Westcomb

[gramboh]

Thanks for the pics, the green is nice. I emailed them about the pit zips, this is their response:

"Only one super light weight jacket (specter lt hoody) doesn't have the pit zip in our hardshell collection. The rest of them do."

Going to check out the Mirage in person next time I'm in Jasper, definitely want it, just want to see what the fit is like. I am planning on getting a large (5'10 200#) but I'm worried the arms might be a bit long, we'll see.

[kbuzz]

Has anyone tried any of the soft shells or hybrids?

[otto parts]

Unfrozen:

Did you try on an Arcteryx? Wondering if sizing is close.

No sleeve internal cuffs, right?

great info btw, great example of the usefulness of TT.

[Dug]

I think sizing is pretty close, maybe a touch larger than AC, but only a bit.

[Ted Striker]

Unfrozen:

Did you try on an Arcteryx? Wondering if sizing is close.

No sleeve internal cuffs, right?

great info btw, great example of the usefulness of TT.

Sizing is close, but I find Arcteryx sizing kinda variable. Their medium fits me in pants and most shells, but for some of their jackets/fleece the large fits better.

My Mirage is a medium (from 07/08) and it fits my skinny 6'1" ~170 lb frame perfectly.

And no internal cuffs on the sleeves. The external velcro works well with gauntlet style gloves - never tried it with under-the-sleeve gloves though.

[Unfrozen Caveman Lawyer]

Agreed that the sizing is pretty close to a Sidewinder or Beta, although I do agree with pisteoff that the Arcteryx stuff seems to vary a bit.

Also, on 09/10, no internal cuffs on the sleeves. Similar to pisteoff, I use gaunlet style guide gloves, so they extend up the arm a bit.

Honestly, I think the Mirage is a great jacket from what appears to be a good company.

[bern43]

Contemplating this jacket. I'm about 215lbs 5'11". Thinking the large is the way to go. How long are the arms? The jacket I have now is way too big and I don't want to repeat that mistake.

[Unfrozen Caveman Lawyer]

Arms are long - I am 6'3" with very long arms and the sleeves fit me perfectly.


As an aside, I am so impressed with the Mirage that I am now looking at the Specter LT. I lost a MH Paclite shell that I use for general rain wear, hiking/backpacking and as an emergency shell when going on ultra-long tours (e.g., 4+ days). The Specter is eVent and looks extremely light (I think 11 oz).

Does anyone have an experience handling the Specter? How does it compare to the Mirage? I don't want overlap so would only pull the trigger (with the bc.com discount code) if there is not too much overlap.

[LightRanger]

Arms are long - I am 6'3" with very long arms and the sleeves fit me perfectly.


As an aside, I am so impressed with the Mirage that I am now looking at the Specter LT. I lost a MH Paclite shell that I use for general rain wear, hiking/backpacking and as an emergency shell when going on ultra-long tours (e.g., 4+ days). The Specter is eVent and looks extremely light (I think 11 oz).

Does anyone have an experience handling the Specter? How does it compare to the Mirage? I don't want overlap so would only pull the trigger (with the bc.com discount code) if there is not too much overlap.

Emailed you back. I kind of think you'd have too much overlap and tried to steer your gear lust elsewhere.

[matixsnow]

I have the cruiser which is similar to the specter, except the cruiser has reinforced shoulders and arms. The body is the same fabric as the entire specter. The fit is awesome but the body fabric is wearing big time. A couple holes already. I use it for skiing, but its getting destroyed.

[Dug]

So apparently the Revenant Bib, which was called the Phantom Bib last year, has been tweaked a little bit. The bib is removable now which is great for the ladies and makes the pant more versatile. I haven't received mine yet but I'll post more details when I get it.

[Dug]

Bib design has changed and is removable by a zipper system as I mentioned before. Bigger pockets all around and there's a new large hidden pocket on the thigh as well. Instep patch material is different as well and is a whole hell of a lot more beefy looking. It's not even a fabric patch. Feels almost like plastic. Awesome.

