Lightweight rain jacket with pit zips and front zipper- which one?

[Cameron M]

My Marmot Super-Mica delaminated, time for a new rain jacket. I prefer a UL jacket that is usually used as a wind, light rain or layering jacket, and I carry a z-packs combo poncho / tarp floor for when the rain is more intense. I have found three candidates that meet my criteria of being super light, not obscenely costly, and have full front zippers and pit zips. At 10 oz, the new Super-Mica does not make the list, too heavy. Any comments on this list, or other suggestions?
<p class=”p1″>Montbell Versalite, pockets, 2.5 layer, 6.7 oz, $149.</p>
<p class=”p1″>Marmot Essence, 2.5 layer, one chest pocket, 6.3 oz, $139. Note- “Cooling Vents”- how different from pit zips?</p>
<p class=”p1″>Anti Gravity Gear Silnylon, 5 oz, $99. This has no pocket, I prefer at least one.</p>

[Brad Rogers]

Mont-Bell Versalite if you want a every now and then jacket.  I have owned it and a Marmot Essence and OR Helium and liked it better than either of them, however it will delaminate too.  If you want a more durable jacket, Mont-Bell offers the Gore Tex Packlite Torrent Flier Jacket with pit zips for 8.6oz and it won’t delaminate.  They also offer some pretty light 3 layer jackets the 9.1oz Peak Shell and the 10oz 3 layer Gore Tex Storm Chaser jacket.

 

 

[Marc Penansky]

I am obviously biased, but the LightHeart Gear rain jacket sounds exactly what you are asking for.

Marc

LightHeart Gear

[James holden]

Is marmot giving you a full credit?

i would go check that before anything else

 

;)

[Cameron M]

Nice joke Eric. Full credit? Hah. I was irritated at first to discover all the delamination, but I guess all the 2.5 layer stuff does this. Marmot does not step up like some of the others. My four year old Arcteryx Rampart trousers developed a zipper problem, and Arcteryx repaired it free of charge. Thermarest replaced several 3 year old Neoairs where the foil inside delaminated. MSR replaced a five year old silnyon rain fly that became funky. I don’t mind spending the money on a durable Arcteryx GORE-TEX PRO jacket, but I don’t want to carry something 12 oz when most of the time I can get by with something 6 oz.

 

[James holden]

yeah …. thats marmot for ya …

the OR helium HD is a bit on the upper end at 9 oz … but the warranty on OR is no questions asked

either that or one of the light gore paclite jackets mentioned above for the additional gore warranty …

the warranty on UL rain jackets is the third most important think (after fit and function) …

because eventually an UL rain jacket WILL fail in some way even with not too hard use

;)

[Cameron M]

OK Eric, tell me more. I decided to not look in the Paclite arena, because I could not find a light enough jacket with pit zips, which I believe make a difference. I think that ventilation is more important than fabric, but then again, maybe the fabric of the Super Mica worked better than I realized.  The Helium HD appears to have all the right stuff, but does Pertex or OR really replace everyone’s jackets every few years?

[Emylene VanderVelden]

If you are willing to order internationally you might get a deal with MEC in Canada. Most of their mens pertex jackets are on sale.

[James holden]

cameron …

ORs warranty is legendary …

Outdoor Research products are Designed By Adventure™ and from this, we deliver the hallmark of all our products – beautiful, functional gear that works and lasts. By placing quality first, we can offer the finest guarantee in the industry for each and every product – the Outdoor Research Infinite Guarantee™.

We believe so strongly in the quality of the apparel and gear we make that if our product fails to meet your needs at any time, we are happy to replace it. Our products are guaranteed forever, and your total satisfaction with our product is our goal.

Though we doubt you’ll ever need it, if you ever have to use our Infinite Guarantee, please see the Warranty Returns section below.

heres an example …

Dog Ate My Jacket

Brand new OR down jacket arrived two days ago, and I just came home to feathers everywhere.

The good news is that Outdoor Research said they would still cover it under their infinite guarantee.

Anyone else lose some pricey gear to curious K9s?

http://www.rockclimbing.com/cgi-bin/forum/gforum.cgi?post=2232898

both my rain jackets are from OR for this very reason … if bear eats me when its raining i expect my beneficiaries to pick out the OR jacket tatters from the bear poop, send it in to OR and get a new jacket back

that said MH and dead bird are decent to deal with … but nothing beats OR (EB and LL bean are fairly similar though)

;)

[Ito Jakuchu]

Cameron,

I have the Montbell GTX Paclite Torrent Flier (that Brad mentioned above). It has pit zips and full front zip. They had Japanese and US versions here in the store locally.

