: Define "superior performance".

In this case, drier....

:You seem to believe that
: all that matters is breathability. What really matters for sea
: kayakers is keeping cold water out. If you want breathability,
: go naked. The reason for any drysuit at all is to keep cold
: water out. Goretex replaces the suit when they feel that their
: fabric starts to leak due to the breathable layer delaminating.

I think you have to separate "keeping water out" with Goretex. For instance,
scuba dry suits are just as vital to safety and "keep water out" but you won't
find any with Goretex.

: For sea kayakers breathability is primarily a comfort issue. The
: safety issue is if the suit leaks.

Again I am not sure what the link between Goretex and safety is.

Goretex has a "keep you dry guarantee", but as someone else said "
all the terms of guarantee can still be met with a garbage bag from Walmart".

: Do you know what the failure mode of eVent is?

The primary failure mode is a well-intentioned spouse or significant other
washing all your goretex with fabric conditioner...its ruined (for breathability)

The secondary failure mode is delamination due to poor storage or misuse or defects
in workmanship.

: Does the
: manufacturer guarantee that it won't leak?

Yes, in fact eVent is used to provide a moisture seal but not air seal
for barometric pressure assemblies in military aircraft.

: How well does the
: breathable layer hold up to wear and tear? Your linked report
: only discusses vapor transport it does not say anything about
: how the material holds up to use. It is quite possible it holds
: up quite well, but the manufacture makes no promises and I have
: not heard long-term use reports for the product.

Goretex and eVent are membranes. They are laminated to various kinds
of materials, such as thin fabrics for raincoats or thick materials
for hiking shoes. These materials are the stuff that holds up to wear and tear.

: Kokatat provides the service because Goretex requires them to. If
: you have an old Stohlquist drysuit made with Goretex and the
: Goretex fails you will get a gift certificate to buy a Kokatat
: or equivalent drysuit. This is not Kokatat standing by the
: product it is Goretex.

Please find this on the Gortex site and cite. In fact I did a quick google
and found more complaints than positive experiences.

: An eVent drysuit http://www.nrsweb.com/shop/product.asp?pfid=2562
: is within $50 of a similar Goretex
: http://www.outdoorplay.com/Kokatat-Mens-Gore-Tex-Front-Entry-Kayak-Dry-Suit
: While there may be a "brand tax" on Goretex, they
: will replace your whole suit if their product fails.

Again, I think this is up to the vendor like Kokatat or NRS.
EMS will replace pretty much anything that breaks or fails to
work satisfactorily. It does not have to have goretex.

: I am as cheap as the next guy. It took me a long time to bite the
: bullet to buy such an expensive article of clothing. I now have
: over 10 years of experience paddling year-around in harsh
: conditions with what I bought and I have been very happy with
: the performance. Further, I now have a suit that is as good as
: new and am still happy with it. If you have similar experience
: with eVent, please let us know because we would all be happy to
: save $50 if the product is truly better. If all you have is the
: results of one laboratory test to stake your life on, I guess
: I'm not going to be persuaded so easily.

eVent is better; you don't have to trust me, just review the tests that were
performed with a stated and repeatable methodology.

Goretex is not the only the membrane that keeps water out of a drysuit.
eVent performs the same function with better performance at a lesser price.