The bibs look and feel super bomber.

[Unfrozen Caveman Lawyer]

I was tempted to get those, but the fact they are not full zip off threw me away. Plus, I was really looking for ultra light-weight eVent shells for mountaineering or stuffed in the bottom of the pack when touring. Ended up going with Wild Things Alpinist Bibs, which are the tits. With that said, I am sure the Revenant Bibs are $$.

[gramboh]

Finally got my Mirage in blue. The webside is updated with the new colours as well now. Construction is awesome. Fit in the large is good, just slightly tight in the chest area (I'm 5'10, 200#). I'm waiting on a new fleece to arrive from MEC tomorrow before I decide if I am keeping the Mirage or not. Pretty stoked to try this out.

I fondled the Revenant bibs (I think) in Jasper a few weeks ago, seemed really awesome, but so expensive. I might try out the REI eVent pants (not bib though), only $240US. REI has an eVent shell for $219 as well, I wonder what the quality is like though, that is half the price of the Mirage.

[Ted Striker]

...REI has an eVent shell for $219 as well, I wonder what the quality is like though, that is half the price of the Mirage.

It's nowhere near as nice as the Mirage.

[gramboh]

It's nowhere near as nice as the Mirage.

Thanks. I figured as much, you get what you pay for.

Anyone know what the new Armada eVent shell is like? $489US, very expensive. Oakley is making one too, but I've heard it's crappy construction, super bulky etc.

[LightRanger]

I don't think there's anything wrong with the quality of that REI jacket. It doesn't look as cool as the Mirage, but from trying it on and fondling it on the floor, it seems well-built and functional. Core vents. Skin pockets. Etc.

Craig Dostie reviewed it favorably on WildSnow.com late last season. But don't take his word for it. It's not like he was the editor of the best backcountry skiing magazine in the United States since its inception or anything.

[summer_teeth]

Has anyone tried any of the soft shells or hybrids?

I have the Skeena Hoody and the Recon Hoody softshells. I've been quite happy with both, this years Recon has switched from Powershield to Schoeller matterial which will probably make it more water resistant but the jacket is so warm I only wear it when it is damn cold out so it might not matter much. The Skeena is very water resistant with all the Event panels and I have used it as my rain jacket on spring, summer, fall kayak camping trips as well as a dedicated backcountry ski jacket.

[Ted Striker]

I don't think there's anything wrong with the quality of that REI jacket...

I don't think there is anything wrong with the Shuksan either, I just don't think it's as nice as the Mirage (plus no pit-zips = dealbreaker for me).

[LightRanger]

I don't think there is anything wrong with the Shuksan either, I just don't think it's as nice as the Mirage (plus no pit-zips = dealbreaker for me).

Fair enough. It also retails for ~$150 less...

I'm agnostic on the pit zips with eVent. From what I hear, it's so breathable that they're not as necessary. The Shuksan has core vents... again, agnostic.

I'll buy one at some point and post a review with my thoughts on it.

[whyturn]

Got the Mirage and skiied in it at baker. Hiked in waist deep pow with alot of fleece on and never overheated. Very versitile. Great product. Breathes amazingly well. Seems thinner than gore tex so over time will see how it holds up to tree impacts. Way better than gore tex on breathability and waterproofness. Color and features are good. Bigger chest pocket would be helpful.

buy it

[Unfrozen Caveman Lawyer]

I have the Skeena Hoody and the Recon Hoody softshells. I've been quite happy with both, this years Recon has switched from Powershield to Schoeller matterial which will probably make it more water resistant but the jacket is so warm I only wear it when it is damn cold out so it might not matter much. The Skeena is very water resistant with all the Event panels and I have used it as my rain jacket on spring, summer, fall kayak camping trips as well as a dedicated backcountry ski jacket.

Interesting.... I have been debating eventually getting the Skeena Hoody as a "warmer" softshell. I have an old Cloudveil Rayzer (made with Schoeller) that breathes great but is pertty thin, but the eVent, Schoeller, Merino combo of the Skeena seems really interesting.

