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Comment by mrob | Hacker News Reader

This study is older than 2018. I used it to decide on eVENT (terrible unsearchable name) fabric when I bought waterproof clothing over 7 years ago.

I need breathable waterproof clothing because I cycle as my main form of transportation, including in bad weather. I find eVENT breathability adequate for staying dry while cycling at a relaxed pace (12mph average over fairly flat terrain on a touring bike), but insufficient at my more usual pace of about 15mph (same conditions). If there's only light rain I'll open pockets to get unimpeded air flow, which makes a big difference. If I was buying again I'd get something with specifically designed vents for more airflow. There's probably no fabric that can keep you dry during fast cycling while fully enclosed. If you only ride slowly or use electrical assistance then eVENT is likely good enough.

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I also referenced this study when I bought ski wear. eVENT indeed seems pretty good, although they used to have an obnoxious “direct venting” marketing scheme in which they didn’t allow vent zippers because the fabric breathes so well. This is, of course, nonsense.

It’s worth noting that, in cold dry weather, you don’t necessarily want maximum breathability. If the humidity inside your jacket drops too much, then your skins loses a lot of moisture, which dries you out and also means you lose a lot of heat to evaporative cooling.

So the Gore-Tex XCR curve might actually be good: it transmits vapor better when humidity is high.

In cold weather, you'd probably be wearing another layer under your shell

Most inner layers are extremely breathable. They generally allow air and vapor to pass through freely.

In cold, dry weather you shouldn't wear a waterproof jacket.

While technically correct most people will have one or two jackets that they wear in a range of weather conditions. Owning the perfect jacket for every condition and carrying them all with you to change is not very feasible for most people.

But you should usually wear a windproof layer, and a waterproof layer serves as such, even if it's overkill.

If you are out in cold, dry and windy conditions, then you can wear a jacket made from a highly breathable but windproof material. The one I have is made from Gore Windstopper.

I prefer to layer a very thin windshirt under my insulating layer.

From my experience skiing above the polar circle in Sweden, dew point being inside the jacket becomes a real issue. Moisture freezing inside the jacket and lots of ice thawing when the sun comes out has been no fun.

The eVENT design reminds me of the Breathe-o-Smart windows from Douglas Adams' _Mostly Harmless_.

> The major difference between a thing that might go wrong and a thing that cannot possibly go wrong is that when a thing that cannot possibly go wrong goes wrong it usually turns out to be impossible to get at or repair.

For cold and dry, poor breathability is a fairly serious issue. Moisture will condense out in your clothing which makes things quite uncomfortable. If you wear a membrane like Gore-Tex as an outer shell then the moisture will actually freeze. As a result membranes in such climates are best avoided. Just bring along a light raincoat if it is warm enough that rain is possible.

Source: a life spent in southern Manitoba,Canada.

Judging purely by the computer in the included photo, I would imagine the study dates to around the year 2000. There was a Goretex XCR launch announcement Feb 2000: http://julieturns.com/goretex/news/uk0002_xcr_newgen.html September 19, 2000 is clearly called out in the paper’s references, perhaps as an “access date”?

FWIW Goretex XCR is now called Goretex Pro, and is really good shit. Not least when it comes to durability, I have an old XCR jacket from 2004 that's seen around 500 days of skiing before it started showing poor waterproofness last year.

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