Overall, a Fabulous Jacket

On first sight, the jacket looks a lovely matte black color. The h/h symbol is very sharp, but other than that the jacket is very smooth and simple. The jacket appears very thin. For example, if you hold it up to the light, you can see through it. It is also very stretchy. This was starting to get me worried. So, without a handy rainstorm, I did the best I could and held the jacket's sleeve under the tap. Not to worry! The water did more than bead off, it bounced off! I'm 5'11" and 145lb, and the medium is perfect in sleeve, chest, waist and length. One surprising thing is that there is a very stretchy diamond shaped panel at the underarm joint. This seems to work well, because my range of movement was almost entirely inhibited, however the panel is white and grey stripes. This just means that then you raise your arms, everyone's eyes focus automatically on your pits. Another thing, Helly Hansen added rubber grip inserts to the YKK zippers, but they pop out very easily. I think I am going to have to just glue them in. The hood is great, generously sized, although it adjusts only on the brim. The waistband elastic is also very simple and easy to adjust one-handed. the wrist closures are great, very long, so you can get e very tight seal even around thin wrists. Overall, if you want sick looks, surprisingly good waterproofing, stylish and simple design, great stretch and an athletic cut, the Duro's for you.

on the right right hand side of the page, under tech specs, they say no ice ax loops, which is a lie, they are hidden in a little pocket just above the top front compression strap. obviously marmot didnt send the guys at back country enough info on the pack, or they didnt spend enough time reading it/looking over the pack. no offense this site, we love you.

I.Love.It. i've had it for about four months now, and i use it every day. there is not much else that compares to the stress on this bag while i'm at school; having it thrown, dropped, stepped on, spilled on,caught in doors, lockers and chairs. it has held up very well. the front pocket expands to be enormous for the overall size of the pack, it can fit a shell and a fleece at the same time, then shrink down to almost no volume when you don't need it. all the compression straps are very useful, and cinch down very tight. they attach right to the back panel/ frame of the pack, which obstructs the zippers, but that means that not just the outside pocket, but the main compartment, gets compressed. there are some great features, like the hidden ice axe/walking pole holders, and the "goggle" pocket closest to your neck. it is very waterproof, i took it on a day-long hike in pouring rain, and i was soaked, but the stuff in the pack was not. on top of that, the colors are stunning. i have the stellar/tempest(blue) model, which looks absolutely great. also, the shape of the pack is very squared off, which makes it look really stylish. as to the size, this was the smaller version (the larger version is the La Meije), as i said, it is very expandable, and to give you a rough idea, i can fit about 10 school notebooks and a change of clothes. really recommend this pack if you are going to use it in the outdoors, or just for work/school, or a little bit of both.