in defence of the defender (eider related)

[ulty_guy]

not that the eider brand needs much defending around here, but i just wanted to put in a positive 0.02 cause i was seriously impressed.

i picked up the twiller jacket last spring cause i needed a full on shell and this undercut everything goretex by a bit and also has an incredibly soft hand considering it was a 3-ply shell. the finishing on it was also excellent (waterproof zips that actually run smoothly) and the fit was euro with long enough arms for the half breed orangutan that i am. it's light enough to stick in a pack, yet feels stronger than any paclite or other ultralight shells and it has great stretch panels that actually stretch. i also like a shorter waisted jacket which no one else seems to make these days.

http://www.eider.fr/us/produits/prod...enre=1&id=3851

anyways, it had served me very well so far, but hadn't really had to deal with any truly horrendous weather....until the past 4 days on the grand montet. good lord. going back and forth through the freezing barrier, rain, then graupel, then snow and something else inbetween that i couldn't even identify (snot?). this thing lapped it up, stayed completely dry from the outside, and amazingly, from the inside. i'm a very heavy sweater (not that kind of sweater ) and this thing breathed better than any goretex i've ever had and i didn't even need to keep the sweet pit zips open to the max. however, the abolute coup de gras on this puppy was the hood. if you wear a helmet, this thing has the best hood ever. i could ski with the hood on all the time and not even notice that i had it up.

in summary...kick ass jacket and a half out of 5.

[StuntCok]

I always use cheaper clothes 'cause of my tendancy rip the shit out of it but when I was in Utah this Dec and had to borrow some Eider stuff from st8tline, it almost convinced me to pony up for the good stuff. Seriously good clothing, if only the pants weren't so eurofag fit...

[verbier61]

I am extremely happy with my eider commodore. Best I ever had.

[teosickrider]

my friend is sponsored by Eider.he's very happy with all the clothes but not with the gloves...so don't buy their gloves!!!

[Daywalker]

I was happy with my Commodore until a tree branch ripped a hole in the arm. I'm not exactly sure how it happened because I was going fast in glades. I'm kind of surprised, as the jacket had been impervious prior to that. I talked to Eider and repairs were going to be between $25-100. Is that standard?

[verbier61]

After two seasons, I have a pair of small slashes, most likely done by ski edges. So far I have covered them with silver tape... it works.

[philippeR]

I own a XD Jacket (made with Defender) and I concur : Really waterproof. Perfectly sealed too. Not sure it breathes as well as GoreTex, but definitely cheaper.

[vinnay]

i have a wave jacket with 3l defender that i am loving. breathes super well and fits great.

FYI: the wide angle, indie ride eider stuff is not eurosteeze fitting at all.

that includes the wave, nyrki, XD (i want one), and ayako pants(also want). stuff fits pretty baggy in my opinion.

[philippeR]

FWIW, The XD is not baggy at all, but rather slim (and long). Very good looking though...
Edit for euro maggots :
Discounted at 210 E until the end of the month, here.

[vinnay]

maybe baggy wasnt the right word, but definitely looser cut than their xenium stuff (ie i wouldnt go a size up on that stuff.)

edit: thanks for the link, might pick up that jacket and ship to US.