Warm and sunny, cooling off to ~40 F (4 C) around sunset.

Once again, I wore the jacket around camp during the evening and next morning, as well as for a quick sprint to catch sunset photos at a nearby high point.

Round Top Lake, Eldorado National Forest, CA
November 12-13, 2005
Elevation: 9300' (2,800 m)
Conditions: Around freezing in camp, and probably down to ~20 F (-7 C) overnight -a couple water bottles froze solid

This was planned to be a much longer hike in to camp, but the snow conditions were not known until arrival at the trailhead. Most of our group didn't bring snowshoes (myself included) so we decided to camp at Round Top Lake where the snow depth was around 8'' (20 cm). I wore the jacket around camp, layered over a fleece shirt and base layer, and under a heavy down vest, and wore just the jacket and a midweight base layer for a short hike to take some photos. I also slept in the jacket that night for added warmth.

Continued Results/Observations:

Wear and Tear:
The zippers are peeling a bit, but I've come to expect this with the YKK water-resistant zippers. The left and right side of the neck/hood shows obvious wear as described in my Field Report, but I can't reliably determine whether it's gotten any worse over the past few months. In any case, I haven't noticed any water leaking in through that area of the jacket.

Ease of cleaning:
I've washed the jacket twice more since my Field Report, and the only thing worthy of note was that I splashed around a bunch of water, that had pooled in the hood, when removing the jacket from the washer.

Waterproofing/Stormworthiness:
I have no evidence to date of water leaking into the jacket, and it still cuts the strongest wind I've been in, which was probably at Treasure Lakes.

In addition to the opinions expressed in my Field Report, I've got a few more nitpicks:

• It would be nice to have something between the top of the zipper and my chin/neck. A small piece of micro-fleece would suffice.
• The neck is a little odd in that it behaves more like a turtleneck than a collar. That is, the collar doesn't fold down well when it is unzipped.

Overall, I'm very happy with this jacket, and would not hesitate to buy a replacement when this one wears out - although I would opt for a model with pockets for hands over one without. I will continue to recommend this jacket to fellow hikers looking for a really breathable, weatherproof jacket.

Future Use:

I will definitely continue to use this jacket and intend to carry it on a good share of all but the warmest summer trips.

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