Marmot Essence

Anton,

I’ve got the Marmot Essence. I like it, but I’m in California, so I don’t typically wear it while exercising. I therefore can’t comment about it’s breathability during times of heavy sweating. I use the jacket as a wind/warmth shell in camp, and it’s been very good for that.

In the below photo, I’m wearing my Essence (I’m in the far left of the photo with a bright orange whistle around my neck).

Obviously it wasn’t particularly cold at the time of the photo, but I’ve found that a baselayer (Cap 2 or 3) + down hoody sweater + Marmot Essence shell makes a very nice combo for trips where it doesn’t get too cold (i.e. “three season” trips, low elevation trips).

HJ
Adventures in Stoving
Hikin Jim’s Blog

Keeping the ultralight angle in mind, I dont think goretex is worth it. Where it might be worth it is for the added durability, or better protection in sustained rainy climates.

I've had my essence since spring and I've stayed dry through a few storms including a very cold/wet one above treeline that lasted most of the afternoon. I feel like my expectations on breathability out of a shell were leveled long ago, but this is prob the most breathable I've tried including my 3L event anorak I owned prior to this. Its also fairly comfortable and not clammy feeling, with some nice texture and stretch to the fabric. I'm not holding out for long durability, but so far I've been pleased with some short dense bushwacking and no worse for the wear. The hood is also pretty darn good gor such a light shell. I'd buy mine again in a second.
My only reservation about this jacket is that the chest pocket leaked in a buch of water on one trip, but there's a good chance I just didnt have the zipper pulled all the way up into its little garage. Also, I'd love it if this had the same vislon zip as the MH plasmic. This one is a bit fussy.

I have a Marmot Essence jacket and pants (probably from 2012 or 2013). Although I have a GoreTex ProShell and a Precip jacket, the Essence is what goes in my backpack every time. It is also my go-to rain jacket around town in the hot summer months.

I'm a fair weather hiker, so a wind hoody like a Patagonia Houdini is usually enough, but the Essence has been dependably water proof every time I've worn it and as comfortable as a water proof jacket can be. At 11 ounces for the jacket and pants, it's a good insurance policy in the bottom of my backpack.

There is a new version of the Essence membrane. I doubt that it's signficantly different, but who knows?

I wear the PreCip pants for around town and snow shovelling in winter when cold temperatures mean the clamminess isn't an issue and when ounces don't matter.

The GoreTex shell is the best all around rain/ski/winter shell I've ever owned, but the additional weight is simply not necessary as an occasional use waterproof layer in the pack. If I were hiking in sustained winter blizzard or freezing rain conditions, I would consider it over the Essence. It also would be a better ski shell, just from the durability standpoint. It's great as an around-town rain/snow shell.

Thank you everyone for detailed answers, most helpful!

I'm wondering how the essence compares to the mica. Both ultralight rain jackets by marmot.
I know the mica is less breathable and slightly heavier, but is it more durable?
The essence is $50 more than the mica.

How do they compare?
They both leak in a heavy/long rain.

Billy

>How do they compare?
>They both leak in a heavy/long rain.

I have never used an Essence but I have a Mica that I use as "just in case" rain wear. It will not stand up to an all day long rain, and would estimate it will last about 1-2 hours of heavy rain. It will work all day in misty or off-on light rain.

The Essence uses NanoPro membrane (same as the new Precip, which I have also never used) so would expect it to perform similarly to the Precip, which I have heard (anecdotally) also wets out in prolonged rain, although less so than the Mica .

I've am currently evaluating a Poncho as an alternative…the concept looks promising.
IMO, if the weather will be bad for a prolonged period, i.e. you are living in your rain gear, nothing beats GoreTex Pro.

I bought my Essence this past summer. It is the newer version with the Nano Pro Membrane. I cannot say how it will wear in time but I did test it in a two day rain in the Washington Cascades in September. The temperatures hovered in the high 30's to high 40's. The rain varied from steady to heavy and in such conditions, the Essence did not leak or wet through at all. So far, I like it very much.

Notwithstanding the use of the same marketing buzzword (NanoPro), the Precip and the Essence are not the same.

The PreCip is a PU coated fabric — a PU coating is actually applied (as in painted) to the fabric. The Essence and Mica jackets have a PU film laminated . The laminate is generally a more expensive, higher-end treatment. It's thinner, more flexible, and lighter.

In theory, the laminate is more "breathable", but I don't actually think any of these waterproof jackets are really breathable in any meaningful way.

PreCip is a fantastic low-cost every day rain/snow shell. It's pretty durable and not terribly heavy. In terms of function, think of it in the same way as a GoreTex ProShell. Nowhere near as nice as ProShell, but a quarter the cost.

The Essence is a different animal. It is an ultralight waterproof shell. It's not made to withstand rock climbing or bushwhacking through brush or downhill skiing or even constant everyday use. It's made to weigh 6 ounces and sit in a backpack until it's needed to provide waterproof protection when you are caught in the rain. For extended hiking/camping in the rain (expedition, thru-hike, etc.) you might well need something more heavy duty. Personally, the less I have to hike or camp in an all day rain, the better. To me, the best rain gear is rain gear that's sitting in my pack except when absolutely necessary. The Marmot Essence is IDEAL for that. The GoreTex Paclite jackets seem to be a bit of no mans land. They aren't as durable as ProShell, but they typically aren't that light either.

