eVent vs Dry Q Elite

Was wondering if anyone has had experience with both eVent fabrics and Mountain Hardwear's new fabric, Dry Q Elite. Which do you consider superior in the alpine environment?
I have been wearing REI's Shuksan jacket with eVent for my alpine pursuits and it's held up well. But as I start looking to do more serious stuff in the alpine world I always worry about having the best gear ( I can afford anyways). I have heard good things about MH's Dry Q and really like the design of the Drystein jacket but is the new technology worth switching over from something that works for me?

As far as I understand they are the same thing. MH licensed the technology and slapped their own name on it. The usual thing. . .

i friggen love dry q, i've had the returnia pants for the whole season so far, and just bought a frenetic jacket, so far i've yet to get any sweat built up in the pants, and i've yet to get any moisture through them

looking forward to trying out the jacket, i havent tried eVent, but dont really have a need with the Dry Q, stuffs legit

Dry Q Elite was developed by Mountain Hardwear through a partnership with GE, the owner of eVent. A lot of the same tech was apparently used, but the fabric is not exactly the same. Dry Q Elite is a bit stretchy. eVent is not. Breathability should be very similar. If you already have an eVent jacket, the stretchiness of the Dry Q Elite will probably not be enough of a plus to warrant most folks getting a new jacket. Note that the Dry Q Elite is the "good one." The others, Dry Q Core and Dry Q Active, are not the same material.

Polartec's new Neoshell fabric is a totally new material and is getting great reviews. Stretchy, waterproof, and even slightly air permeable. Apparently even more breathable than eVent. Maybe so breathable that they aren't as warm. I haven't tried it, though. Rab's Stretch Neo is one of the better priced versions. They have pants, too. Westcomb's Apoc has gotten glowing reviews, though the Switch LT is a bit lighter.

Brian Abram wrote:Dry Q Elite was developed by Mountain Hardwear through a partnership with GE, the owner of eVent. A lot of the same tech was apparently used, but the fabric is not exactly the same. Dry Q Elite is a bit stretchy. eVent is not. Breathability should be very similar. If you already have an eVent jacket, the stretchiness of the Dry Q Elite will probably not be enough of a plus to warrant most folks getting a new jacket. Note that the Dry Q Elite is the "good one." The others, Dry Q Core and Dry Q Active, are not the same material. Polartec's new Neoshell fabric is a totally new material and is getting great reviews. Stretchy, waterproof, and even slightly air permeable. Apparently even more breathable than eVent. Maybe so breathable that they aren't as warm. I haven't tried it, though. Rab's Stretch Neo is one of the better priced versions. They have pants, too. Westcomb's Apoc has gotten glowing reviews, though the Switch LT is a bit lighter.

Thanks! Sounds like I should just stick with my eVent until its time to buy a new one then consider Dry Q. I think I also read something about the difference being in the thickness of the material...?

DryQ Elite is not the same as eVent. The only similarity is that they used the waterproof film that's used in eVent. Everything else is different, including that DryQ is Air Permeable and on the same level as everything that has Neoshell. eVent is not air permeable.

Moving from a standard shell like Gore or eVent to one of the air perm shells is definitely worth the upgrade.

My understanding is that MHW is calling a lot of different things "DryQ", and even DryQ Elite looks very different when you compare the Drystein with say the Snowpocalypse jackets, which are both labeled as "DryQ Elite". If you look at the Snowpocalypse it looks a lot like the REI Shuksan jacket on the inside - it could easily be mistaken for Event. The Drystein has a totally different look and feel on the inside - a sort of micro-fuzzy backer instead of a micro-grid backer.

Some DryQ Elite jackets (like the Drystein) may have some stretch, but mine (the Snowpocalypse) does not. It depends on the face fabric used in the particular item, which are very different between these two.

They also definitely have different backers laminated to the membrane, and obviously are designed for different purposes, but they are both called "DryQ Elite". It may even be a different membrane formulation, it is hard to get a straight answer from MHW on that or even whether the membrane itself is the same as Event or a different formulation.

I have the Snowpocalypse jacket and pants, which are designed for skiing. So far I have used them 2 days (resort only) and they are noticeably cooler than other shells I have used in the past (Gore-tex and MHW Conduit). This is a plus when it is warm or when you are working, or if you run hot, but a minus when it is cold and you are sitting still and the wind is blowing (on a ski lift for instance) or if you run cold. The stuff performs as advertised - I never got hot and sweaty, but I did get cold on the lift at times. (I am skinny and get cold easily). I think the DryQ stuff would be breathable enough for ski touring and alpine climbing, but I might go back to my old, non-air-permeable ski gear for resort days or anytime cold and windy conditions are expected.

I have not used Event so I don't know how it compares but I would guess it is functionally similar. MHW claims that DryQ is better because they have a better/more durable DWR coating on the outside and better face fabrics than Event. They don't seem to be claiming that the membrane itself is better (or different) than Event, just that the total package (DWR + Face Fabric + Laminate + Backer) is better. The air permeability is noticeable, that is for sure.