My Japanese Large version (a tiny bit larger than the US medium) comes in at 227grams (8oz). The hood is great and the pit zips though they could always be a bit longer work well for me in the very humid rain season here.

I had a Marmot Super Mica and Arcteryx Alpha SL anorak. I agree with the 2.5 layers pieces/Paclite sooner or later something will break down. I got leaking zippers in the Alpha SL (also GTX Paclite). I send it for repair but they didn’t do a proper job. I don’t want to keep sending it to the US and back to JP. I looked at some new Arc and Patagonia pieces and other jackets from Europe.

Since they will all fail I thought I would buy one of the lightest and cheapest I could find. Here that is the Torrent Flier. It is lighter than my other two jackets were, and feels more solid than the Super Mica, and easier to put on and vent than the Alpha.

A lot of the other GTX shells here are so expensive I feel I need to baby my gear. Now I can just buy a new jacket if it fails me after 3 seasons of 3 times a week mountain use. If it still works even better.

OR looks like a great company, but just wanted to let you know about the before mentioned Montbell option.

Hope you find what you need.

 

 

[Cameron M]

Thanks Ito! Based on your “lighter and cheaper” criteria, would you mind mentioning why you passed on the Montbell Versatlite (even lighter and cheaper) or Montbell Peak Shell (3 layer and cheaper)?

 

 

[Ito Jakuchu]

Of course.

I had a Versatile pants before. But I got wet pretty quick during some extended rain here. So bit hesitant to throw money at a Versalite again – but also the JP version doesn’t have pit zips. A little vent triangle but not something that would be enough for me.

Peak Shell same, doesn’t have pit zips here.

But also, the Torrent Flier has a good reputation here as a light but tough shell that within the category will keep you dry well. Just an anecdote but there is this 400Km plus mountain running race here, from one to the other side of Japan, though the Alps – and I think around 80% of the athletes carry a Torrent Flier. somehow they always hold this race in the typhoon season, so you can imagine the weather.

(You can check their gear lists here)

After some other shell materials, I also find I actually do like the GTX Paclite (for lack of anything better that is). Keeps me bit warmer in the winter than Neoshell, and whatever the Super Mica was made off. None of them breath enough for me anyway, so I prefer the cheapish light GTX shell with the ability to create holes (pit zips).

[Rick M]

The Versalites in both the Japan and Export mode were OK for me to use as wind and rain gear for day hikes with small packs. They pack up really small too compared to my current shells. On the flipside, their thin shell was less than ideal when my pack got heavier with camping and climbing gear. So now for Summer I use the Helium HD and MH Super Stretch Plasmic pants. Much tougher jacket that is still has an awesome hood, unlike the Helium II. Really like the fabric on the Plasmic pants and full leg zips cut the faff when having to get your kit on.

[Cameron M]

In his BPL review, Dave Chenault was very unhappy with the Versalite immediately wetting out.

The US Peak Shell is listed as having 12″ pit zips.

Great information, thanks everyone!

 

[Dan @ Durston Gear]

A few ideas:

Arc’teryx Norvan
This jacket has pit vents (small, always open), has a more durable 3 layer construction, uses Gore-Tex (warranty!), has a great larger gauge zipper and weighs only 7.5oz.

Main downside is that it’s expensive at $350 although you’ve got the Gore-Tex warranty and there some sales on now for ~$250.

Patagonia Alpine Houdini
This one isn’t a proper rain jacket, but rather it’s Patagonia’s Houdini windshirt plus a DWR that they think is really good so I can hold up to moderate rain. This could work if you have the poncho for serious rain. Upsides with this are very breathable without a membrane, it’s cheap (on sale for $139 in the Patagonia sale) and it’s light (6.5oz).

[Justin Baker]

The alpine houdini has a membrane. I’ve seen it in person and I wasn’t impressed. No waterproof zipper, the fabric seems flimsy, the membrane laminated on the back of the face fabric looks super thin.

I really like my marmot essence jacket, but i haven’t used it in serious rain yet. The fit is great, waterproof zipper, very breathable for a rain jacket, it has stretch fabric, and the fabric is much quieter than other crinkly ultralight rain jackets. It feels like a real solid rain jacket, very comfortable to wear. 7 ounces in medium. No pit zips only small vents like the arc norvan.

