Comparison review: We compared ultra-lightweight rainwear that is great for mountain climbing and running [Summer 2016]

Detailed reviews of each item

Waterproof

Since rainwear is a gear that protects you from the rain, waterproofness is the most basic evaluation point. First of all, all the items we have picked up this time are made of fabric with a waterproof membrane, with the surface being treated with a durable water-repellent coating called DWR (Durable Water Repellent), and the seams are crimped with a waterproofing agent called seam tape to prevent water from flooding into the inside of the clothing, and have passed product tests by various manufacturers in labs. In this regard, all of them have basic weather resistance to rain (and wind, too), and even if they were standing for a few minutes in a typical intensity of rain, the falling rain itself would almost never pass through the fabric and flood inside, and there was no significant difference.

However, this is not the case when a large amount of water is exposed to a lot of force and for a long time, such as heavy rain, from various angles.

It is rarely possible at this time that moisture will pass directly through the fabric and soak in through it, but it is more serious about wetting the body, as it gradually gets flooded from various places such as the hood, cuffs, zippers and pocket edges, or when the water repellent properties that existed on the surface of the fabric are lost, causing moisture to remain on the outer fabric, making it difficult for moisture inside the clothing to be expelled outside.

When comparing the waterproofness of ultra-light rainwear, which is only water resistant, which is originally not as good as authentic rainwear for mountain climbing, this is the point where the differences between each item is different, rather than what the specifications of each item are. To compare these, we conducted a test in which we tried to move our bodies while taking a shower (as a reproduction of the shower) for a certain period of time.

In addition to normal rain in the field, we continued to put a shower over our head to recreate heavy rain, and from this point we waved our face and arms to assume a false heavy rain, and measured the waterproofness.

As a result, the most waterproofing functioning in heavy rain was GORE-TEXⓇ C-Knit Backer's THE NORTH FACE Climb Very Light Jacket . The reliable water resistance and long-lasting water repellent, highly airtight zippers and cuffs, a large brim and a hood that fits easily on the head will firmly protect you from rain. Additionally, the Rab Flashpoint Jacket has been changed to PERTEX Shield+, its high waterproofness, including the overall sealing properties, including the hood, is still intact. On the other hand, the Berghaus Vapor Light Hyper Shell Jacket , the hood and cuffs absorb moisture and are prone to flooding from there, and the small, unadjustable hood was not of any use in heavy rain. These should be used under the assumption that they can descend before the rain falls.

The cuffs can be determined by their lightness and adjustable depending on the intended purpose. If it is centered on the run, the elastic cuffs (left 4) that do not require adjustment are fine, but the elastic may break or become loose. On the other hand, if you are expecting a hard and technical use, Velcro alone will open and close more widely and are less likely to break, so you can rest assured.

Breathability (ventilation performance)

Ultra-lightweight rainwear, which is often used in summer or intense exercise, is particularly important how smooth (comfortable) your body will remain in sweat or humid conditions.

However, "breathability" as used here does not mean just the moisture (water vapor and water molecules) permeability of the fabric in the strict sense, as expressed by certain numerical values. This is a very important point of evaluation, but waterproof and breathable jackets can also keep your body dry by absorbing sweat (moisture absorption) from the lining and ventilation (ventilation) from the zipper under the armpits, and expelling moisture from the clothes. From a user's perspective, the breathability and ventilation performance of clothing, including these, should be evaluated.

, the Teton Bros. Breath Jacket, which uses Polartec Neosell, which has excellent moisture permeability, is also a perfect sweat absorbing function due to ventilation and lining In addition, the MILLET W7 50000 ST JKT , THE NORTH FACE Strike Jacket , MONTANE MINIMUS 777 JACKET, THE NORTH FACE Climb Very Light Jacket are all made with a three-layer material with high breathability that is comfortable regardless of the clothes you wear.

Also, although the fabric is 2.5 layers, it is not particularly spec-wise, the NORRONA bitihorn dri 1 Jacket , was also difficult to throw away in terms of overall comfort.

There are various ventilation methods. From the left, there is a large armpit zipper, a small armpit zipper, an underarm air hole, and a double zipper on the front. Zippers affect weight and storage, but each has its advantages and disadvantages, such as dynamic ventilation.

Comfort and mobility

The models we have picked this time have a wide range of comparisons, from general climbing to extreme running, so even though they are all about comfort, the expected activities and clothing worn underneath differ, so the comfort required is different, and for this reason, the method of evaluating comfort has been significantly changed since this year's test.

One of these are the factors that are essential when walking while wearing rain gear, such as the feel and lack of tension when worn, the fit of the cuffs, and the bites of the mouth, and these were evaluated as "comfort." The other is the comfort you would want when running, such as the lack of fluttering in the clothing against intense movements, the ease of movement caused by stretching, the displacement of clothing when swinging the arms, and the lack of crunchy sounds.These were newly independently evaluated as "mobility."

the most comfortable thing that was thought to be the most comfortable walking, such as hiking . The knit-like lining is extremely comfortable, and the slightly looser cutting (top left side of the photo below) makes it stress-free to wear the middle piece inside. The hood and cuffs are also well-made, as mentioned above. In addition, the Rab Flashpoint Jacket has excellent three-dimensional cutting, and despite its slim silhouette (lower left side of the photo below), it has a more natural fit and ease of movement than you imagined.

