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Strafe prides itself in our rigorous product testing by our internal team, athletes and ambassadors, and our loyal customers, to create the most functional and high-performing winter protection. Through this process, focusing on designs that will perform day-in and day-out, our best-selling styles have evolved alongside the best-performing waterproof and breathable fabric we could find: eVent®.
Other fabrics just weren’t cutting it. As we pushed ourselves harder and harder each season, traditional membranes just couldn’t keep up. Moisture build-up inside the jacket ends up being the limiting comfort factor, especially if you are climbing to earn your turns all day long.
John Gaston
Co-Founder, Strafe Outerwear
Photo: Whitton Feer.
Humans sweat. A lot. It's how the body cools itself and keeps its temperature in balance. Even walking generates up to .5 liters of sweat per hour, and vigorous activity produces up to 1.5 liters per hour. That’s a lot of moisture! To stay comfortable, it has to move through your clothing and outerwear.
In 1999, eVent® fabrics discovered a solution to all that moisture and the company was founded to create air-permeable and waterproof performance textiles. With expertise in ePTFE [expanded polytetrafluoroethylene], eVent® developed a patented oleophobic microscopic coating method that allowed them to create waterproof laminates while maintaining an open pore structure.
The open pore structure allows excess heat and moisture vapor, generated by your body, to instantly escape through the open pores, while the microscopic pores and ePTFE coating provide wind and waterproof exterior protection.
What does eVent® deliver? The most breathable waterproof outerwear available.
The eVent® fabrics dry zone, aka comfort zone.
This illustration of a typical eVent® 3-layer fabric or laminate shows how it works in apparel.
An eVent® fabrics 3-layer laminate has the following layers:
This magnification (5000x) shows eVent's microscopic difference—an open, porous structure. Compare with a PU membrane, which must become wet to transfer moisture.
Built on the premise that waterproof/breathable should also mean dry and comfortable, eVent® waterproof laminates feature patented Direct Venting™ technology to instantly vent excess heat and water vapor. From high air permeability to ultimate protection, the diverse collection of fabrics from eVent® meets a wide range of all-weather needs.
The bubbler test visibly demonstrates the waterproof/breathability of eVent® fabrics.
eVent® has several different fabric options. We use eVent® DVflex™. The new DVflex™ fabric has a tight-weave nylon face that is durable, extremely waterproof, and particularly light. DVflex™ has the standard Direct Venting™ membrane and a soft, supple backer that feels great, even next-to-skin. The combination of the light weight, breathable/waterproof membrane, and high durability makes this the ideal fabric to keep you dry and comfortable all-day all-season long.
Q: How breathable is eVent®?
eVent® is twice as breathable as common waterproof fabrics. Heat and moisture instantly vent out of eVent® waterproof apparel so there’s no clammy, chilly build up of sweat inside.
The DVflex™ fabric has a 0.1 CFM (cubic feet per minute) air-permeability rating.
Q: How does eVent® compare to other waterproof/breathable technologies?
What makes eVent® breathe better than other technologies is how moisture can pass through the waterproof membrane and fabric. Since the membrane is microporous, moisture moves through this open structure easily by diffusion and it never condenses in the process. We call this a dry system.
Other common technologies are wet systems. They use polyurethane (PU) membranes or coatings, which require a slower three-step process to move moisture through the fabric.
First the moisture adsorbs into the polyurethane, then it diffuses through, and then it desorbs—meaning the sweat vapor physically undergoes a phase change from vapor to liquid and back to vapor again, condensing in the process. This explains why most outerwear can feel clammy inside.
One way to communicate eVent®’s advantage over other technologies is to imagine a window screen. eVent® is like a screen (or layers of screens), where the openings are the pores of the membrane and the mesh is the brils of the membrane. In contrast, a membrane with polyurethane is like a window screen with a layer of paint on it—which clogs up the holes and interferes with breathability.
Q: The care label says “Wash Me Often.” Why is that?
Does eVent® need more washing than other shell jackets? Technical outerwear works best when it is clean, so regular maintenance is important. Contaminates, both from inside (body oils, sunscreen) and outside (dirts, oils) of the jacket, impede performance by clogging the open pore structure. eVent® benefits from more frequent care to allow the membrane to function properly. There's no need to clean it after every use, but with proper care, the world class performance of eVent® is extended.
Q: If eVent® is air-permeable, is it windproof?
You bet—eVent® is over 99.7% windproof, creating the perfect balance of climate control when you're flying 80 mph on the tundra or climbing the steeps.
Q: What Strafe styles use eVent®?
You can find the breathable/waterproof protection of eVent® fabrics in our men's Nomad Jacket and Nomad Bib Pant and our women's Meadow Jacket, Scarlett Bib Pant, and SHREDLY x Strafe Scarlett Bib Pant. View the entire collection here.
Q: Where can I learn more?
Visit their website or send questions to info@eventfabrics.com.
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