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Rain shell opinions need


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Viewing 9 posts - 26 through 34 (of 34 total)
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  • #1548255
    Diplomatic Mike
    Member

    @mikefaedundee

    Locale: Under a bush in Scotland

    A case of YMMV. Dave wishes the Triumph had a bigger pocket. I would rather have no pocket, and save a few more grams. :)
    The hood isn't the best, but i use mine as a summer backpacking shell. I use another, heavier shell with more features for 'full on' conditions.
    As a minimalist shell, the only things i would change are, leave out the pocket, and add thumb holes.

    #1548313
    David Chenault
    BPL Member

    @davec

    Locale: Queen City, MT

    I bet they could have a longer waterproof zip, a mesh liner, and thus make in bigger and lighter.

    #1548680
    Christopher Wilke
    Spectator

    @wilke7000

    Locale: Colorado

    After way too much consideration, I'm leaning towards the Marmot Essence. I ordered an XL to check the weight so we'll see. If it's under 8oz and fits well, my search will be done. Saw a Mica reported at 7.5oz for an XL in another thread here and it seems like the Essence weight should be similar. If it weighs more than 8oz, I'll probably give the Mica a spin on my scale.

    #1548775
    Joshua Gilbert
    Member

    @joshcgil2

    Locale: Seattle

    Christopher, sorry about the delay reporting, got my essence on wednesday evening, but with the holiday, I haven't been around.

    Just weighed an extra large 6 and 7/8ths of an ounce. This is definitely a minimalist jacket, no bells or whistles, trim cut,(for reference, I am 6'2", 205, wear a 44 long suit) enough for a couple of close fitting layers; I wore mine with a lightweight mts t and my r1 hoody, and I could have worn another layer of r1 or microfleece without a problem. Nice hood though, it has a tensioner, so it fits well with a thick hat, baseball hat, or a bare head underneath. Haven't tried a climbing helmet yet.

    It seems to breathe better than my five year old precip, and has good DWR. and the orange color is probably visible from space. Good luck in your jacket hunting.

    #1548914
    Christopher Wilke
    Spectator

    @wilke7000

    Locale: Colorado

    Joshua,
    No worries. I figured that I might not hear back from you until after the holidays so I went ahead and ordered an Essence (could only find them at REI-Outlet so I figured I should jump on it).

    Good news on the weight! I'm 6'3", 165lb so I should be able to get some thicker layers underneath the jacket. At only 0.5oz more than the Triumph in XL, I think this could be the end of my search barring the fit.

    #1548918
    Joshua Gilbert
    Member

    @joshcgil2

    Locale: Seattle

    Christopher,
    at your weight, there should be enough room for a light weight puffy jacket underneath for in camp wear. the only issue you might have is sleeve length, although they are plenty long for me and I have gorilla arms, it just depends on how you're built.

    #1550948
    Christopher Wilke
    Spectator

    @wilke7000

    Locale: Colorado

    Received my Essence the other day. 7.13oz in XL so not too shabby. My search is over as this is as close to what I'm looking for as I could find. It's almost 1oz more than the TNF Triumph but has a full length wp zipper, better breathability, armpit vents, better hood brim and a drawcord on the hem (all worth the extra oz imo). I can fit a fleece/WM Flash jacket combo underneath without a problem (I'm a pretty skinny guy, though). Arm length is just about right. I'd be nice if the sleeves were a little longer but they work fine (I too am gorilla armed in the length, not thickness, sense).

    Also, REI-Outlet has them on sale for $95 + an extra 20% until 12/10. Comes out to $76 which is pretty sweet.

    Chris

    #1550958
    Travis Leanna
    BPL Member

    @t-l

    Locale: Wisconsin

    I just received my Marmot Essence with that REI deal the other day too. 6.5 ounces in medium. I haven't used it yet, but looking at all the details Marmot put into it while keeping the weight WAY down, it seems like an awesome jacket. You'd be hard pressed to find another jacket with the features (Christopher lists them) for the weight. Maybe they're out there. I haven't looked too much. But, I'm happy so far!

    #1550979
    Christopher Wilke
    Spectator

    @wilke7000

    Locale: Colorado

    I have looked and there really aren't any jackets at this weight with similar features. The only jacket I found lighter than the Essence (besides Propore jackets) was the Triumph. The only ones I found with comparible features were the Montane Atomic DT and TNF Diad (but both weighed 11.5oz in XL). The Mica is similar weight but no venting options. Pretty stoked I snatched up an Essence before they were gone. We'll see if I still feel that way this time next year…

    Edit: spelling

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