Outdoor Research Mentor Jacket - Men's - 2008 BCS

All the right features, fabric works great, awesome fit and cut. What's not to like about this hardcore quality coat!

Lightweight yet still rugged!
Great athletic fit!
Side zips work well for venting especially when you heat up on long ski tours!

Seriously, what's not to like about this jacket? The GORE-TEX Pro Shell works fabulously and is far more durable than its Paclite and Performance shell brethren. I've used it in a multitude of applications from ice climbing, to wind breaking, to simply staying dry in the rain.

As previously stated in the triple posted review, the ventilation system is fantastic. You can zip the jacket from the hem to the bicep and effectively turn it into a poncho. Be warned, you may get punched if you try this since it'll look stupid.

There are a multitude of pockets to stash your stuff in. The hand pockets are high enough to reach with a climbing harness on. Nothing sucks more than dangling on the side of a frozen waterfall and being unable to reach your camera. There are two internal zip pockets to store goodies, and a Napolean pocket to keep crucial items at the ready. Like hand warmers.

The hood is highly adjustable and works with or without a helmet and the hem drawcord helps to seal out the wind. I did find the jacket rode up when ice climbing with it, but it was -30 C and nothing fits right over 6 layers of clothing.

Furthermore the jacket is backed up by OR's Infinite Guarantee. This basically says "if something bad happens to the item we will fix/repair it". It's seriously the best manufactur warranty on the market. So stop reading this and get yourself invested in a Mentor jacket. You won't be disappointed.

I had been deciding between the Arc'teryx Sidewinder AR and this jacket. While Arc'teryx makes an awesome product, I decided to keep the Mentor based on a few reasons:

1. Better mobility. I found the Sidewinder rode up too much--especially if you're a climber.
2. The Mentor has two pockets on the inside compared to the 1 on the sidewinder for those of you like me who carry around too much crap.
3. The Hood. The hood on the mentor is MUCH more adjustable. You don't need a helmet in order to keep from drowning in it.
4. The cut. The cut is awesome on this jacket. It's more of an athletic fit than the sidewinder is, but still allows room for layering.
5. OR customer service and warranty is awesome!
6. The ventilation system, as has already been mentioned, is awesome!

Honestly, the only thing I wish OR would do with this jacket is offer some better colors, but at the same time, I'm not out there to look pretty.

*I'm 5'10" 165 and ordered a Medium.

I am very impressed about this quality, equipped with the best material gore-tex pro shell!. the fitting it's great also.for this price one of the best that you can find on the market.

First off, GORE-TEX PRO is the bee-knees. Water beads off, sweat escapes, and the material holds up to a lot of abuse. This jacket has some exceptional features that make it stand out among the other GORE-TEX offerings: The two-way side zips that go from the bottom of the jacket all the way to about halfway down the bicep provide incredible ventilation and versatility. There are plenty of pockets, including two chest pockets big enough for huge mittens, skins, or just hands. Two inside pockets provide more storage space and a napoleon pocket is a good place for sunglasses or whatever you want handy. The hood is huge, which is nice because I can fit any helmet underneath it, and also has side and back cinches to make it work even if I'm not wearing anything on my head. The waist cinch works well, and the cuffs are well designed. I'm about 5'8 and 140lbs, and I ordered the medium. It's a little big on me, but the sleeves are long enough to cover the cuffs of my gloves even when I'm stretching out in drop bars on my bike, and the tail is long but the two-way side and front zippers allow some articulation at the waist without exposing anything to the elements. My brother is about the same size as me and wears an OR shell in Small, for a much more athletic fit. All in all OR makes well thought out products and I'd recommend them. Even at full price this jacket is cheaper than most other companies' comparable offerings, and on sale it's a steal.

Still love my old Precip, but wanted something that will get me through the apocalypse. Got my wish when this came up on Steepandcheap. Only downside is that my ideal size is right between M and L (5'11" 175 lbs & broad shoulders). A medium would fit perfectly if I never planned to layer to brave the Alaskan winter, and the large has a little more material than I'll need. But to me, a little extra is better than not enough, so I bought and will keep the large. The upsides are many: full-torso pit zips are genius, material and construction impeccable, hood nicely adjustable, pockets thoughtfully placed, guaranteed infinitely by the manufacturer, and the burnt orange/oxide color is beautiful.

I wore this on a two-week trek through the mountains in Patagonia, where the weather can change from winter to summer in a day. This jacket was my only rain protection, and it was all I needed. It's quite sturdy, so I was able to jam it in my backpack and pull it out in any conditions. It seemed to breath just as well as my wife's Gortex Pac-Lite.

Awesome!!

I think the others have said everything great about the jacket, only gripe I have is with the zipper. I had to return one jacket because the double zip is very difficult to use. This jacket is better, but I'm still not a fan. It can take me a few mins to get the zipper going some times, and I worry if it will fail in the future. But .... if it did, lifetime warranty!

