Outdoor Research

Helium AscentShell Jacket - Women's

Lightweight and functional

I love this jacket. It is very lightweight and keeps you dry. I have used it many times hiking, mountaineering, and ice climbing. The bright color for visibility is a bonus. It is great for activities where the temp changes a lot and you might encounter moisture. Bonus: it fits a helmet without feeling overly restrictive.

Awesome

Beautifully made, great fit, gorgeous colours. And on sale!

Lightweight and reliable rain jacket

Familiarity:

I've used it once or twice and have initial impressions

Size Bought:

M

Height:

5' 7"

Weight:

135

I own an old Goretex jacket that is reliable but heavier/chunkier, have been searching for a lightweight alternative for more casual daily wear. Finally had the opportunity to test it out during some rainy days recently, performed as expected in both drizzling and showering. Don't really want to run into pouring scenarios, but would love to test out how well it can handle the rain.

Reluctantly returned this jacket

I wore this jacket for several months and loved the fit, the pockets, the hood, and the lightweight material. It was great in light rain but I got completely soaked in a cold downpour in the Cascades. After years of hiking in the Pacific Northwest, I absolutely believe that, no matter what any manufacturers says, the only waterproof, breathable material is GoreTex. My ancient Outdoor Research GoreTex jacket kept my dry for years. Back to GoreTex for me.

Overall Good Jacket

A little big in the body but leaves room to layer. Sleeves are too long. The jacket has been keeping me dry but I have not been in heavy downpours. The jacket does well in the wind for wind proofing.

I want to return this jacket

I wore this jacket to hiking in heavy snow for about 4km through dog mountain trail in North Vancouver .But when I finished I noticed that the down jacket inside was almost wet! The waterproof was totally not working! It's hard to imagine that this jacket can protect me on much more rougher journey from rain and wind! It's a very bad shopping experience.

Color not as pictured.

I will keepi it, great for travel, but buyers beware-yellow is more orange and you can see odd gray reinforced seams throughout jacket-not like the photos online...at all. FYI. I think the jackets that get sent are not the same as the perfect samples posted on website. OR, you can do better.

Awesome hard shell jacket

I wore this jacket for 3 wet hiking days on the West Highland Way in Scotland in November and it performed wonderfully. I wore it in downpour, mist, and wind, and I stayed dry throughout. If I was on a consistent incline, I did sweat a fair bit, but over time my base layer would dry out beneath the jacket while I hiked. I have the lighter helium shell also, which I like as a lightweight rain layer when I don't anticipate walking in the rain for 8+ hours a day, but I was happy to have bought this more substantial ascentshell jacket for heavier consistent rain and wind in cold weather. The pockets are great, the hood is nice and large (helmet compatible plus has a bill that can be flipped back), and overall the jacket fit well (good comfortable range of motion even with my broad shoulders and wide hips). Looking forward to trying it out in the snow and alpine!

So lightweight and waterproof!

This jacket goes with me everywhere. It's so light, waterproof, and breathable that there's no reason not to take it. The fit is great including nice long sleeves for my long arms and a hood that fits over a helmet. For reference, I'm 5'10", 150lbs, and an athletic build and a medium fits perfectly. Great jacket, 10/10 recommend.