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Reviews > Rain Gear > Jackets and Pants > Integral Designs eVENT Rain Pants > Christine Korhonen > Initial ReportIntegral Designs eVENT Rain Pants Initial
Report Name: Christine Korhonen Age: 32 Gender: female Height: 5' 4" (1.6 m) Weight: 150 lb (68 kg) E-mail: chris@wormguy.com Location: Western Montana Date: November 27, 2005 Backpacking Background: I'm in Montana enjoying the summers and becoming re-acquainted with winter. Now that I'm back above the snow line, I'm attempting some winter camping and snowshoeing. I'm a lightweight backpacker mentally, if not always in practice. My summer pack weight is around 19 lb (9 kg) with a tent, but my winter pack hovers around 25 lb (11 kg). Product Information: Manufacturer: Integral Designs URL: www.integraldesigns.com Item: eVENT Rain Pants MSRP: US $250 Color: Black Size: Large
 Listed Weight - medium or large: 10.5 oz (298 g) Measured Weight - large: 10.8 oz (306 g) Stuff Sack Dimensions: 9.25" tall x 9.5" wide (23.5 cm x 24 cm) Stuff Sack Measured Weight - 0.4 oz (11 g) eVENT Rain Pants Description: The eVENT Rain Pants are a waterproof outer layer. The pants came with a zippered storage sack, an Integral Designs (ID) catalog, and fliers describing both the pants and the eVENT material. The reading materials state the rain pants are made from 40 denier nylon trilaminate eVENT. eVENT is advertised to be able to vent like cotton through microscopic pores without absorbing body oils that would clog those pores. There is some confusion over the listed weight of the pants. The website states 10.5 oz (300 g) for size medium, the flier says 10.5 oz (330 g) for a large, and the catalog has 11.5 oz (330 g) for a medium. Initial Impressions: The eVENT material is a lot thinner than I expected. It's soft, with thin and more tightly woven threads than I've seen before in a soft-shell. The outside of the pants is matte black, while the inside is a shiny silver. There is a long, 7" (18 cm) front zipper, front metal snap, and two wide belt loops. The back of the waistband is elastic. All of the seams are tape-sealed. There are two tags sewn into the outside of the waistband on the left side, one saying "eVENT" one "Integral Designs." A second pair of tags are inside. Of these, one gives brief washing instructions - hand wash, drip dry. While the other provides slightly different details - machine wash with liquid detergent, rinse twice, hang dry, steam iron to rejuvenate finish. Description of Features: Integral Designs lists several features of the eVENT Rain Pants. My description of each feature is below. Gusseted crotch - A diamond-shaped piece of fabric has been added at the crotch to avoid the common cross-seam where four layers of material are joined to one spot. I will see if this feature is comfortable and if the seams rub together when I walk. Side zippers - Large, 9" (23 cm) waterproof zippers are located on either side of the pants. These zippers do not have attached pockets, but allow access to the pockets of pants worn beneath. These zippers can also be used for venting. A small piece of fabric covers the top end-stop of the zipper. I will find out how easy these zippers are used in the field. Articulated knees - The eVENT material is tucked at the knees, giving the pants a natural bend when laid flat. This construction can give more room in front of the knees to add comfort, reduce wear, and prevent the pants from riding up at the ankles. I'll try to notice the articulation when wearing the pants. Bottom hem loops - The photo of the pants on the Integral Designs website shows them with an underfoot boot cord. This boot cord does not come with the pants. Instead, there are two grosgrain loops sewn into the bottom hem where a cord could be attached. I've got some elastic cord and will see if adding it to the pants is necessary or useful. Adjustable waist - On either side of the waistband are large Velcro closures that provide 2" - 3" (5 cm - 8 cm) of adjustment each. The additional waistband material folds nicely away. I will try different adjustments over various layers. Ankle cuffs - There are two additional 12" (30 cm) waterproof zippers at the ankles of the pants. Unzipping them releases a triangle "bellow" of material, providing an additional 4" (10 cm) of bottom hem. I'll see if I can get these pants on and off over different shoes and boots. First Try: The rain pants fit nicely over my Gramicci hiking pants. The eVENT is so light! The pants moved very well. I had almost the same range of motion as without the rain pants. The only difficulty was when I tried to lift my knee higher than my waist. The pants are too tight over the thigh to allow this. I'll see if I have any problems with range of motion in the field. The elasticized waist stretches quite a bit, and the Velcro tabs were easily adjusted with one hand. The side vents unzip from the bottom, so I had to unzip them completely to reach into my pockets. With the vents unzipped, I was able to straighten out my under layer, getting rid of wrinkles and allowing the rain pants to fit better. I had no difficulty reaching into my pants pockets through the vents. When re-zipping the vents, they had a tendency to catch on the clothes underneath. When I held the rain pants out a bit at the waist, it was easier to zip the vents. Pants are always too long on me, and these are no exception. The rain pants are about 1" (2.5 cm) too long. I'll see how well they work as they are. With the ankle bellows unzipped, I had no difficulty taking the pants off over my trail shoes or light-weight hiking boots. Stuff Sack: The pants came folded in a square white silnylon bag. The bag has a top hang loop, back zipper closure, and three front tags (ID, eVENT and size). Although this bag seems to be designed for use as a display instead of in the field, it's a nice size and weighs less than half an ounce (11 g). After unfolding the pants, it took me a couple of tries to fold them back into the right shape to fit in the bag. Of course, they didn't look as nice when I folded them as when they arrived. Test Plan: I will test the eVENT Rain Pants along the trails of Montana, Wyoming, and Michigan. I will pay particular attention to comfort: how the pants feel and how well they breathe. I'm also interested to see how well they repel moisture. Conditions are expected to be snowy and wet. Read more reviews of Integral Designs gear Read more gear reviews by Christine Korhonen Reviews > Rain Gear > Jackets and Pants > Integral Designs eVENT Rain Pants > Christine Korhonen > Initial Report | ||||||||||||||||