[Ted Striker]

Fair enough...

The full story is that I really wanted an eVent jacket because I run hot, and it seldom gets really cold here (and you always need to be prepared for rain here too). I looked at / tried on every jacket I could find: Westcomb, Rab, Ground, BC.com, and REI. Each had its +/- but the bottom line was that I wasn't willing to gamble on no pit-zips just in case eVent turned out to be more hype than reality. That narrowed it down to the Westcomb and the Ground. The Ground fit me like a sack, so that was that.

Aside from the lack of pit-zips, there were other issues with each of the others (for me anyway). The top of the zipper / front of the neck on the Rab Latok hit my neck in a place/way that really bugged me, otherwise it was a really nice, well thought-out jacket. The pockets were located so that they were accessible while wearing a pack, and a pair of 125 skins easily fit in the two main pockets.

The Shuksan was new at the time, so it was almost $300, which is what I paid for my Mirage, so with pit-zips, pow-skirt, and a better fit (at least on my skinny-ass body), it was a no-brainer. At $219 however, the Shuksan is a steal.

[raj]

If you guys are looking for EVENT Jackets and arguing between Westcomb and REI, make sure and checkout Rab Latok Alpine. I got one last December to try out EVENT (all my previous jackets are Goretex of various vintages like PROshell, XCR, original etc). It was fairly cheap (maybe 200 $ or therabouts). RAB is an English company and this jacket has really everything you need adn nothing you don't. It has two good pockets that are correct height if wearing a harness or backpack. It has two internal mesh pockets for skins or drying gloves or carrying water in below freezig temps. Thats it. No other stupid features like sleeve pockets or pocket skirt and whatnot. It has a giant hood that fits well on all my helmets and teh coolest thing is this moldable wire hood so you get exact fit on helmet or beanie. It works really well as rain jacket too (I guess England gets soem rain!). The length is longer than my high bling jackets (I like jackets tha cover your butt and not stop at waist like some Arcteryx ones). The sleeves are long but somewhat skinny and the fit is designed around an athletic person not a fatass as most American jackets recently seem to be. My medium weighs around 15 ounces. I looked at the REI jacket (Shuskan) and Arcteryx Alpha LT when buying it. The fit and design was much more refined than REI (price was same). The Arcteryx Alpha LT also looked great (exact features I wanted and nothing else). It came down to the Rab was less than half the price of Arcteryx and had an rguably better fabric (EVENT vs. Goretex Pro).

So far after about 100 days of use, is holding up OK. EVENT does seem to breathe better than Goretex. The DWR is not as good as some of my Patagonia stuff. Lightweight jacket so obviously won't take abuse from ski edges or crampon or any other crap like a 2 pound jacket so you need to baby it a bit (true for any jacket in this weight class).I don't know if long term EVENT membrane holds up as good as Goretex (time will tell) but quite pleased with the material and the Rab design so far. Refreshingly simple and designed for actual use rather than walking in suburban malls. I hat estupid gizmos and on this jacket I haven't found anything that I would remove.

So far the only minor complaint is that the factory DWR doesn't seem to be as good as the best in class (so you need to us more Revivex).

[NorthernSpotted...]

I have an old Cloudveil Rayzer (made with Schoeller) that breathes great but is pertty thin...

I don't know what I'm going to do when my Schoeller Rayzar wears out. That thing is breathable as hell, pretty water resistant, and lets just the right amount of wind through to keep me cool. And I love the design of the mini-powder skirt. Best piece of outerwear I've ever owed. I carry a Westcomb Specter in my pack on colder/windier days just in case. It's a perfect system, really. Light as hell and, by varying insulation layers, it can keep me comfortable in just any weather condition I'd ski in.

I really don't like this trend of outerwear companies adding membranes like Windstopper or waterproof/breathable panels to their higher quality soft-shells. Does anyone out there still make a jacket out of nothing but Schoeller Dryskin? I need my muthafuckin' breathability, bitches.