 

[Cameron M]

Thanks again for the suggestions. I have moved away from a non-breathable fabric option, because I really sweat hard more than just about anybody I know- so if a breathable fabric even offers only 5% extra breathing, I should probably pursue that. I continue to be dismayed by reviews of the Versalite, and also wonder if the windshirt feel might be psychologically unsatisfying. I don’t think I can always depend on a poncho being present, like if I go off on a day peakbagging hike with a minimal kit, so the jacket has to perform pretty well. And I am drawn to the idea that something from OR or GORE will assure not having to buy another jacket soon. And while not strictly necessary, I think at mimimum a chest pocket is needed, my hoody does not have pockets. So that leads me to the Torrent, Peak, Helium HD, and possibly the Norvan as seemingly the best options. Not sure about that Norvan hood either; I liked the brim and generous hood on my Super-Mica, it stopped rain from streaming down my face and I don’t like hoods that feel restricting. I would have to check out the small vents to see if they deliver. I am a fan of Arcteryx and the sale price seems reasonable. The GORE C-knit fabric looks interesting.

[Dan @ Durston Gear]

My current philosophy on rain jackets is that vents trump breathability, and all membranes are going to fail too soon, so get one with a good warranty. Claims of high breathability seems to mostly mean that the jacket isn’t going to be waterproof for long, and since there isn’t much point in high breathability if the rain comes right through, I prefer one that is more waterproof. I’ve tried a lot of stuff but I’m back to thinking Gore-Tex with its pretty high waterproofness and good warranty is about as good as it gets.

One good Gore-Tex option is the Haglofs LIM III Jacket. It’s Gore-Tex PacLight, 8.5oz, has thumb loops and it’s on sale for $188 at Backcountry.com [Affiliate link is BPLs, not mine]. Compared to the Norvan it’s 1oz heavier, not a 3 layer and lacks the heavier gauge main zip, but it’s got a longer cut, chest pocket and it’s cheaper.

I’ve only worn the Norvan in the store, but the hood seems good. It wasn’t excessively huge like many hoods but also was non-restrictive and had a reasonable brim. It fits a little small. I’m 5’11, 170 lbs and a large fits well. Reasonable but not awesome torso length (longer than most light rain jackets but could be another 2″ longer).

[Brad Rogers]

I had an Essence but was unimpressed.  My wife has a Helium and I am not wild about it either.

The Mont-Bell Peak shell is appealing to me being a 3 layer jacket having pit zips and two hand pockets for a decent weight.  If you get one, I would love to hear what you think about it.

OR has a fantastic warranty, but they don’t have anything appealing to me.  Most of their jackets are either heavy, or use Pertex shield, which I have been unimpressed with.  OR also seems to be lacking a decent hood design, though I used a OR Zealot for a long time.

[James holden]

breathability only lasts as long as the DWR … which may not be very long if you use it constantly

since you live in sunny california … do you even need a rain jacket on the move?

even up here on the PNW i only use a rain jacket for static situations, if its really coming down hard over long period and cold, or windblown cold rain …

in any other situations i just wear a fuzzy fleece, and if needed a windshell over that

you WILL get damp and even wet … but if your entire clothing system is synthetic and quick drying and the body heat will push the moisture out of the system in moderate mild rain

rain pants on the other hand i definitely use as the legs dont generate as much core heat to push out the moisture as fast … though fleece pants do work in mild rain

;)

[Justin Baker]

Southern California includes the highest part of the Sierra Nevada mountains where it can snow any time of the year with considerable wind and extensive scree fields that prevent setting up a shelter. I have seen rain come quickly and fall so hard you don’t want to open your backpack liner. Most of the time the weather is nice though. A rain jacket is a very weight efficient way of staying warm in the rain even if you get wet. Traps heat, blocks wind, prevents evaporative cooling.

[Eric Blumensaadt]

PacLite (if you have a good tailor).

Cabela’s Rainy River GTX PacLite parkas are a good buy BUT ya gotta have a good tailor cut the pit seams and sew in waterproof pit zips. May cost you more than buying a parka with zips – or not.

Say $30. for labor. Or cut the pits yourself and pin in the zips then all the tailor has to do is sew them. You do seam sealing after.

I’ve had this same PacLite parka for over 9 years now and it’s still going strong despite some rough use in “peckerwood” brush.

[Gerry B.]

Cam Honan likes the performance and durability of the Montbell Peak shell.  Very few UL hikers put gear through as many miles as Cam.

[Ken Thompson]

Eric, does that Cabelas jacket weigh less than 10oz, doubtful.

[bradmacmt]

The Montbell Storm Cruiser seems like the one that might best meet the OP’s criteria, and it’s 3 layer Gore C-Knit @ 10 oz’s. It’s the one jacket that has my attention. I have a Marmot Essence and am thinking of returning it. For a few ounces more the Storm Cruiser seems like a lot more jacket, yet weighs less than my OR Foray, Arcteryx Alpah/Beta’s, etc. I got my first Goretex Jacket in 1978, and while the technology is not perfect, it’s gotten better, and more importantly Gore and quality makers stand behind the product.

 

 

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