Macpac eVent jackets?

Hi everyone, I need to buy a new rainjacket and am interested in eVent as a fabric. Does anyone know what the quality of the new Macpac eVent jackets is like and their weights? They are listed on the web site as Prophet, Resolution and Traverse. I have emailed Macpac but unfortunately they haven't replied to me email asking about weights. A pity - Macpac was always good at communicating in the past. There is no Macpac outlet in Hamilton either, so I cannot go and look at them. Does anyone own one and if so, what do you think of it? Any opinions gratefully received! Many thanks, Alan

I have just bought mine. You'll need to wait for the "specials". So far so good. The material seems pretty good, although it's not very flexible and feels a little alien. I don't get as sweaty as with previous jackets, but we have also not had a hell of a lot of rain to test it in the worst conditions. The Resolution is for Tramping an the Travers for Mountaineering. The Prophet is for day trekking... I suppose. The cuffs are the only brainfart by the designers. The velcro is far too big. I hope this helps a little. Cheers

I had a look at them at that wonderfully cheap shop in Southwark St, Christchurch. They were quite short which of course makes you look cool like a mountain guide but it doesn't "keep your darn shorts dry".

I have the Prophet and it's quite light. As for breathability, that is excellent, you won't miss not having pitzips. Unfortunately, although I've only had it about 8 months the DWR coating has already worn off and it wets out. Have washed it, retreated with Grangers, dryed in the dryer and it still wets out after 30min light rain. not very happy at all. I'm now looking at Goretex pro Shell jackets.

8 months would still be under warranty, wouldn't it?

Warranty is lifetime of the product however only covers workmanship and parts, not wear and tear. The wear of the DWR is likely hard to prove as a workmanship issue. Important that all effort was made to wash the jacket without detergent (pure soap the preference) and rinsed very well to remove all trace of soap from pores in membrane. Turn the jacket inside out when in dryer. Ironing is a short term action to help revive the DWR. Try not to crease and fold the jacket too much. Truth is this technology often fails to meet people's expectations anyway. Just because you paid what you think is a lot of money for the jacket doesn't mean it will last forever performing how you want.

I washed it with a detergent used for washing Down, rinsed twice and re-applied Grangers DWR treatment, then dried. it should be 100% waterproof again but it lasted roughly 30min in light'ish rain. Am going to ring MacPac and see what they say about a refund.

Yes but with reasonable care I'd expect it to last longer tha 8 months, considering it's marketed as a high performance raincoat and costs as much as the most expensive raincoats anywhere ($650 rrp). The Consumer Guarantees Act requires that goods be fit for purpose as retailed, and be a reasonable price, and so on. (More at http://www.consumer.org.nz/reports/consumer-guarantees-act/the-guarantees of course.) How many uses is 8 months for a typically average tramping person? Even for someone who went out more frequently than most, it could be just 8 weekend trips and it almost certainly wouldn't even be used every time! Is it reasonable paying $80+ a weekend for a decent raincoat?? If the coating's going to wear off so easily it should be clearly stated at the point of sale, small print impractical washing instructions be damned, so people can make fair and reasonable decisions when they compare it with alternatives.

Hi Everyone, Thanks for your comments. I guess when attempting to replace heavier gear with something much lighter, one must consider durability. I am not sure the lighter fabrics would handle a larger pack full of camera gear well. Thanks again, Alan

It's refreshing to read a realistic comment in a day when most people seem to think they can have everything. If a product emphasises a certain feature it is often compromising something else. That's marketing these days.