Marmot La Grave Softshell Jacket - Men's - 2009 BCS

This jacket is definitely constructed very well. It also looks great. 3 concerns are that the hood seems to go a little far over your face blocking your vision. If you are wearing any kind of turtleneck or something around your neck, when you zip the jacket up, it is a little tight. Lastly, if you are wearing it in extreme cold you will need to go up a standard size from what ever you normally wear. There is no room for layers. It will feel really tight. I am a large and I had to trade it in for an extra large. I only weigh 168.

Don't get me wrong, this is a great jacket.

I recently purchased this jacket off SAC for $200, so right off the bat, it's getting five stars (more if I could). But I've been pleasantly surprised so far by the performance and quality of the La Grave softshell (it's more of a hybrid if you ask me). While the fit is snug, the XL is a perfect fit for me at 5'10", 215lbs. And there's enough room for a midweight baselayer and 100wt fleece underneath. A couple of weeks ago, I was wearing this jacket up to Berthoud Pass and I barely felt the 40+ mph sustained winds along the 12,000-foot ridge.

This jacket fits awsome! You can wear it with thick layers under it or just as a stand alone on warmer wet days. The cut is very roomy so if you don't want a baggie look go down a size. If you snowboard though you'll appriciate it!! The only room for improvement would be to add a reco reflector.. Otherwise Marmot nailed it with this jacket.

This is a really nice jacket. Although it would be nice to have an iPod pocket, the other pockets are roomy and well-placed. Keep in mind that this is a shell, so it's important to layer underneath it. However, as shells go, it is pretty thick, and though it's not lined, the inside lining of the shell does have a soft finish (so if you are wearing it with just a t-shirt underneath it is not as cold as many shells). With proper layering, this jacket will keep you as warm as you want to be. I rarely use a hood, so it's really nice that it zips off. The fit seems good (if anything, the arms are on the long side), and (referring to a previous review) I don't find the cuffs at all small. Is short, this wold be a tough shell to beat!

Pros: Gore-tex soft shell, nice fit and cut...not too short not too long, ideal pocket location and number of pockets.

Cons: Does not have a helmet friendly hood, Does not have a Recco tag, no insulation, quite small cuffs with no snow gaiters, zippers are small however they work pretty well, jacket lacks any form of an MP3 player friendly pocket, width of had pockets could be larger.

Bottom line, this jacket is a nice deal for under $400. It would be an extremely nice product if it fixed some of the features listed above.

Got this piece in the Carbon colour. Have used it in the B.C. interior for resort and backcountry skiing and it was top notch. Completely wind / waterproof with a soft shell feel. I used the Arc'teryx Hercules jacket underneath with a minimal base layer and it kept me warm and dry at temps near -18C (that's really really cold in farenheit - near 0). The La Grave is a perfect length, with great pockets. The hood fit perfectly over my helmet. I love this jacket and would highly recommend it!

I bought this coat for skiing. It has done a nice job. It has a good quality feel and definitely keeps he warmth in and moisture out. The hood is helmet compatible but runs a little tight which makes it difficult to turn your neck with it up. The pockets are decent size but I wish they made an Ipod compatible pocket. I have layered this coat with a mid-weight fleece and haven been toasty warm even on the coldest days. I would highly recommend this coat.

As an employee at Backcoutry I am constantly viewing various product from various vendors...and I am picky...very picky actually. That is why this softshell deserves special praise. I was lucky enough to get one of these pieces and I must say that it is one of the nicest softshells I have come across. It has a very solid feel for such a supple piece, the pocketing is spot on, the colors are tight and the Gore Tex Performance 3L does the trick. I have been skiing a few early season days at Alta in this piece and even skiing by the snow-makers blasting out their early season wet crud, this jacket just laughs in the face of moisture and sheds it off without batting an eyelash. Not only that, but due to properties of the fabric, this jacket is relatively warm too. This is an extremely versatile piece that can go year round without a problem. Highly recommended!

I was able to get this GoreTex Soft-Shell on Tramdock for under $200. Removable hood and powder-skirts are good. Nice pockets with 1 chest and 1 sleeve pocket.

i'm 5'8, 160 and got a Medium. The jacket is big enough for a fleece to comfortably fit under but isn't too baggy.

Bought this jacket to replace my old school North Face Mountain jacket and am not regretting it. The North Face is still solid after 10+ years, but was getting too heavy/bulky for my liking. I scored the Marmot on Tramdock and have not looked back. I used it on/off for a week trip to Solitude in early Feb and it performed perfectly. Excellent wind proofing, water resistance and breathability. It's a shell, so you're not getting any real insulation, but it's lightweight and very maneuverable. I'm 6'3" and got the XL which actually runs a bit big on me - but that's not a bad thing when you're layering up and want the free movement capability. Snow skirt was great and the minimalist pockets were right on. All in all - a great jacket that I'll use on/off the mountain for the next 10 years. Hook it up if you can find it!