As far as "wetting out in an all-day rain", I don't even know how you would go about determining that. I think that, if you wore any rain jacket for an all-day rain, you would end up being soaked on the inside, just from sweat and condensation.

The Essence is rated at 10,000 mm waterproofness. That's enough to be considered truly waterproof, but probably marginally at the limit of what it might withstand under backpack shoulder strap or kneeling on a knee on wet ground for hours and hours. The Precip is also rated at 10,000 mm. But, in the real world, you are going to soaked one way or another in that kind of all day rain. If nothing else, condensation will have gotten you wet long before water actually gets through the fabric/laminate.

I think if you tried to hike in any 2.5 layer unlined rain jacket day after day after day, you'd wear out the waterproof coating under the straps. For that kind of sustained use, you probably have to bite the bullet and go for one of the 3-layer laminates, like GoreTex ProShell or PolarTec NeoShell.

Precip is made of NanoPro 2.5 layers
Essence is made of NanoPro Membrain Strata
Mica is made of Membrain Strata

My Precip works fine in the rain. Keeps the rain off me, but I will still sweat underneath it.

I think Marmot is trying to combine technologies so one works?

NanoPro is just a buzzword. It doesn't really mean anything specific. Just a generic claim of tiny "nano" sized pores in the PU coating (PreCip) or PU film laminate (Membrain) so that that the fabrics can "breathe" better. I think they claim 40% better in the "nano" PreCip and 140% better in the "nano" Essence. Of course 140% better than zero is still zero! Rain jackets really don't breathe in a meaningful way in the real world. Heck, most people find that windshirts (with no coating or laminate at all) don't breath very well!

I'm sure that the "nano pro" version has some insignificant change in the PU mixture or application process so that it's an least an honest claim of "new technology", but in the real world, it just means that it's the 2014 version of PU coating or PU laminates. These things do incrementally improve over time. Today's PU coatings are better than the PU coatings from ten years ago.

BTW, the .5 layer is just a marketing buzzword, too. These are all 2 layer jackets — one layer of fabric with a waterproof layer on the inside (PU film laminate or coating). The 1/2 layer refers to a printed pattern on the inside face that kind of makes it stick to your skin a little less when you are wet and clammy. All it really does is just muddy things with marketing hype.

In reality there are two kinds of rain jackets: 2 layer and 3 layer. 2 layer is lighter, less comfortable, and less durable. 3-layer is heavier, more comfortable, and more durable.

As consumers, we would be better off if all manufacturers simply said, this is our 2 layer PU coated jacket. Or this is our 2 layer PU laminated jacket. Or this is our three layer PU laminated jacket. All the marketing buzzwords do is make it a heck of lot more confusing to the consumer.

I don't have the Essence but I do have an OR Helium 2 which I imagine is pretty similar. I also have a MHW goretex Proshell jacket and an OR Goretex Activeshell jacket, and I used to have a MHW shell that was a combo of paclite and 3-layer goretex. So I've used most of the flavors of WPB jackets over the years. There is a place for all of them but they all have their limitations. Some trips I take a heavier, more durable jacket and for others an ultralight one is sufficient. The problem then is that you end up with 3 different jackets for different kinds of trips – but if you can afford this it is nice to have options. IMHO, if you are only going to have one and plan to use it in cold/wet/mountainous conditions where hypothermia is a concern, you may want to err on the side of a heavier, more durable option which is likely to give you more prolonged protection. The one you have sounds perfect from this standpoint.

Similar to the OP, I was about to purchase the Marmot Essence, but had a bit of interest in the Marmot Super Mica, primarily because of the reinforcement where pack straps sit.

Now, the new Marmot Crux is available. From price, fabric, features, and weight, it looks to be that the Crux is a replacement for the Super Mica.

Model grams
Crux 241
Essence 178
Super Mica 284

I am interested to learn if anyone here has tried on the Crux, and how they would compare it to the Essence.

Thanks!

I bought an Essence for my Camino Frances last summer. It was the only jacket I took for the 5 weeks. Kept me dry enough in the rain (and does it ever rain in Galicia), and was a good enough warmth layer on chilly nights. I'm a happy customer.

Happy trails,
Jo Jo

This thread is timely as I was looking into lighter weight rain gear. It's good to hear good reports on the Essence and OR Helium II keeping people dry. Thanks for posting. Can anyone comment on the fit and coverage (length front and back) of the Marmot Essence, Outdoor Research Helium II and Montbell Versalite?

Also you might want to consider the Montbell Versalite, which offers 12 in. pit zips for about the same weight and claims a waterproof rating of 20,000 mm as opposed to the Helium II's 13,000 (and I'm not sure about the rating of the Marmot Essence). I haven't tried the Versalite, but the Montbell rain jacket I've had for years has performed and held up very well.

http://www.montbell.us/products/disp.php?cat_id=2003&p_id=2328276&gen_cd=1

Review: http://www.backpackgeartest.org/reviews/Rain%20Gear/Jackets%20and%20Pants/MontBell%20Versalite%20Jacket/Test%20Report%20by%20Steven%20M%20Kidd/

For 3 season backpacking and not bushwacking, is there really any advantage to the stouter fabrics on heavier weight rain jackets?