Outdoor Research Razor Jacket - Men's - 2007 BCS

A solid wind jacket that will repel light (emphasize light) mist for a bit. Not insulative, but not meant to be. It's not the Marmot Catalyst, but it weights 10 oz's less and can be stuffed into your pocket if need be.

I bike 2 miles to work every morning in San Francisco, and it's the only jacket that does the job for keeping the morning chill off while breathing well enough that I don't show up to work too clammy. (Some clamminess is inevitable with a cotton undershirt) It's a pretty ideal jacket for SF and environs, where keeping a chill wind at bay is 75% of the battle to staying comfortable.

On a recent backpacking trip in Emigrant Wilderness, with daytime temps in the mid 60s, where I was often in direct sun, there were multiple elevation gains and losses, and a couple ridgetop section, this jacket over a microweight smartwool crew was ideal at managing my body temp.

On the sunny climbs, I unzipped and pushed up the elastic cuff sleeves, when I reached the top where I was exposed to 10-15 mph breezes, I could zip and push the sleeves back down.

Over a Capilene 3, it helped hold in some body heat and keep me comfy down to probably 50 degrees.

The reinforced shoulders and elbows have held up well to abrasion so far. It's been a few months, but I'm still not sure how well the elastic arm cuffs will hold up to being pushed up and pulled down my forearms. They held form pretty well so far.

And finally, to reiterate previous reviewers, it runs small. Even in a large the sleeves are just long enough for me, and I never have that issue with other jackets.

The jacket:

A) Looks great.

B) Packs very small - good for your saddle bag if you are a biker, good for a summit run on a questionable warm day.

C) Fits tight, be cautious

D) Is a windbreaker - PERIOD

Though I usually wear a Large in OR jackets, I paid attention to the reviewers and ordered an XL. The jacket fits nicely although I probably wouldn't have minded a closer fit. The sleeves are perfect though. It worked very well out sailing in Puget Sound.

I usually wear mediums pretty loosly, but this jacket is very tight. Works ok at best when it comes to blocking wind. Also, you can expect to get soaked if youre in anything more than a slight drizzle. Looks better than what is shown in the picture... but im still debating whether or not this jacket was worth the 88 bucks. If youre a lightweight extreamest however, it might be worth considering...

The Razor is very lightweight and packs down very small, which makes it great to carry around for 'emergencies'. It blocks the wind just fine and, in my experience, also sheds light rain -- but don't expect waterproofness or any form of insulation from it.
I'm having a hard time justifying the price, but it is a good deal when on sale.
Unfortunately it runs very small, especially in the sleeves: I normally wear L and sometimes XL, but in this case even XL was too small and I ended up returning it.

I would still recommend this because of relative quality but I went with something lighter -- the Helly Hansen Mars jacket. This may be more durable but the Mars just feels and is lighter and when you need every advantage, lighter can't hurt. Size up.

This jacket is as light as it looks, and yet it offers great water resistance and remarkable stretch at the elbows and in other places where you need it. Seams are sturdily constructed. The fit runs on the small side, often size small is too big for me, but this one wasn't. No hood and "razor"-thin material means it can't be used for heavy downpours, but it's a great jacket for short outings.