I made a hooded anorak out of silnylon last year that I really like and would really like to make another one out of a more breathable fabric without sacrificing any of the waterproofing. What are my choices? I'm willing to invest in a more expensive fabric and I realize that it will probably be heavier (current one weighs 3oz.) I do want it to be as waterproof.

For some reason, eVent is not sold to us MYOGers.

Rarely, a gear manufacturer will offer some just to get rid of it.

questoutfitters.com and owfinc.com have some WPB fabric that's pretty similar.

questoutfitters has some 2.5 layer (don't need a lining) that's 2.5 oz/yd2

ZPacks is selling a breathable new cuben

http://www.zpacks.com/materials.shtml

Edited by ctracyverizon on 02/04/2012 06:09:04 MST.

Do you have an email? I tried to PM but you're not set up...

You'll have to post a report on that new cuben Craig. It's pretty sexy but I'm wondering about the true breathability and durability of it.

I remembered reading somewhere on here that the breathable cuban, wasn't all that bad. So, i went ahead and looked up some quotes...

"OK, I really should have posted earlier as promised so my apologies. I used this jacket on my last trip as it rained quite a bit. Performance was great and I even used it as a windshirt for most of the last day. I haven't used many breathable garments before so it would be near impossible for me to compare it to any other fabric, but it breathed well enough that I was comfortable wearing it for most of the day. There was some bushwhacking during the trip so it did suffer a bit of damage from branches and thorns but I mostly it was the thin fibers being pulled from the base material. I wish I could give more info but I am not sure what else to say other than it is definitely my "go to" rain gear at this point." ~Steven Evans

"The stuff is really quite breathable. If you put a piece of the material over a cup of boiling water the steam will come through the material quite easy and it doesn't build much condensation on the bottom side when indicates its very breathable. To me the material doesn't look like it has a film at all and feels and looks more like normal woven material." ~Lawson Kline


http://www.backpackinglight.com/cgi-bin/backpackinglight/forums/thread_display.html?forum_thread_id=42510&startat=40


Hope that helps. I also remember that whoever bought up the rest of backpacking lights online stores supplies was also selling event fabric, but i'm not sure if they've sold out of it by now or not.

rockywoods.com sells 2layer gtx and owfinc.com has 3 layer pro shell at 3.6oz y/sq and not bad like $13 a yard.

IIRC, the new wp/b cuben hasn't been properly tested (all I've seen is the subjective this worked for me stuff but no real testing or data) and the previous version was found to be neither wp or b. I suspect the new version is better, but can't really say how much.

Just something to keep in mind. Until someone can send a piece to Richard N. for testing or we see some other real data, I'll reserve judgement and remain skeptical.

Edited by simplespirit on 01/09/2012 05:21:00 MST.

I agree with Chris. All I have seen so far are anecdotes about subjective assessments from people who might feel a need to justify to themselves their investment in the material.

I don't even know what material class the WPB cuben membrane belongs to. It seems, judging by educated guesses by others, that it is PTFE, but does it have a urethane layer like goretex? Is it air permeable? I haven't seen conclusive answers to these questions.

I'll need HH/vapor transmission/air permeability numbers or else a systematic real-world test comparing it to other materials using temperature and humidity sensors (like those performed by Will Rietveld).