Waterproof/breathable shells (GoreTex, eVent etc) - what brands?

last summer i picked up a Volcom XXL Jacket that was Goretex from backcountry for like 170... it was like 70% off

Never tried any myself, but check out TREW Gear. According to pretty much everything i've read they make some top notch outerwear.

This

Agree with this statement.

Arc'teryx makes some killer gear, but you will be paying for the brand.

Not sure why Armada went away from eVent, eVent is the best material I have found. It breaths way better then gortex, and I had no problems with durability or waterproofing. Armada does seem to be committed to producing high quality outerwear though. I would seriously consider whatever their top technical offering is before making a decision.

Mammut, a swiss mountaineering company, makes some really good stuff, lots of innovative features. You can spend alot with this brand also.

If you can find them state side, Peak Performance and Sweet Protection are awesome.

Can't count out patagucci.

TAD gear has a really nice hardshell jacket, tactical colors, but it's event. and lots of nice pockets.

REI is now using eVent, look at their offering.

Outdoor Research makes some great stuff, it is usually tighter fitting, and anti-steeze colors, but they have some nice colors and cuts in the pipeline.

Sessions occasionally makes a good product. But lots of crap to sort through. Kinda like Burton and Oakley.

arc'teryx, trew and dna all make good shit, i really dig my burton ak jacket tho, it was cheap and its awesome i gotta tell ya

Check out the Oakley Alps. May be able to find some for cheap. I loooovveee mine, it's eVent but has a taller fit, so not fat, but not a smaller athletic fit.

It's heavy though... for a shell anyway, due to the fit.

I've been talking with Tyson about that, and according to him, its because eVent has gone out of business. im not so sure on the eVent going out of business, because its seems stores like Marmont and REI still carry massive amounts of companies using eVent, i dont what thats attributed to, maybe eVent had a huge back inventory, i dont know, but their site is shut down, and its really hard to find info about the material from a reliable source.

He also said that the material they are replacing it with is exactly the same as eVent just not from a name brand, so they can sell if for much much cheaper, i think he said the new Tracer jacket will sell for around $399 instead of $499 like the galactic did, simply because of the branding. But that does bring in the question of quality and durability, it will be interesting to hear from the testers and reviews about Armadas switch.

But i love my inverse, haven't had a chance to use it in the snow yet, but it will be my touring shell, its fairly light weight (its not BETA AR, but its respectable).

http://eventfabrics.com/

I've heard to many reasons they're leaving eVent it's dumb.... sounds like they just don't wanna pay the fees associated with it, but come on. eVent is continually rated 30k, how can the tracer, with lesser stats, be argued as being eVent "just from a different company".

Yes, I like eVent. lol

yes

Armada's 09/10 gear was amazing. Much better then I expected, and still really really good. Easily compares to Burton AK, which for me was not breathable at all and I was sweating sometimes. Armada made a pretty much perfect balance. Don't get on me for this one, but Saga does indeed have a 3L 20k/20k jacket line now...

everything i wrote was pretty much a paraphrased version of what tyson said, i can post my emails with him if that helps.

iv got the alps jacket. its great, skied chest deep powder all day in tignes , kept me dry all day.

ANY GORE TEX PRO SHELL

OR TREW

TREW, norrona, arcteryx, burton AK, mountain hardwear, marmot... the list goes on.

Personally though, I'd get norrona or trew

Sweet Protection is Gore-tex. Don't know if they've got any dealers outside of europe yet though, but I've heard some rumor that they were gonna get some this year..

thanks for the replies. I've got a Westcomb Mirage shell (eVent) which I love, weighs basically nothing and can wear it in rain and stay dry, so I'm looking for some black shell pants to go with it. I'd get Westcomb but their pants are super expensive. If anyone has a lead on any gore-tex shell pants (preferably in black) for cheap somewhere on the web let me know! Looking for a loose fit but not baggy.

cheers