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I'm on my fourth bit of kit made from the stuff. I got a really early North Face shell, then more recently I got some Alpkit jeans, some Howies Towpath trousers and I've just received a pair of Howies Epic Eds.
The earlier stuff, including the Towpaths, has been good - but I wouldn't consider any of it remotely waterproof.
The jacket I just use like a pertex windproof shell. The jeans and trousers were comfy, and might give you a short time in a light shower before wetting through. I liked them as trousers - but would never consider them a substitute for proper waterproofs.
Last night though I was out for a couple of hours in some fairly hissing rain. My top half, in a proper waterproof, was soaked. My legs were near as dammit dry.
So has the Epic stuff really come on in leaps and bounds in the last few years? Or is the "weatherproof treatment lasts for the life of the garment" claim not quite robust and my new breeks are shedding water so well because they're new and the coating hasn't degraded with washing?
Probably a bit of both. With older Epic, heat-treating the garment if the care label allows it - either a cool-ish iron or maybe a tumble drier - can revive the finish a bit. The individual fibres are encapsulated in silicone and should be permanently treated, but back in the real world, with use and dirt and abrasion, the effectiveness does tend to drop off with wear.
And to be fair, it's not meant to be waterproof, just water resistant and relatively non-absorbent, so it dries faster when it does get wet.
Agreed. The older stuff works fine. It's more casual/comfortable than more technical clothing - but a bit more capable than "normal clothes". The jacket is my favourite windshell.
But these new trousers, if last night is anything to go on, are a definite step up in performance. Keeping 2 hours of steady rain at bay is pretty impressive considering they look like chinos.