[kleet]

Uh oh...I'm getting the itch to buy some new gear. I'm looking at jackets made with Schoeller Dryskin and Polartec Windbloc ACT and wondering how many of you have tried garments made with it and what your thoughts are. Are these fabrics comparable? The big name seems to be the Cloudveil Serendipity but man, what a price ($250)! I see LL Bean has a Polartec Windbloc Fleece Jacket for a lot less ($99) and MEC has the Ferrata 2 using Schoeller Dryskin for $125 Canadian ($78 US). Opinions, rants and raves welcomed.

[scot'teryx]

Schoeller Dryskin rules Cloudveil makes the best stuff, just because LL Bean has the fabric doe snot mean they know how ti use it. Arc'Teryx uses it on their Gamma pants I believe, and they are incredible I hear. The Cloudveil Anorak's are pretty freakin cool but spendy. I have seen some on sale here and there at a few places in the past like sierratradingpost.com overstock.com moosejaw.com rei-outlet.com and a few others that I cannot remember. My newest pants are the Mountain Hardwear Transition pants with Gore Windstopper. They have been increwdeibly good to me!

[Illimani94]

I have a pair of Mammut pants made of the Schoeller Dryskin Extreme, and Cloudveil's Veiled Peak anorak and vest. Whether you should plunk down the money depends on what you want out of a new jacket. The Schoeller stuff is stretchy, quick drying, breathable, sheds most snow pretty well, and is fairly abusable. One thing these fabrics AREN'T is very warm. Too thin to be good insulation under a shell - and if things get vicious you do need a true shell to keep out that hurricane winds and the ugly, wet snow and the more-than-drizzle rain. The Serrendipity is a beatiful jacket, but if I was going to get a Schoeller top I'd go for a lighter one like Cloudveil's Veiled Peak pullover or Black Diamond's similar top. Lighter, less pricey, and you get most of the good stuff about Schoeller. If you're looking for a fleece jacket replacement, I suggest a jacket made from Malden's Powershield - similar to the Schoeller fabrics, but with a thin fuzz on the inside. Kind of like Powerstretch on steroids. Arc'teryx makes the Gamma SV jacket of this fabric, and MEC has the Pamir jacket of same. I recently decided to replace my 8 year old Moonstone fleece jacket, and plunked down the money for a Gamma SV. Bulletins once I get to actually use it.

[Slide Alder Slayer]

I purchased an Ibex Ice Fall jacket that is a combination of Schoeller Dryskin and wool. Works great for snowshoeing, and with a Smart Wool base layer has been very comfortable down to 25 degrees. The jacket breaths extremely well, is quite wind resistant (to a point), but I haven’t had an opportunity to test it in the rain. What I enjoy most is wearing the insulation layer over the jacket, very warm combination during winter breaks on the trail.

[kleet]

Slide Alder Slayer, I notice that IBEX is having a 40% off sale. That $225 Icefall Jacket is now $135. I think I'm sold!

[Dante]

Wow! Ibex's Norse pullover is a steal at $43, too. Try to find a Merino wool top for less than $50--so far I've only found one and IT costs $46 and only comes in OD (but it is Nomex treated for flame protection). FYI Icebreaker makes a cool line of Merino wool products, which you can get it here. Select one of the Icebreaker ranges to see the products. Pricing is in New Zealand dollars, but when you drill down you also get US pricing. Sorry for taking us off topic. I love SmartWool, but it costs too much.

[Quark]

I don't think you can compare the Dryskin with the Cloudveil - they're not the same, not meant to be the same. The Dryskin jacket of which you speak seems more dense than the Cloudveil, and so would be too hot for me. The Cloudveil keeps you cool, yet blocks wind like crazy. I've had mine for two years and think it's the best purchase I've made. I've been on some windy peaks and was toasty warm in the Cloudveil. It's great for those up and down trails on freezing cold days when sometimes you're hot and sometimes you're not. Dryskin is meant to keep wusses such as you dry in drippier weather. The Cloudveil is more for wind and dampish weather. Though it dries quickly, you'd need a shell in wetter weather. Marmot in Bellevue had the Cloudveil for $150ish earlier this summer. I like to pay full price for expensive things only to discover all my freinds paid about half, or less.

[Dogman]

Gear Shmear. You guys are all hosers.

[Dante]

[Hiker Boy]

I don't know if it's relavant but I can vouch for the Arcteryx Gamma SV Jacket with Polartec Powershield. I love mine! I think the MEC Ferrata jacket feels stiff and uncomfortable. It looks butt ugly too!

[Quark]

I guess I'm just not hip on all this gear schmear. I was under the impression the Cloudveil of 2 years ago was simply Schoeller wool, and that the other jacket of which you speak was a souped up version that perhaps includes a goretex layer or something equally pimpin', and they named it "Dryskin." I saw an Arcteryx jacket recently that included Schoeller wool, and it was stiff and dense - the Cloudveil never was stiff and dense. I do not want any facetious comments regarding "stiff and dense." If you're tempted, however, know that sentence structure and spelling are of paramount importance in all jabs directed at me - incorrect spelling and sentence structure distract me from the crux of the insult, and I may not even know I've been insulted.

[Allison]

Q, what the heck is Schoeller Wool? I went to Cloudveil's website to see what the Serendipity was made of, and it's Schoeller Dryskin, just like my pathetic lil' MEC thang. Thick and dense? Now I resemble that remark!

[El Cid]

Who owns some? Not me. Man, that stuff sounds like typical way-overpriced yuppie gear. Why not get a nylon shell for wind, and some insulation? Works great. If you want the breathability, take off the shell. If you are cold from the wind, put it back on. That's what I've done on hundreds of trips and I have more money to spend on trail parking passes, milkshakes at the 59er Diner, and work less hours so I can spend more time outside. Have to agree 100% with Dogman.

[Hiker Boy]

I can't afford Arcteryx stuff at regular price either. Every year Arcteryx has a big three day sale where they rent a warehouse and sell off gear and clothing at 50% off and more. I scooped the Gamma jacket for $170 CAN. As for youe Ludites who have a problem with those of us who enjoy our new gear, no one is forcing you to wear any new "gear schmear" or to even read this thread.

[El Cid]

Rant mode on: I'm glad you folks enjoy your new gear. Looks like Madison Ave, Outside Magazine, and Big Time Corporate America has overtaken common sense. Examples of stuff I've heard/read: "After the hike, I put on my Tevas." "Getting cold, gonna put on my North Face jacket." "The Garmin says we are at LAT 49.02039999291928381." "I Subaru'ed up that gravel road." "Can't find my Petzl in the dark!" It's entertaining to see folks with all that new gear walking up the trail... slowly because they take a gazillion extras. Meanwhile, in ratty old junk us old-timers pass y'all by laughing under our breaths at the yuppification of one of the simplest activities invented. Yeah, getting away from the city. Yeah, getting back to nature. But doing it in Goretexian style and looking like techno-geeks! Rant mode off. Whew! Feel much better now.