The W/B ratings on this shell are out of this world, especially for the price, and as a result, I'm quite suspicious.

Any insight?

W/B ratings for Stoic Vaporshell are indeed remarkable - suspicion regarding these ratings is expected. In order to satisfy our own concerns with these claims before adopting into our line, we performed multiple iterations of fabric testing at an independent lab - SGS. For those interested in the actual test data: Water Resistance Test (standard test method ASTM D751:2006 Procedure A; Mullen Method) yields a water column measurement of 68,338.4mm Water Vapor Transmission test (standard test method JIS L1099 B1 method) yields a measurement of 46,176grams per square meter per 24 hours

Those HH numbers are three times the best Gore-tex and eVent fabrics, and the breathability is twice that of eVent, which is demonstrably the most breathable WPB membrane that currently has a significant market share. Polartec Neoshell caused quite a stir this year, and even a bit of buzz in the mainstream media, and it can't match those numbers either. If these numbers were accurate, the outdoor industry newsreels would be exploding. Backcountry.com needs to publish independent test results that support a claim of this kind.

Hey everybody, I'm buying one and taking it up to Everest base camp in a few days, and it should be pretty rainy, so I'll post a review after a few weeks about how it breathes and how it performs at altitude, as outside air pressure significantly affects the performance of a membrane.

@Phil, they don't have to actually make a 210' column of water, they can just make effectively a giant syringe with some water, a plunger, and a lot of weight of a hydraulic ram. @Simon, I got on chat last night and checked with them, and they confirmed it for me too. I'll be buying one in the next few days as soon as my paycheck comes in, and I'll definitely try it out in the shower and then go biking in it to see how it feels. Keep an eye out for a review.

Hey Guys, BC says they're accurate, as unbelievable as that may seem. They didn't believe it themselves, and claim to have run their in-house static-water column tests five times to be sure. I obviously can't speak to whether they conducted the test correctly, but that's supposed to mean that they were able to replicate the equivalent of filling a 1" diameter cylinder to a vertical height of 64,000mm (210') before leakage occurred. Buy one and review it for us, Simon. If it works as spec'd, it sounds like we all have a cheap, new miracle raincoat in our futures.

Typo Maybe?