Gore-tex pro-shell vs active-shell vs Polartec neoshell vs etc.

Just get something with pit zips.

eVent is noticeably less warm than others in my experience, for what that's worth.

Again, pit zips.

Lots of good info here, but boil it down....

Gore products do NOT breathe until the internal environment (read: your sweaty-ass body inside its shell) is nearly 100% relative humidity. You'll wet out from the inside, just by sweating.

The newest eVent is really, really good...

but nothing is as air permeable as Polartec NeoShell. I own the Rab Stretch NeoShell and it's been durable, breathes better than any Gore product I've ever used and a bit better than eVent (I've tested newer eVent by Rab and Westcomb--all really nice), and it's 20000mm waterproof.

Gore indeed bullies companies into using its fabrics and skews the marketing (by choosing tests that give the appearance the stuff breathes). Google around for "Army Natick Lab" and you'll see the US Army has verified all of the points made in these posts at its lab in Natick, Massachusetts.

My Rab Stretch NeoShell review here: elevationoutdoors.com/blogs…

I've used neoshell and Mountain Hardwears DryQ elite at least 50 days each.
I tend to run on the warm side of things and really value breathability. I generally use primarily soft-shells even though I've spent a lot of time in rainy places like Patagonia and the Cascades. For years I just carried an ultra-light hard-shell in my pack in case it got really gross or had to stop. I found that as long as I was moving, soft-shells kept my inner layers drier then hard-shells in anything but full on downpours.

DryQ elite (aka: Event) is definitely a step in the right direction from traditional waterproof/breathable. Very waterproof, good wind protection and breaths way better, but really stiff.

Neoshell (mine is Rab) is slightly less waterproof and windproof then Event but noticeably more breathable and has some stretch which I really like.

I still prefer high quality soft-shells for most of my use but if I had to buy a new hard-shell today it would be a neoshell product.

Ryan Stott wrote: Andrew, What did you decide? I'm also debating Active vs Pro shells, and I'm wondering what you picked, and how it is working for you

Ended up with a patagonia super pluma (pro shell) because I got a real good deal on it. And I've still got an older north face polartec softshell that I still use and really like.

Also just got an OR helium II a couple days ago for a super light (6.4 oz) spring/summer/fall shell

As alot of people have mentioned, and as an owner of a high-end pro shell jacket, I would recommend going with a more breathable E-vent or Neoshell jacket. More often than not, I reach for a shell other than my pro-shell unless I know its gonna be super stormy and exceptionally wet.

Mountain hardwear DRY A ELITE is the only air permeable technology out there. Event is more breathable than goretex but not air permeable. And while DRY A ELITE is air permeable it also has a much higher waterproof rating than gortex proshell which is the second highest at 28,000mm but DRY Q ELITE has a 40,000mm rating, on top of being air permeable and extremely breathable. DRY A ELITE is the ONLY air permeable technology out there. If you want a good jacket for mountain climbing And skiing check out the mountain hardwear torsun. It's cheaper than any 3 later gortex jacket and is so breathable and air permeable it doesn't even need pit zipa. Which you wouldmy want to have open if it's raining anyways. GORTEX is great but after buying a mountain headwear jacket I will never look back. Excellent warranty no questions asked. If it leaks, rips, anything you call them and they send you a new on. Or fix it. Other jackets I've had claim they have lifetime warranty but then you gst the run around when you actually call them. Mountian hardwear Is amazing and I am now a customer for life. gortex has cornered the market by threatening other companies they will pull their licence for gortex products if they use any other waterproof technology. They have done it with north face, ahnu, REI, Columbia, and Merrel just to name a few. mountain hardwear teamed up with event. They used an event membrain but created their own fabric. the end result was an air permeable, waterproof jacket that Is breathable the moment you put it on. It doesn't wait untill your already sweating before it starts to breathe Like gortex does. One down side to this is the DRY Q ELITE jackets aren't as warm as the 3 later gortex jackets. but it does a great job blocking the wind while letting just enough air in to keep you cool. When I would wear my arcterxy jacket in a store I'd be sweating my ass off, but I don't even get hot when inside now it awesome. But they have diffferent jackets they have ones with pit zips and some without pit zips. I got the moubtian hardwear ampato for spring and summer and the mountian hardweat torsun 3 later jacket for winter and fall. It's deffinitelly worth checking out. the first jacket I bought ended up smaller than I thought and the store I got it from wouldn't let me return it outside the 30 days so I called mounyian hardwear and I sent it in and they sent me a bigger size and also let me uprde my jacket and pay the diffewnce. No questions asked. Great company great product. I've had marmont, Patagonia, and acteryx jackets along with a few REI brand jackets and none of them come close to mountain hardweaR one big factor I'd that DRY Q ELITE IS moubtian hardwears in house waterproof technology. The only way any of these other comapanhe's can compete is by using gortex !! no othere outdoor company has its own waterproof technology that can compete with gortex. Every other conapny uses their in house technology on their cheaper items and uses gortex in their higher end items. But DRY Q ELITE IS mountian hardwears own in house technology and it's rated better than gortex. Event is second and gortex is theirs for breathable waterproof technology.