I'm used to having a Gore-Tex shell and just layering up underneath, works great for staying dry and being protected from the wind. I'm not familiar with the Rebar Ripstop AXF Conduit material, how waterproof / windproof is that compared to Gore-Tex? given its waterproof rating of 20K (sorry I'm not familiar with these ratings).

That all sounds very technical... good thing I enjoy very technical. Thanks for taking the time to clear things up!

jazzejohn. Mountain Hardwear's Conduit material used in the Gravitor Jacket is completely waterproof and breathable and compares favorably to GoreTex. Conduit is one of many monolithic PU based laminates and coatings on the market from all the brands that are used to make jackets waterproof and breathable. A few examples would be: Membrane (Marmot), HyVent (TNF), H2No (Patagonia), etc.etc. GoreTex is composed of something called expanded polytetrafluoroethylene and has different properties than PU but is as waterproof as PU if not more so. Other polytetrafluoroethylene's or PTFE based laminates on the market are eVent (Rab, REI, amongst others) and Epic which have been gaining in popularity over the past few years... especially eVent. Look for many more offerings of PTFE fabrics coming out in the coming months and years! The 20K number comes from a waterproofing test known as the "Inverted Cup Test", which is an industry standard. Almost all of the brands use this test for waterproof-ness except for GoreTex who rate their waterproof-ness based on a PSI (pounds per square inch) of water on the fabric. If Gore was measured via the inverted cup test, depending on the fabric, it would come in around 38-40K. Practically speaking, the "Industry" calls anything above 10K waterproof... which it is. AXF refers to a special DWR (Durable Water Repellent Finish) that is applied to the exterior of the fabric in the Gravitor and other Mountain Hardwear jackets. This is the finish the makes water droplets bead up on the outside of most jackets. The cool thing about our DWR is that it is durable up to 80 washings. Most DWR's in the industry are only good for about 20 washings before you have to re-treat the garment. Lots of info in this answer... I hope it all makes sense! Cheers!