Marmot Warmlight Fleece Vest - Men's - 2009 BCS

Bought one of these a few years ago and absolutely love it. The Polartec fleece is lightweight, a finer/tighter fleece than any other fleece I own (and I own a lot), and yet warm. Really sharp and crisp looking and packs great. And the vest is cut at just the right length.

Wanted a black one and so bought the current model. The fleece is now a bit flufflier, just like every other fleece; it's nice enough, but it's lost that fine feel that gives it a sharper and crisper and cleaner look and that is easier to pack away. Moreover, and this is the worst part, the size small is now almost 4" LONGER than the older model--it's now a skirt vest.

Make sure you need a 27"+ long back before you buy this vest, at least in a size small.

This is a very nice fleece vest. The 200-weight fleece is warm, and the pockets are useful. BUT: I bought the vest because Marmot said it would zip into my new Marmot Tamarack parka shell, and it won't because the zippers don't match. Marmot's answer to this is that they change their "Zippin" zippers every season, so if you buy a vest made in one year and a parka made in another, you're out of luck unless you send both garments to Marmot. If you do, they'll replace the zipper in one to make them match. But it takes 3 weeks to do so, so I'll be without my parka for 3 weeks of the ski season.

I can wear the vest under the parka without zipping it in, and that's what I'll do for the rest of this season. But it's not what I bought either garment for, and I'm unhappy about it. Marmot does not provide any warning of the situation, nor any way for someone not "in the know" to tell if their pieces will zip together until you have them both and try it. Before I bought the vest, Marmot told me that the two pieces would work.

They'd apparently rather maintain a staff to sew in replacement zippers and have dissatisfied customers, than ensure that all the pieces they say will zip in, actually will. What a screwed-up business model!

This is a great vest. Very cozy and warm. The only thing to note is that they do run a bit big especially in the length. I ended up getting my husband a small instead of the medium. Just depends if you like loose or snug.

Great purchase. My son wears it all the time!

Wore this vest on a trip to Seattle under a windbreaker when the temperature was in the 30's and damp and it kept me perfectly warm without too much bulk.