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Awesome, BUT needs a chin guard

Sat, 07 Mar 2009 00:00:01 GMT

Awesome, BUT needs a chin guard

PeteB from Boston, MA

I will start off with the negative, since I can only come up with one, and it is bearable. This jacket needs some kind of chin guard. I have contemplated sewing or gluing in a piece of fleece, and will most likely do so very soon. In cold weather, where this jacket excels, especially in cold and very windy weather, the material scraping against your chaffed chin is incredibly uncomfortable. When my skin is not wind-chill-chaffed, I have no problem with the somewhat rough material scraping me every so often. BUT, this is a very small thing to fix and I expect that it will be taken care of in the next version of the jacket. I have no problem with the zippers, though they were a bit tight at first. They have loosened up enough to satisfy me with extended wear. The sleeves are quite long, but I love them that way. They drape nicely over my gloves and give me extra protection against wet weather as well as wind. I have not worn this jacket yet in a downpour (though I have worn it i … Read more

The best hard shell you could ever buy.

Thu, 16 Apr 2009 00:00:01 GMT

The best hard shell you could ever buy.

Charles the Mountaineer from Colorado Springs, CO

I put this jacket to the test at 13,500 ft on the east ridge of Mt. Yale, when my party got hit by the worst blizzard I had ever seen. Our thermometers read 10'f and we estimate the winds where pushing 50 miles an hour. This jacket performed better than I could have ever imagined. I felt no wind and I was wearing only two thin base layers and stayed warmer than anyone else in my party. I would recommend this jacket to anybody who pushes the envelope in outdoor expeditions. It is light, comfy, super breathable and you can not beat the price in comparison to its competition. Read more

Great Jacket

Thu, 16 Oct 2008 00:00:01 GMT

Great Jacket

Laxdad from Upstate NY

First off, let's set the stage. I don't climb Kilimanjaro or K2 on a regular basis. I don't zip up Blackburn or Blanca Peak with just a bivvy and a couple of Richmoor's on a "take it easy Tuesday". I do however spend a fair amount of time outdoors and being sweaty. Occasional hikes, overnight backpacking here and there, bike to work, etc. But most of my outdoor time is spent coaching or playing lacrosse in all four seasons here on the shores of Lake Ontario. As a lacrosse coach, I warm up with my teams, warm up (shoot on) the goalies, haul stuff around, do field set up, etc. And I sweat. A lot. Pouring rain and 34 degrees, complete whiteout snowstorms, horizontal rain, a foot of mud, constant drizzle - you get the idea of conditions we play in around these parts. I have tried every style and type of Gore-Tex jacket. I keep a Mountain Hardwear Paclite jacket (along with dozens of other clothing items) in the trunk for the unexpected. I have yet to find a Gore-Tex jacket that do … Read more

Glad REI has eVent

Fri, 05 Sep 2008 00:00:01 GMT

Glad REI has eVent

joedabaker from Greenwater, WA

It is great that REI now has eVent jackets and pants to break the monopoly Gore-Tex has created. eVent is great material, comparable, if not better than Gore-Tex, and hands down better than any other Gore knockoff.I purchased an eVent jacket last year to compare to my Gore-Tex jackets. I never wore my Gore-tex jacket again for skiing. There were no armpit zips on my jacket and I stayed cool and dry.eVent is a softer material than Gore, moisture evaporates quickly and you may need to layer a little more because you can feel the air/wind more than Gore. [...]I think it will be great jacket, they should have put at least some soft material on the chin area, so it is softer on your face. Also, they are confident that your personal items will stay dry, there are no zip inner pockets. 4 outside pockets though with deeper pockets, so keys don't fall out. But there are two bungee mesh interior pockets to hold water bottles, hats gloves-that is nice.Price very nice for those on tight budgets th … Read more

90% great.

Fri, 20 Feb 2009 00:00:01 GMT

90% great.

carycary from Seattle Wa

Being in the business of quality for a large northwest company I am a stickler for details. I have gone through a couple rain coats from REI and recently purchased this one. I read all the reviews and noticed that just about all of them complain about the zipper. I bought it anyway as the pros certainly outweigh the cons. Well now that I have had it a few months and trudged around several countries and continents with it, I can attest to its "almost" greatness. It is extremely breathable, its pretty wind resistant, its durable, comfortable, but that ZIPPER OMG THE ZIPPER. Its really terrible and this is what I just don't understand. Come on guys you are REI! Do you not have a quality control department? Who was the one that said "Yes this jacket is great and defect free, lets produce it"? Every single time I put on this jacket (which is just about daily) I curse the zipper. E V E R Y T I M E. It isn't just a little thing either, it just plain does not work well at all. I lo … Read more