Elegant Jacket

By Jay Simpson Ranked #1982 - Men's Technical Shells March 5, 2009

I'd emphasize that my rating is based only on initial impressions. I may tweak it after more extended use.

First of all, sizing. Marmot seems to be roughly similar to Columbia. I'm 5'11 160 and the medium fits me beautifully. Adjust accordingly.

Second, looks. I bought the jacket in black, and, though this isn't normally an adjective you'd think of when shopping for outdoor gear, it really is a beautifully elegant jacket. It just looks really good. I wouldn't call it an athletic fit, but it wears on the body very well and doesn't look bulky at all, though it has plenty of room for some layering underneath.

Third, performance. I haven't done much in this jacket, but based on what I've seen so far it looks great. The material feels almost flimsy, but based on other reviews it seems adequate for backpacking and other such abrasive activities. I wore it on a quick bike ride in 40 degree weather with a long sleeve cotton shirt underneath and it blocked the wind beautifully. I was so interested in trying it that I put it on and wore it under the shower running at full blast for about thirty seconds. It wasn't exactly an ideal simulation of the weather, but it was good enough to get a rough idea of how the jacket performs, and it does an amazing job of beading up the water and letting it run off. This may very well lessen with age, but out of the packaging it's marvelous.

Fourth, functionalist. The jacket gets very high marks for how it's designed. It has two roomy hand pockets with a mesh lining. There's a chest pocket that can also be used for extra ventilation on a really muggy day. The one weakness is that the zipper can be kind of annoying to zip up because it's got a double zipper, but this is a trade-off. In exchange for difficulty zipping up you get the added feature of being able to unzip partway from the bottom if you want. I guess it's a net even. The zippers are all buttery smooth. They're YKK, so I'd expect nothing less. The pitzips are relatively easy to use while wearing the jacket. You have to twist a little to get the right tension, but it's not bad.

Overall I'm very impressed with my jacket, especially at the price I got it. I'll update the review as I notice new things--good or bad.

View Details: Marmot Oracle Jacket - Men's

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