Hi all:

Thought I would share some pictures of the event anorak I finished about six weeks ago. I got the fabric second hand from this forum. Weight with a chunky waterproof zipper, kangaroo pocket, extra width, etc. is 11.3 oz.



I've had a chance now to wear it commuting on my bike around town and on a few hikes, and the thing is bomber! Absolutely waterproof -- so much so that I need to go back and create gaps in the stitching on my kangaroo pocket, since water collects in it. Forgot to do that first time around. Only the hood is seam-sealed right now, and I don't think I need to do the shoulders.





I didn't exactly have a pattern to make this anorak, although I did look at one pattern from Jo-Ann's in the planning stages. I have, however, already made other anoraks before out of other materials, but this turned out the best of any item of clothing I've ever made. It is cut wide to fit my proportions and give generous room for layering. The brim design on the hood was inspired by the instructions on Thru-hiker. Enjoy!

Edited by goodcaver2 on 05/07/2012 21:25:45 MDT.

Very nice and sleek!! Your stitching looks superb, and the hood came out great. Makes me want to finish the windshell I started a few months back.

Nice one, I'd love to make a winter anorak at some point too.

Q: What kind of seams did you use? I guess the body is quite straight-forward, how about the hood? How was the sizing and getting everything lined up?

Thanks for the inspiration.

Awesome

Nice job!

Do you have a lining? I think that is "2 layer" meaning it's supposed to have a lining.

But maybe it doesn't matter.

Possibly, the inner membrane will be more likely to get abraded or it could get clogged up with dust or oil and lose it's breathability.

It would be interesting to know if it's still breathable after you use it a bunch

I believe that the 2L eVent that BPL was selling was all silver/white, while the 3L was brown--so based on that I'd say that's 3L eVent.

Another thing I haven't quite had time to think much about since reading the Outside article on the WPB market (http://www.outsideonline.com/outdoor-gear/Insane-in-the-Membrane.html?page=all): "eVent is slightly different. You still have a DWR-treated face and an ePTFE membrane, but rather than use a separate, polyurethane-based coating to protect the membrane, eVent infuses it with polyacrylate, among other ingredients, which allegedly makes it more breathable but, according to some fabric experts, less durable than Gore-Tex."

That description is accompanied by this picture: http://media.outsideonline.com/images/134*48/April2012_GoreSide5_022720121.jpg

Also from UKC (http://www.ukclimbing.com/articles/page.php?id=4556): "eVent is also a microporous PFTE membrane. Its structure is protected from contamination by lining the pores with a hydrophobic (water-hating) and oleophobic (oil-hating) chemical."

What I read from these descriptions is that for eVent (and similarly new GTX) having a 3rd layer isn't as important as it is for older GTX and PU-based membranes for protection of the membrane layer, since the membrane layer itself is infused with a protectant. I could be wrong on this, and would love to hear anybody's experiences.

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Sorry for the thread drift. Awesome anorak! Amazing you were able to do it without a pattern--too bad for us since you can't share it :)

Thanks for the compliments! I hope somebody gets some inspiration out of the pictures, since I know I always do.

It is indeed 3L eVent -- hopefully it will retain its waterproofness, since I've never had anything as crazy waterproof / breathable as this is.

I used all kinds of seams on the jacket -- mostly flat felled ones but on the shoulders just basic straight seams (double-stitched) and on the hood I believe they're called French seams. It is quite difficult to get everything lined up correctly -- I did make a dummy version before this final one to help with the pattern, but still had to re-pin the 3-piece hood a couple of times to get it right, and cut down a couple of pieces I'd made too long. And re-stitch a section of the arms to make it a little trimmer, since it was too wide at the cuffs, and cut off the excess.

I think I'm going to make some eVent mitts out of my leftovers. Anybody got any patterns, or should I just wing it?

Lance Marshall's rain mitt pattern @ http://www.wvi.com/~ulmyog/ is pretty good IMO. It's no-frills but the pattern is nice to have to cut out and the thumb articulation is well-done.

Nice work!

Brad: Thanks for the link! That pattern looks like a great place to start.

That's very nice. Really like the hood design

That's very impressive.

Wow Nancy, really nice job! From your pics it looks as professionally made as anything I've seen in a store! Well done!

And a really nice smile in your last pic! It's quite charming to see the pride you have for your jacket in that smile! Very cool!

Edited by idester on 05/09/2012 20:57:30 MDT.

I couldn't agree more with Douglas. Great job.

Edited by rdaly on 05/15/2012 12:09:43 MDT.