Andy Cheatham asked in my Coffeeneuring #2 thread how I like my Foinaven cotton analogy ventile smock by Hilltrek. I’m starting a separate thread so folks can follow or not as they desire.
Simple answer, absolutely. Fuller answer is more complex as it involves the question of what factors will make single, double or cotton analogy ventile options work or not for any given person. Here are some of the factors I know make a difference. Humidity and temperature and precipitation. The higher the humidity, the more challenging it is to get rid of moisture inside any garment. The higher the temperature, the sooner the body will sweat. In high humidity and/or temperature increased ventilation levels help significantly. Even a single layer of ventile blocks all wind, so ventilation means loosening the hood/neck/waist. Depending on the amount/type of precipitation coming down, finding a balance is key. All of this is true for any rain garment, and is why less breathable jackets include pit zips. In my experience, these are not needed with ventile as all three types are far more breathable than synthetics. The general range I use my ventile cotton analogy is as warm as 60’s, raining, close to 100% humidity (wearing jacket only), down to -20˚F and colder, humidity ranging for near 100% to very low, wearing whatever layers are required under. For moisture management, the most challenging conditions are cold and wet and high humidity, with temperatures ranging from 50˚F down to 25˚F. For me, this is where cotton analogy ventile shines easily above all other comers, because it actively pushes moisture out. Fishnet underlayer is key to moisture management, allowing even a small amount of air flow to remove moisture, but also actively removing sweat (vapor and liquid) as I ride and when I stop. I experience double ventile as staying cold and clammy much longer than cotton analogy. Exertion level. When I bike harder, I sweat more. I climb a lot (essentially half of my riding as there are no flats around here), and there is no getting around warming up and sweating on these climbs. I generally stay aerobic, so could hold a relaxed conversation while riding. If I rode (as I used to) anaerobic much/all of the time, I would sweat a lot more and the amount of moisture needing to get out would be significantly higher. It took time to build my aerobic base, but now I ride faster aerobically than I used to anaerobically, and for far longer, requiring less water along the way. I also nearly always breathe only through my nose and this helps regulate temperature in ways I don’t fully understand. Ventilation level. How open is the hood, neck and waste? Closed enough to keep out precipitation, open enough to maximize air flow and direct removal of perspiration. Breathability of the fabric. Single ventile is most breathable. I experience cotton analogy as next most breathable (but more insulating, which may be what Will experiences and mentions in the other thread), followed by double ventile, which is still far more breathable than synthetics. Insulation of the fabric. Cotton analogy is the insulating equivalent of a thin wool shirt under a single ventile jacket. I don’t experience much difference between it and double layer ventile. Because of this, the cotton analogy is bulkier, but I also don’t need to carry an extra layer of insulation. I just plan accordingly. Double ventile is slightly less bulky and single ventile is smaller yet. All are bulkier than many synthetics. All are quieter than synthetics. All breathe more than any waterproof synthetics. Waterproofness of the fabric. Single layer ventile: 10 minutes of good rain will start to soak through. Double layer and cotton analogy are nearly the same, but I experience the cotton analogy as superior at actively pushing moisture out so I stay dryer, which matches the descriptions from Hilltrek and many of their customers. Longevity of the garment: I’d have to look, but I’ve had my first cotton analogy jacket for over four years of hard, dirty use and I rarely wash it (they suggest washing far more than I do) and it works just as well now as they day I got it except the exterior spray on coating is long gone, but the jacket works just as well. The outer layer just gets stiff when wet from holding moisture, which is how ventile is supposed to work. Which is right for you? No idea. But hopefully these factors combined with my and others experience will help narrow things down as to what to try first. With abandon, Patrick www.CredoFamily.org www.MindYourHeadCoop.org -- You received this message because you are subscribed to the Google Groups "RBW Owners Bunch" group. To unsubscribe from this group and stop receiving emails from it, send an email to [email protected]. To post to this group, send email to [email protected]. Visit this group at https://groups.google.com/group/rbw-owners-bunch. For more options, visit https://groups.google.com/d/optout.
