Veilance Eigen Comp Jacket

Context

The Eigen Comp Jacket is a new Veilance piece for SS20, a hooded soft shell jacket constructed with strategically placed Gore 3L Infinium (formerly Windstopper) and a light stretch double weave nylon shell. The stretch nylon functions as both the shell fabric of the Windstopper panels on the Eigen and as the standalone shell fabric on the rest of the jacket.

The Eigen Comp is the successor to the Composite Jacket, which Veilance discontinued after SS15. The Composite jacket had a slightly trimmer fit and a different fabric composition than the Eigen, including an older Windstopper on the torso, shoulders and hood, and Terratex on the back and sleeves. The Windstopper of the Composite was less stretchy and breathable than that of the Eigen, and slightly heavier. The Terratex was less stretchy and breathable, while being noisier and more prone to creases and wrinkles, and the pattern of the panels was slightly different.

Style and Intended Use-Case

The Eigen is a casual hooded soft shell jacket made of two extremely light fabrics, and can be worn comfortably indoors and outdoors, with or without layers. Veilance styled the jacket with shorts in their product shots, which gives one the impression that is intended to be worn in very warm weather, but the fabric and somewhat generous (“Standard” according to AV’s site) fit makes the jacket extremely versatile.

The jacket is most suited to being worn with a t-shirt under it, as it maximizes the breathability of the fabrics and the airflow between the jacket and the body. That said, the jacket is still roomy enough to accommodate a light midlayer (Conduit Vest, Dyadic Hoody, Graph Cardigan, maybe even an atom LT) comfortably while still looking streamlined.

It’s difficult to pin down the use-case of the Eigen. The Eigen is definitely not a proper “raincoat” since the fabrics aren’t waterproof, but DWR all over, 3-layer Infinium fabric on the torso, hood, shoulders and sleeves, and an adjustable hood with a storm flap make it perform pretty well in mild precipitation. Once it starts pouring it won’t take long for the nylon to wet out, but the membrane of the Infinium should keep the wearer dry enough for a while since it’s placed on the areas of the jacket that are most likely to be penetrated by water. If I had to classify it, I’d say the Eigen is something like an “upgraded windbreaker.”

The Eigen performs best on warm and breezy spring days and summer nights, where a little bit of extra warmth is needed, and perhaps some rain is in the forecast. The fabric’s wind protection keeps the wearer from feeling chilled, and its breathability allows the wearer to dump heat and prevents the clammy and claustrophobic feeling produced by fully waterproof shells.

Aside from the performance of the Eigen, I really like that it gives the opportunity to wear a hooded shell in conditions that one wouldn’t normally expect to be able to wear a hooded shell in. I imagine others who share my unabashed love of outerwear, especially hooded shells, will share my appreciation of the Eigen for this reason. What’s more Veilance than a little winter in Summer?

Finally, it’s worth noting that fully seam taped soft shells are something of a rarity in the outdoor clothing world. Taped seams provide extra rain protection, and gives the Eigen some performance that many soft shells designed expressly for outdoor activities lack. The Isogon MX is another taped seam soft shell jacket offered by Veilance that also doubles effectively as an outdoor sports piece.

Features

Like many Veilance pieces, the Eigen succeeds and fails because of what it doesn’t have. There’s no wrist or hem adjustment system, instead it relies on strategic paneling and fabric placement to optimize temperature regulation, reduce bulk, and create a pleasing, streamlined look. No pit zips either, which would optimize airflow, but add considerable weight at the cost of little increased performance over the stretch nylon fabric placed on the armpit area.

Taped seams throughout and heavily articulated arms provide additional weather protection and range of motion. The hood features a 3-point adjustment system with Coadhesive cord locks, which is easy to adjust such that it protects the wearer from rain without sacrificing visibility. The collar comes up just below the chin and maintains its shape in spite of being made from unstructured fabric, and has a suede (or is it microfiber?) patch sewn in to prevent skin contact with the zipper.

Veilance have chosen an uncoated Vislon zipper for the Eigen Comp, which can also be found on the Isogon MX. Owners of the Isogon MX have complained about its zipper unzipping itself due to a lack of “zipper bumps” to hold it in place. Thus far the zipper on my Eigen has remained in place at all times, which could be due to the Eigen fabric being much lighter and therefore exerting less force on the zipper than the Isogon’s Burly Double Weave fabric.

Two reverse facing zippered hand pockets are deep and comfortable enough, but placed a little higher than I’d prefer. The lightness of the jacket also makes it feel and look a little awkward to load the pockets with anything heavy. The right-hand pocket has an internal organization pocket that is great for sunglasses or a wallet and will accommodate an iPhone 11 with a little cajoling.