No experience with Dry-Q however i have plenty at this point with both Neo shell and Active shell..

I have used both the Rab Stretch Neo Jacket and the Mammut Gipfelgrat jacket. The Rab is lighter in hand and also lighter in weight. The Mammut is heavier in hand and much more stretchy.

Imop the Mammut coat is the clear winner over any other material on the market. It breathes better than anything i have ever worn and it is waterproof as anything i have ever worn. It is waaaaaay more bomber in regard to abrasion and stretches like crazy!

Cant say enough good stuff about the jacket and material!!!

just wrote a long review of the Rab NeoShell...don't know the MH fabric, but if it's air-permeable, then it's a major upgrade...

check out my review here on Elevation Outdoors if you're interested...best new year to everybody!

Rob C

elevationoutdoors.com/magaz…

+1 on the Rab Stretch NeoShell jacket. I've worn it on an ice climb that was pouring with water and now for a couple of days on dry but colder climbs and it is both plenty waterproof and plenty warm. For single digits and below, I would probably add a light insulating layer between my Patagucci R1 hoody and the Stretch NeoShell however. But then in single digits and below, I probably wouldn't be using a hardshell in the first place.

Can the people who have tried the Rab Neo Stretch comment on the fit at all? I was hearing some complaints about the armpits being too tight or something?

SteveSchultz wrote:DryQ Elite is not the same as eVent. The only similarity is that they used the waterproof film that's used in eVent. Everything else is different, including that DryQ is Air Permeable and on the same level as everything that has Neoshell. eVent is not air permeable. Moving from a standard shell like Gore or eVent to one of the air perm shells is definitely worth the upgrade.

I am under the impression that eVent IS air permeable. Are you confusing eVent with HyVent from TNF?

Dry Q Elite takes eVent a step further by adding stretch. I'm not sure how many companies out there have come up w/ an air permeable membrane that stretches but the one I work for (Jack Wolfskin) has NOT. They claim that their Texapore Air 02+ is air permeable (0.5 l/m2/s) and stretches, but it is a PU coating, not a membrane. Texapore Air 03+ is a membrane with 1.5 l/m2/s but it does not stretch.

Does anyone know of any other manufacturers that publish these types of numbers? I'm interested to know how we stack up against the competition.

I would put myself in the sweater category. I have been classic nordic skiing on warmer days in UT and have not had to take my DRY Q Elite off. I don't get clammy like i have in Gore or even Event. I am a fan of the Dry Q.

DryQ Elite sounds/feels awesome, but the Drystein Jacket's omission of pit-zips is downright stupid. MHW claims that the fabric breathes well enough to leave 'em off, but then sews huge swatches of not-even-water-resistant stretchy doubleweave into the pits...WTF?! Wondering what Mr Shoemaker likes about this piece.

Charles Savel wrote: link Here is what appears to be a slightly older (looks like early 2000's) document from the U.S. Army's Materials Science Team with lab testing. It does have Event, Gore-Tex, and Schoeller and some other offerings on it.

Thanks for that link. I could be wrong, but it looks like this test was to determine how much water vapor could pass through the membrane. This is the "old" way of breathing. Water vapor condenses and is absorbed by the fabric, and when the temp and humidity get high enough inside the jacket, it begins to push the moisture through the membrane where it will evaporate. This technology is 25 years old.

Air permeable membranes are supposed to allow AIR to pass through the membrane, something that previous PU coatings and PTFE membranes could not do. This means that sweat doesn't have to condense and be absorbed by the membrane, but that hot air and water vapor can pass directly through the membrane. This is why they say Dry Q is "working all the time" - because the environment inside the jacket does not have to reach a certain temperature or humidity for the membrane to begin to work.

So that is the kind of information I am looking for... tests confirming how "air permeable" the new membranes are.

saltlick wrote:DryQ Elite sounds/feels awesome, but the Drystein Jacket's omission of pit-zips is downright stupid. MHW claims that the fabric breathes well enough to leave 'em off, but then sews huge swatches of not-even-water-resistant stretchy doubleweave into the pits...WTF?! Wondering what Mr Shoemaker likes about this piece.

I don't really understand this either, and MH is not the only company that is claiming that "pit zips are no longer needed."

Funny thing is, with Gore-tex and the like, the user would open the pit zips and front zip long before the environment inside the jacket reached the extremes needed to push sweat through the membrane. So in reality, it's the older membrane jackets that should have omitted the pit zips, so that the membrane actually had a chance to work.

With the new air permeable stuff, the membrane breaths no matter what the environment inside the jacket is - so pit zips make sense because they don't detract from the function of the membrane.

In the end I think the manufacturers are going for light and fast and pit zips just add weight. At least that is what Ueli says...

vimeo.com/35969600