With mobility intended for driving, the THE NORTH FACE Strike Jacket and the Berghaus Vaporlight Hyper Shell Jacket look like they've surpassed the head. As you can see from the photo above (top and bottom on the right), it reduces the toned body flapping just right for thin innerwear, and it also has material characteristics, so you won't be bothered by the sound of rubbing your clothing while you are on the move.

weight

Every year, I am amazed at how light the new products are, but this time I think it's 86g (actually measured S size) of the Berghaus Vapor Light Hyper Shell Jacket If you could compare this lightness to the image below, it is the photo. One bag of instant noodles costs about 100g, so it would be easier to understand if you imagine it to be lighter than that (?). Basically, models weighing up to the early 100g are so light that they don't feel like they're wearing clothes.

However, in exchange for its lightness, you have to be prepared to give up on various aspects, including durability, and if you are using it safely on a variety of terrains such as mountain climbing, it would be wise to set it to a standard of around 200g or more.

This time, the lightest is 86g and less than one bag of instant noodles (100g). However, since it is suitable for short distances and races, it would be desirable to use a model that weighs about three bags when considering mountain climbing.

Storageability

The small packing size is closely related to the weight, but in reality, it is probably quicker to look at the packing results (photo below). By the way, models without a stuff sack (⑤, ⑧, ⑪) are simply rolled up and wrapped in a hood, so they are not necessarily fully compressed. The models with excellent storage capacity, including these, were ③ Berghaus Vaporlight Hyper Shell Jacket, ⑦ Patagonia Alpine Houdini Jacket, ⑨ MONTANE MINIMUS 777 JACKET, and ⑭THE NORTH FACE Strike Jacket It is becoming common for people to be smaller than a fist.

①MILLET W7 50000 ST JKT②MAMMUT DRYTECH FREEFLIGHT JACKET③Berghaus Vaporlight Hyper Shell Jacket④MONTANE MINIMUS JACKET⑤Mountain Hardwear Stretch Ozonic Jacket⑥OUTDOOR RESEARCH HELIUM HD JACKET⑦patagonia Alpine Houdini Jacket⑧⑨MONTANE MINIMUS 777 JACKET⑩Rab Flaspoint Jacket⑪NORRONA bitihorn dri 1 Jacket⑫Mont-bell Versalite Jacket⑬THE NORTH FACE Strike Jacket⑭THE NORTH FACE Strike Jacket

Durability

Unfortunately, it is not possible to provide long-term use or limit strength testing, so it is not possible to mention durability in depth and accurately here. For this reason, we can only infer aspects such as friction and tear strength based on the thickness, weight of the fabric and impressions from several trial tests, but we have also thought that it is not appropriate to mention it here at all, so we have added it as an evaluation item.

The minimum thing to say is that, if the material is the same overall, the thicker the fabric (the larger the number of deniers), the more durable it should be. At least the thin 2.5-layer material on the outer material can only rely on the surface for strength, and the upper lining is coated only and is weak to friction, making it a disadvantage in terms of durability. In that sense, I am concerned about the strength of the Berghaus Vaporite Hyper Shell Jacket and the Mont-bell Versalite Jacket

On the other hand, with three layers, at least the lining not only prevents deterioration of the membrane due to friction, but also increases the overall thickness of the clothing, resulting in relatively higher strength, which is advantageous in terms of durability compared to 2.5 layers. In reality, the strength will probably differ depending on the fiber weaving and clogging (sewing techniques?), but the manufacturer has not revealed this so it is hard to say. With the impression that the THE NORTH FACE Climb Very Light Jacket and MILLET W7 50000 ST JKT are made from three layers of sturdy fabric, making them highly durable.

Easy to use

Here, we have mainly used the following five points to consider when evaluating the impression as much as possible.

• Number and location of pockets
• Easy to open and close the zipper
• Easy to adjust the hood, cuffs and hem
• Nighttime reflector (reflective mark)
• Ease of packing (with or without a stuff sack, packable design, etc.)

Looking at these points, the mont-bell versalite jacket . After all, Montbell is excellent in terms of its precise features that make the visual appearance of these kinds of things. the MONTANE MINIMUS JACKET which received high ratings in last year's test, is still the best in terms of usability, with a large chest pocket, ease of use of the zipper, adjustable hood, reflectors and stuff sack included.

If the hood cannot be adjusted, if the size of the hood does not fit, the hood blocks your vision, making it unpleasant and dangerous. The usability will vary greatly depending on whether there is a drawstring on the back of the head that can be firmly adjusted and fixed, or whether the front jaw also has the function to adjust the height of the hood.

summary

So this year, we've also compared a lot of ultra-lightweight rainwear, which is where each brand is fighting for supremacy. Have you found your favorite piece?

To be honest, choosing the best rainwear for you is not an easy thing to do. In this regard, I have tried to unravel various and complex comparison elements as clearly as possible so that this comparison can be of any use to make it even a little easier for you to choose rainwear, but there may have been some aspects of the test being inevitable that this may inevitably be involved, and there may be some aspects of the test being insufficient due to physical constraints. We would like to continue to improve this, so please let us know if you have any comments or requests.

We also recommend this article about rainwear.

• Check out the types of rainwear and how to choose them before purchasing
• Rainwear for mountaineering that you can't miss this season [for hiking and trekking]
• Ultra-lightweight rainwear that you won't miss this season [for trail running and fast packing]
• Comparison review: Which rainwear you should have if you're going to climb? ?