There are also two zippered pockets on the interior of the jacket. The left-hand pocket accommodates a small wallet or cards, and the right-hand pocket is placed a little lower and has a little more capacity (designed to fit a passport I believe). It strikes me that Veilance hasn’t changed this internal pocketing system since the days of the Composite Jacket, and it’s starting to feel a bit dated. The placement and size of the pockets seem to lack design intent and just aren’t that useful.

Materials and Stretch

It’s no secret that Veilance no longer uses cutting edge fabrics. There tends to be a one- or two-year wait for a new mainline Arc’Teryx fabric making its way into a Veilance piece. That said, Veilance fabrics almost always vastly “overperform” for their intended urban/casual use-case. It seemed that experimentation with newer materials was more of a priority during Veilance’s early years, and these days the brand’s innovation is relegated more to construction and design.

Gore’s fabrics are hard to keep track of, since they engineer new fabrics and give them old names, and regularly change the names of their product lines. The 3-layer Gore fabric on the Eigen is one of a few variants of their “Infinium with Windstopper Technology,” with a windproof and water-resistant membrane and a soft and stretchy face fabric. My experience is that this Gore fabric is virtually waterproof and will take a sustained downpour to wet out. It’s got a pleasantly soft hand feel and looks more matte than most technical fabrics.

I might be wrong about this, but I believe the stretch woven nylon shell fabric of the Eigen was strictly used for pocketing prior to SS20. It can be found inside many Veilance pieces including the Arris, Nemis, Seque Tote, Isogon MX, and many others. I wish I knew more about the history of this fabric at Arc’Teryx, but can say with some confidence that this is the first season it’s made an appearance on the outside of a jacket. If that’s the case, Veilance really went all-in on this fabric for its inaugural season, as it’s also heavily utilized on the Apsis Coat and the Dyadic Comp Hoody and Pants. All that aside, it’s a durable, ultralight, stretchy, comfortable fabric that works really well on a jacket, especially the Eigen.

Comfort

I’d rate the Eigen very high for comfort, since the whole package is light, stretchy, and drapes well off the body. People who prefer more structured jackets might experience some discomfort wearing it, however. Either way the Eigen is a little awkward to wear unzipped during a breeze, since the light fabric is picked up easily by wind.

As stated above, putting heavier items like a phone into the pockets creates a bit of discomfort by perceivably weighing down the jacket.

Fit

Veilance.com says the Eigen Comp Jacket has a “Standard” fit, which says virtually nothing. It fits just about exactly the same as the Isogon MX Jacket, which is a Fall/Winter soft shell that is designed to accommodate layers.

It might be that Veilance doesn’t have the resources to develop new jacket fit patterns, but it seems to me that the Eigen is intended to fit a tad oversized like the Isogon in order to optimize airflow, and provide extra weather protection while accommodate a light layer. I could see some people preferring to size down in order to get a trimmer, “athleisure-y” fit though. As with mainline Arc’Teryx pieces, the body and sleeves of Veilance jackets tend to be a little long for one’s true size, while sizing down to optimize the sleeve and body length results in the jacket being too tight in the chest and shoulders.

It’s worth noting that the weight and distribution of the fabrics on the Eigen cause the jacket to drape in a subtly diagonal way. It’s barely noticeable in person, but I would imagine might make it accommodate someone with a protruding stomach a little more comfortably than the average jacket.

Durability and Concerns

Two main concerns about the Eigen. The first is how the stretch double weave nylon will hold up, especially to abrasion. One can assume that it’s pretty durable if it’s used in pockets, which need to stand up to constant pressure from sharp objects, but it’s unclear how it will hold up to the kind of wear a jacket gets.

The second concern is the seam tape, which has a tendency to delaminate and in turn create a risk of blowouts. It’s probably safe to say that the Windstopper will hold tape well, but seems unclear how the stretch nylon will do, as there’s some variance in how fabric responds to AV’s seam tape.

Stress on the seams can also cause the tape to delaminate, but the loose fit and drape of the jacket should minimize this issue arising. Veilance typically will repair or replace seam tape issues under their warranty program.

Conclusion

The Eigen Comp Jacket is far from a wardrobe essential, even a techwear-focused wardrobe essential. As said above, it’s an upgraded windbreaker that feels made for people who love jackets, or love wearing hooded shells on as many occasions as possible. When the conditions aren’t quite right to wear Gore-Tex proper — too warm, too sunny, no rain in the forecast — the Eigen hits the sweet spot. It ticks just all of the boxes for a non-waterproof spring/summer hooded jacket, while packing some bonus features like taped seams, extra water resistance via paneling, and internal pocket organization.

As expected from Veilance, it is an excellently constructed garment in a subtly stylish package.