Marmot Ascend Softshell Jacket - Men's - 2009 BCS

I've been using this for about a month now. The fit is great, but does come up in the armpits a little when you're hunched over. It's not as stretchy as you'd probably come to expect from a softshell, but this is an M1 (marmot's name for their most weather-resistant material). What that means is that you sacrifice a little of the flex for what is essentially a rain-proof softshell.

The material will get a tiny bit stretchier and less stiff with wear, which is what you want; It comes out of the factory a little stiff.

Overall a great jacket.

This is essentially the Marmot Genesis jacket (minus the hood). I have the Genesis, so here are my two cents.

Tough, but smooth, outer fabric. A little stretchy. Extremely resilient and abrasion resistant. Sheds wind and water. Yes, this is a soft-shell jacket; however, because the fabric is waterproof and the jacket is welded together (not stitched) and the zippers are "waterproof", it is fully waterproof (and thus, windproof). In my experience, it performs better than a Windstopper jacket.

Pit zips allow for venting. Outer pockets will not aid in venting much, if at all. It is considered an M1 soft-shell in the Marmot lineup - meant to be warm and highly resistant/impervious to the elements.

As to warmth, the inside is a thin fleecy layer bonded to the jacket. It is Marmot's driclime (a thin, but fuzzy polypro, with thickness between a Capiline 2 and 3). It traps heat and feels nice against the neck and chin, but it is not a thick fleece layer. The fit (standard, not athletic) allows for layering.

The jacket wicks and breathes, but does not breathe well enough for highly aerobic activity (hence the pit zips), unless the temps are very low or you run really cold.

Pockets are high enough to use with a pack.

Absence of a hood does not bother me, especially considering that the Genesis hood has limited adjustability and is a bit floppy without a helmet.

No other bells and whistles; however, it is an excellent 3-season jacket. I have used my Genesis for skiing, hiking, and around town. A friend uses his when skiing or climbing.

That said, it is not inexpensive. Yet, it performs as well as any Arcteryx or other high-end, windproof/waterproof soft-shell.

I've only had this jacket for a week, but I am in love with it so far. I don't know why it's so hard to find a soft shell with pit zips, just because a soft shell breathes, doesn't mean that breathes better than an opening. The material on this jacket is incredibly smooth, the rain rolls off the thing like a freshly waxed car. It is tough as well, my dog generally wants to play fight immediately following a walk, and neither tooth nor nail has left a mark yet. The only issue I've noticed so far is that while the opening to the pockets is high enough to use with a pack, the interior of the pockets drops down to the bottom of the jacket. So you would need to remove anything you were carrying in them before fastening your waistbelt. Minor detail, not enough to cost it a star.

This jacket is great. It's warm, but you can wear it on marmer days because of pit zips.

The welded seams keep water out nicely.

It looks great, and i get a lot of compliments on it.

I'm 6'2" 215 and the XL fits perfectly. I still have room to wear an extra layer underneath on cold days, but it's still an athletic/non bulky fit.

It's a little pricey, but worth every penny.

I've developed a passion for hiking the last five years and have been acquiring gear as I learned. I do 25 miles most weekends in Buffalo, NY to train for 2-3 weeks in September in the Rockies (primarily Glacier National Park).

I had been using a North Face Windwall Thermal with layers underneath for the cold weather hikes and kept a hard shell in the pack for rain. It worked well but had no pit zips, the pockets were useless with a pack on, and it was a problem with all but the mistiest rain.

It seems hard to find a good jacket with pit zips and raised pockets.I had my eye on this for several weeks and then it appeared on SAC for $140 and I jumped. I got the Vapor Blue and I love the color.

Got my first true test this morning in 15 degree weather and 20MPH winds (wind chill at -2). I had on only a mid-base layer and light fleece underneath and I was fine the entire 13 miles.It truly blocked out ALL the wind. It is a great mix of soft and hard shell with usuable pockets when carrying a pack. While not quite as breathable as my fleece, the pitzips dumped heat just fine. With welded seams and waterproof zippers this truly is bombproof. I haven't tried in rain yet, but I assume (based on other reports and the construction of the jacket) that it is nearly as good as a hard shell.It also has velcro cuffs and adjustable neck and waist cinches.

This jacket looks great and gives me everything I need and can be used for cool to very cold conditions. I'm amazed that I haven't heard more about this superb piece of gear. The full price is a bit steep, but on sale it is a steal. I'm 5'7" and 140 lbs. the size small is perfect though the sleeves are a bit long.

Overall, it's a very nice jacket. Vapor blue color is also very nice. The material is slight stretchy but not as stretchy as Polartec power shield. The surface is little bit stiff and make noise as I move, but I guess this is because the jacket is brand new. I hope the concern would be solved after few times of wear.

This jacket is the sturdiest thing I own. Water pours right off of it and the wind doesn't have a chance.

I'm 5'6" and 125 and the fit is a bit spacious (size small), but great for layering a down sweater or heavy fleece underneath. The sleeves are a bit long but the velcro cinch fixes that.