I'd been looking for a Gore Tex pro shell for about 6 months now, but had been reluctant to spend $400+ on an Arc'teryx, then the OR Mentor came up on S&C. Aside from having to order a medium instead of a large and deal with the shipping, this jacket rocks. I live in NYC, and this summer has had it's share of wet weather. Awesome jacket in the rain, and breaths like a champ. Two weeks ago, I hiked a section of the AT, and it rained on the trail for 24hrs straight, and with the ingenious ventilation system, I was able to wear this, keep me relatively dry, and had a 40lb pack on over it with no problems what so ever. Bottom line is that I don't think you can go wrong here (especially if you get it on sale). Pick one up and you'll be amazed as I was.

Yes, the side zips will unzip all the way up from the bottom to create a sort of poncho with arms or all the way down from the pits for the longest pitzips ever! I completely love the design of this parka. I've searched long and hard for a parka with the pockets in the right place, a well designed simple hood, and the best ventilation system on the market and found it in the Outdoor Research Mentor, seriously! It is a slim fitting jacket, your beer belly will not fit inside it!

I especially like how you can unzip the sides it about 6 inches from the waist to allow nice freedom of movement and comfort while sitting. Plus it allows easy access to pants pockets. I've seen police jackets often have this feature of side zips to allow access to holster etc. I think every technical jacket should have it. I keep mine like that all the time. You can't do that with jackets that don't feature the full side zip.

It's perfect for biking too 'cuz it provides amazing ventilation while still covering you from the rain. I totally love this parka, the only bad thing I can say is that I worry about the "welded" seams delaminating especially at the wrist cuff area where there is lots of wear and tear. I've worn mine for a year and it is just starting to delaminate at the cuffs. I figure in another year or two I'll have to send it back to O.R. for warranty repair. Since they offer a lifetime warrantee against delamination, I'm hoping they will agree.

P.S. Northface sux. They are overpriced and trendy. My Northface Mountain Light parka that I had previous to the O.R. Mentor had those crappy "core vents" that don't stay open and provide very little ventilation. The hood very was poorly designed as well. It's like they design this and other products in theory but don't test them to see if they actually work! I believe their top-of-the-line expedition stuff is great but still you pay a premium for the name that provides you no value in use. Not so with O.R.!

Overall this is a nice jacket, however there are some issues to be aware of. As mentioned by others, this jacket has an slim "athletic" cut. I'm 5'11'', 190lbs with a boxy upper body - broad shoulders, wide lats and traps etc (but by no means "pumped up") and got a size Medium (which is what I wear in just about everything). Although the sleeves are perfect in length and the fit is generally good across the body (again, athletic), the sleeves ride up into my armpits. There's just doesn't seem to be enough fabric across the upper back area and/or the part of the sleeve that attaches to the body of jacket just isn't large enough (unlike for example the "angel-wing" design on some Marmot jackets). As a result I find myself constantly wanting to pull the jacket down - especially with some layers underneath. I have tried on a size Large, but the sleeves and body were craaazy long.

In terms of design and feature, it's good. The hood is great and fits easily over an egg-head ski helmet - although a wire to shape the brim would be nice. Pockets are of decent size and have good placement but, again probably due to the athletic design, they are quite "flat" so even the chest pockets will not hold very much with out bulging (a Snickers bar in the pocket during one day of skiing came out looking like a stepped-on dog turd). The pit-zip zippers are a bit small and finicky. The jacket is very packable and light however.

I got a good deal on mine so I'll definitely keep it. I've had nothing but good experiences with OR in terms of the performance and quality (and if something does go wrong, OR fixes/replaces no problem). I recommend the jacket, but if you are the built or broad-shouldered type I'd try one on first. There are plenty of great $400 Gore-Tex Pro jackets, such as the Marmot Exum, out there.

Great coat for high-altitude hiking and mountaineering when the weather can change suddenly. Keeps me warm and dry, and when the weather changes, the TorsoFlo zips are one of the coolest features on any shell ive ever owned. Great coat.

Yes, the side zips will unzip all the way up from the bottom to create a sort of poncho with arms or all the way down from the pits for the longest pitzips ever! I completely love the design of this parka. I've searched long and hard for a parka with the pockets in the right place, a well designed simple hood, and the best ventilation system on the market and found it in the Outdoor Research Mentor, seriously! It is a slim fitting jacket, your beer belly will not fit inside it!

I especially like how you can unzip the sides it about 6 inches from the waist to allow nice freedom of movement and comfort while sitting. Plus it allows easy access to pants pockets. I've seen police jackets often have this feature of side zips to allow access to holster etc. I think every technical jacket should have it. I keep mine like that all the time. You can't do that with jackets that don't feature the full side zip.

It's perfect for biking too 'cuz it provides amazing ventilation while still covering you from the rain. I totally love this parka, the only bad thing I can say is that I worry about the "welded" seams delaminating especially at the wrist cuff area where there is lots of wear and tear. I've worn mine for a year and it is just starting to delaminate at the cuffs. I figure in another year or two I'll have to send it back to O.R. for warranty repair. Since they offer a lifetime warrantee against delamination, I'm hoping they will agree.