Bought both in medium, like the fit/price/looks, and trying to decide which to keep as my lightweight rain jacket. Differences are as follows:
Versalite – weighs 6.7 oz, 2.5 layer
Peak – weighs 9.3oz, 3 layer
The Peak has the pockets a little higher up which is good with a pack on but slightly awkward if you want to rest your hands in there. Plus the Peak has the pit zips starting higher up with more on the arm; not sure if this is a technical thing. The Versalite fabric feels very flimsy and packs down a bit smaller.
In terms of use, I go backpacking once a summer (ie Sierras, Tetons) for about 5 days and try to squeeze in a Grand Canyon like winter trip for a few days if I can. I would also use the jacket here and there for rainy days though I would usually use my 17 oz Gore-Tex Pro Shell jacket for that (which I really bought for winter snow hikes but moved to Florida; I know its overkill though I am saving the Pro jacket for a guided Rainier climb or other more serious winter trip one day).
I would like to know if anyone else has had this “dilemma” (I feel blessed that I have the luxury of pondering a 2.6 oz difference on a jacket), and especially if they went with the Versalite, how its worked out for them. Curious if the Versalite would be durable enough for my limited use and whether it is sufficient for something like the Grand Canyon in the winter (going next week).
