Weighing less than a can of soda, the ZPacks Vertice hard shell series sets a gold standard

By Zachary Markman Published July 21, 2017

Ultralight backpacking equipment manufacturer ZPacks launched a fully featured and high-performance waterproof breathable “Vertice” series of shells for the true trail-rat gram counters. The series makes use of a Ventum-WPB 3-Layer material which claims to offer a whopping 60k breathability and 20k waterproofing. With this much breathability, a hiker can sleep or hike in cold climates with ZPacks products without getting clammy — according to the ZPacks website, that is.

Those impressive numbers don’t just beat the industry performance standard of 20k / 20k for premium shells, they crush them.

Recommended Videos

All this performance does come with a minimal burden to the nimble-footed hiker, however. The Vertice Jacket, Pants, and Mitts combine to weigh 10.8 ounces which is less than the weight of a typical full can of soda and lighter than most waterproof breathable jackets on their own. The Ventum material used in the series barely tips the scales at 1.8 oz per square yard and is treated with a short-chain C6 durable water repellency to help prevent the fabric from wetting out.

Furthermore, the Ventum material used in the series barely tips the scales at 1.8 oz per square yard and is treated with a short-chain C6 durable water repellency to help prevent the fabric from wetting out. The three layer sandwich in the Ventum-WPB fabric consists of a tricot wicking liner on the interior, a super light 7 denier ripstop nylon exterior, and a mysterious waterproof membrane in the middle.

Digital Trends reached out to ZPacks founder Joe Valesko for more information about the Ventum-WPB fabric being used in these shells, however, the fabric and fabric supplier remain shrouded in trade secrecy.

“I can tell you that they are a large reputable manufacturer,” Valesko told Digital Trends regarding the supplier.

Valesko did disclose some information regarding the membrane used to reach those 60k breathability claims, “It is not Event. It is a proprietary product of the manufacturer.”

Prospective Vertice buyers hoping to get new gear for the Summer backpacking season should place their orders soon, as ZPacks products are made to order in the USA and the Vertice series currently has a four-week wait list.

Zachary Markman

Former Contributor

Zach is a techie, a hiker, and a writer from a Los Angeles now living in the much colder Pacific Northwest. When not at work…

Topics

Outdoors

Be ready for storm season: Dual fuel portable generator is $150 off today

Pulsar dual fuel portable generator with gas can in background

Unless you've been living under a rock, you know that a ton of early Black Friday deals have dropped. There are the usual suspects like laptops, electronics, gaming gear, and beyond. But me, I prefer to pick up unusual items during the huge holiday sales. You know exactly what I mean, the kind of stuff that doesn't usually go on sale any other time. One of those items is a portable generator. Where I live it seems like they rarely go on sale, and when you need them most they're never in stock. People flock to the stores to buy them just before a big storm. Well, right now, Pulsar and Walmart have an incredible deal on a 12,000-watt dual-fuel generator. Normally $900 it's down to $749 which saves you $151. It can run for up to 12 hours on an 8-gallon fuel tank.

Why shop the Pulsar 12,000-watt dual-fuel portable generator for Black Friday?

Outdoors

The BLUETTI Handsfree 2 is a solar backpack and power station — It’s $200 off

BLUETTI Handsfree 2 solar backpack and power station -- black friday deal

While you're busy shopping through all of the Best Cyber Monday deals, here's a little something that might pique your interest. You'll be even more excited if you spend a lot of time outdoors or off-grid. You might want to wait on grabbing that Cyber Monday portable power station deal. Allow me to explain. The BLUETTI Handsfree 2 is a backpack, like any other outdoor pack you might encounter, except for one thing. It's also a power station and solar generator. Believe me when I say this thing is insane and super useful. But for Cyber Monday, there's a deal that includes the BLUETTI Handsfree 2 and a 100-watt solar panel to charge it on the go. Normally $799, it's yours for just $599, saving you $200. Wow. You have to read what it can all do, so don't leave just yet.

Why buy the BLUETTI Handsfree 2 solar backpack and power station?

Outdoors

Cyber Monday is here: Shop these snow blower deals while you can!

The Ego 24-inch Self-Propelled 2-Stage XP Snow Blower on a white background.

When you think of Cyber Monday, you might think of Cyber Monday TV deals, but now is also the time for more practical items like snow blowers. We’ve picked out all the best Cyber Monday snow blower deals with big savings on popular brands, and we’ve also taken the time to provide you with some buying advice so you know what to look for when buying one.

With so many different snow blowers out there, we’ve considered everything you need to know about and included different budgets in our decision-making process, too. Read on, and we’ll take you through all these great Cyber Monday deals. If you’re looking for something a little more fun (but still practical), we’ve picked out all the best Cyber Monday Apple Watch deals, too. Let’s take a look together.
Our top pick: Greenworks 40V 20-inch Brushless Cordless Snow Blower -- $247 $420 41% off