It looks as all is quiet on the North Eastern front. That is we can expect warm temperatures and rain until the end of the week and I believe that such state of affairs could partially explain lack of any updates from major resorts. Heck, Jay’s web blog has not been updated since October 28; Mount Snow closes its terrain park and Killington puts up a notice on their site announcing that “we’ll re-open as soon as quality conditions permit”. So in meantime, and in anticipation of the first wave of opening days, I spent couple days in front of a computer browsing various topics relevant to skiing/riding/outdoors/. And while there is myriad of interesting discussions, one topic got me truly intrigued: Gore-Tex Vs. eVent breathability battle.
This blog will not dig into technical specifics and tests, although we will do so later on, but will address a marketing/”ease of buying” side of a battle between these two competing waterproof/breathable fabric manufacturers. For those of you who don’t know much about these fabrics, I will say that both represent the top if its industry where Gore Tex is a well known and embraced by major manufacturers while eVent is an up and coming player trying to find a place under the sun. That is to push GT and present itself as a better or at least equal alternative.
I was introduced to Gore Tex 4 years ago when I bought a pair of gloves at a local ski shops for $50 after some huge discount. After all, how could not I? Gore Tex material was/is all over the place and “guaranteed to keep you dry”. True to its word, it kept my hands dry from outside elements while giving me “nice” clammy environment inside of my gloves! So considering my first experience with GT I was a bit hesitant to try on GT jackets even though I struggled through a “garbage bag” effect inside of my non-GT jackets. Plus, paying top dollars was another factor influencing my decision making.
And yet, the moment of truth came last season when I got stuck on a lift chair at Jay Peak with my buddy Cliff. While waiting for a lift to get moving again, we were absorbing snow flakes, reflecting on life matters and… shivering. I am not sure about Cliff, but being soaked in sweat made me shiver twice as much, and cursing, I promised myself to get that “breathable” shell no matter what. And so, grudgingly pushing money matters aside, I was ready to get a GT jacket when a word about eVent fabric reached me. An army test showed that eVent fabric was more breathable than Gore Tex and consumer comments seemed to add another vote for it.
Intrigued, I decided to check out their web site and to find out more about manufacturers and sellers of jackets made with eVent fabric. Eventfabric.com makes a strong point for its fabric by providing user testimonials, media reviews, and test results and so on and forth. However, the problem started when I, an ordinary consumer interested in finding a jacket made with eVent fabric, clicked on “find eVent” link.
Once redirected, I quickly located ski & snowboard section with a list of retailers. Naturally, that is what you would do if you were looking for a ski or snowboard jacket.
So, I tried to click through them with a following result:
1) Enlightment offered me a domain for sale and eye infection treatment. No trace of eVent though.
2) Ground was pretty clear on where and how to find their jackets. I managed to find two on-line retailers offering jackets without any problems.
3) O’neill. Yes, Jeremy Jones did say that it was the “best jacket I have ever abused” referring to O’Neill’s jackets. But good luck finding one and be careful not to abuse you snowboard soul because you will stare at a lot of surf.coms
and wet suits.
4) Powderhorn. “Powderhorn Resort sits on the edge of the Grand Mesa with breathtaking valley views you won’t find anywhere else”. You are not going to find an eVent jacket there neither.
5) Protest got some really good looking jackets and funky web site with barely decipherable links. They also got an eVent jacket and retail stores from Azerbaijan to Turkey, However, it seems that they don’t believe in internet sales as I wasn’t able to find any on-line partners, just email addresses.
6) Sivera is a Russian company with a number of products but in order for you get one, you should first book a flight to Moscow, Saint Petersburg or Russian regions.
7) Soldowt does have eVent jackets but you better speak some Japanese in order to find out how to buy it. It also appears that Soldowt is a part of Sold Eye Inc. which also lists Enlightenment collection of winter clothing! Bingo, a mystery resolved! A side note for eVent management: a correct link for “Enlightenment” is http://www.soldowt.co.jp/enlightenment//.
Vaude. It was somewhere there, I could feel it but at the same time I was not up to a flight to Germany, Austria, Switzerland or Netherlands to get one.
9) Westcomb. There is something to talk about and Westcomb is a small but well known company. The problem with Westcomb is that they list a significant number of local retailers in Canada and USA and at the same time state that “There are no (online) retailers to display at this time”. So if you have time and patience to comb through links and products you should find eVent. However, if you are following a link under Utah and local retailers section, Westcomb lists ….backcountry.com, one of the largest and well known internet retailers of outdoor gear and clothing!
So, to summarize, here is my 2 cents. They way I understand it, eVent is here to provide a “breathable” alternative to a number of fabrics including Gore Tex. It also appears that consumers give it an edge especially when compared to Gore Tex products. However, Gore Tex is a modern version of a Goliath linked to a number of well known within skiing/riding/alpine/backcountry community manufacturers and outdoor gear retailers. Thus, I understand that it was/is/will be an uphill battle and a number of wide ranging factors should greatly impact or influence eVent’s expansion in the market. However, I think that eVent could and should do a better job of informing potential customers about “where and how” they can buy apparel featuring eVent.
I am a regular consumer who finds their product interesting and at the same time, I find a process of locating their product extremely frustrating. Sure, they provide a number of links and sub sections separating lines of apparel and featuring 70 brands worldwide. But how about fixing dead links and separating retailers based on a business location?
The world does not rotate around the US but eVent fabrics are manufactured and marketed by the BHA Group, Inc. located in Missouri. Moreover, BHA Group, Inc operates two manufacturing facilities for eVent membranes in the United States and is a wholly owned subsidiary of the General Electric Company. And the point here is not to discuss a corporate strategy and business plan but rather point out that a consumer has much better chances of getting eVent product in Europe than the U.S., even though a fabric itself is made in U.S. I learned it after spending a considerable amount of time browsing through ski & snowboard section on eVent’s web site. Yes, they list REI and backcountry.com but if you are not up to internet retailers or trends, then you might not know or clearly distinguish between REI and Globetrotter which in its turn should make purchasing apparel a bit frustrating. And in this case, it might look something like: “Yeah, I got it! What? A store is in Kazakhstan? Wait, it is not eVent fabric? Oh man, that company got 10 jackets for sale and didn’t clearly indicate which one is made with eVent!”
On the other hand, if you visit Gore Tex web site, they not only provide you with a product line breakdown but also re-direct you towards an exact web page location with an exact product for sale, (though it seems to me that GT rips a commission by doing it, but hey, it is business) thus reliving a consumer from spending another 20 minutes browsing through Gore Tex vs. Non Gore Tex items listed through a particular retailer.
Thus, even though I killed a half day separating web sites, locations and availability of certain eVent products, I am still interested in finding and trying one. After all, it is a matter of principle at this point and it looks that Backcountry and REI rolled out eVent products and the best part is that they are readily available for the US based consumers. I also understand that it is an uphill market share battle for eVent, but it would make it a bit easier for them if they start fighting it by fixing broken links on their page first.
