Men's Marmot PreCip Rain Jacket (Peacoat or Fatigue) $48 + Free Store Pickup

I had this (women's version) as my main jacket here in Portland for almost two years. It was lightweight and easy to stuff into my full backpack. Fantastic price on a lightweight shell.

I bought a Mountain Hardware Trinity jacket last spring. It's not in the same price class, but I can't praise it enough. It's heavier but its a soft material that doesn't make the same swish-swish noise that this PreCip does (or most of these thin shell jackets do). It's so waterproof that when I pulled it out of the washer the first time there was about two cups of water in the hood which landed on my feet.

Nice marmot, man!

Anyone who is threadcrapping or talking trash about this deal has NO CLUE how good this jacket is!

I've owned the Precip for a couple of years. First, it runs about a size larger to accommodate a fleece underneath. If you're an in shape, 150-185lb, 5.8 to 6.0ft guy without a beer belly, a Medium will likely be a bit baggy. Not a lot, but enough to have an outerwear layer underneath.

The jacket is lined and is great for use by itself, with nothing other than a T-shirt, from about 45F-85F. I have one in black, and I'm in the high mountain desert, so it may not be that warm for some of you. The lining may make it hard to get in and out of if you're wearing really fibrous shirts, but it's easily doable and only a minor annoyance.

The Precip works exceptionally well in rain, even after a couple of years - it's completely, 100% waterproof. No questions asked. It's perfect up above 10,000ft in the mountains in the spring, summer, and fall. The pit zips work great if you get too hot, and are easier to zip than most Patagonia/TNF/Mountain Hardware/etc. pit zips. Plus, if you do get hit by a summer squall, the lining gives this a very, very nice feeling on the skin - much better than that clammy and wet feeling you get from non-lined rain jackets.

The Precip is also light and packs down small. Sure, it's not as small or light as some of the non-lined rain jackets out there, but it's also much cheaper than any of the ones that are 100% waterproof and made from long-lasting fabric. See also my comment above about the lining in summer rainstorms.

Speaking of long-lasting fabric, the Precip has been my daily companion in the high mountain desert for ~2 years. I've taken this skiing, snowboarding, hiking, mountain biking, backpacking, car camping, sand sledding, trail running, trail blazing, CDT trekking, everywhere you can imagine in the desert southwest - and I do a lot of outdoors stuff. It's been beaten, poked, abraded, scuffed, and burned. It is still 100% waterproof and looks brand new. The hood works well, too, and rolls up into the neckline when not in use (though I leave mine unfurled all the time).

This jacket is a PHENOMENAL buy, especially at this price. It's exceptional, in fact. This is the price I gave for mine a couple of years ago! Even with the couple of minor quibbles I have, I would buy this jacket multiple times over. It's that good. Hell, I may even buy another one now as a backup!

Quote from lpranal : No, this is probably the cheapest this particular jacket has been, although I have seen better jackets for about the same / even less. Keep in mind this is coming from the perspective of someone who is pretty demanding of my outerwear... I snowboard, snowshoe, mountain bike, backpack / hike pretty much year round. I guess your "average" person who needs a rain jacket for the 2 minute trek from the parking lot to their office probably wouldn't need or appreciate the benefits of more "technical" gear, and by no means is it a BAD product.

You're talking a LOT, but you have absolutely no experience with this product. The Precip does have a DWR coating, but also has a MemBrain layer underneath. It's 100% waterproof and has stayed that way through a lot of extreme wear (400ft slides down scrabbly hillsides after slipping off a ledge, multiple spills into cacti from bike and on foot, etc.). This is a serious jacket - though not a technical one - and has performed much better than technical gear I've owned from Pata/TNF/MH/Arc/BD. I use it when I go climbing all the time, and it has yet to fail even when being roughed up by granite and limestone.

Quote from lpranal : Sure, it mostly has to do with the type of waterproofing. the Precip is DWR based (though marmot uses a really, really good version from reviews I've seen). Basically the waterproofing is all in a coating on the exterior of the material - water beads off and doesn't have a chance to soak through. The only problem with this is that water can and does eventually saturate the fabric, defeating the waterproofing. It's also prone to wearing off over time, although again, Marmot uses a ceramic additive to make the DWR more durable. Dirt, oils, residue and even smoke can impede the waterproofing of the material and allow water to wick through.

WRONG.

Quote from lpranal : Membrane based waterproofing, like that in eVent or goretex, steps the waterproofing by adding a layer of microporous material that is small enough to let water vapor (sweat) out but not water in. So even if the outer surface gets saturated ("wets out") water won't penetrate inside. DWR is still applied to the outside, since if the outer layer gets saturated even goretex or event won't breathe. This is usually only important during all day soaking rains or when, for example, you're sitting / laying on something wet or snow gets "caked" on. Even the best coatings can let water pass through. I've had my DryQ jacket wet out once before in a heavy freezing rain / sleet/ snow while snowshoing... it's not pleasant but it kept me warm and dry (if a bit clammy) but it would have been way worse without the extra membrane from the eVent!

The Precip has this. The Precip is also very breathable - I never, EVER overheat in it. Granted, I'm in low humidity areas most of the time, but it's even good in the summer in storms.

Quote from 346l3 : I actually like some of the stoic colors in that jacket from the backcountry website. Only thing holding me back though is this scathing review. http://www.backcountry.com/bcs/re...68148.html Do you have any insight on this?

It sounds like some people just have a problem with the DWR on theirs... fortunately backcountry has an excellent return policy and all stoic products have a lifetime warranty. If it were me, I'd probably just go with the stash shell for a little bit more. It's definitely got a better rep if you need something bombproof: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=RASIlfXlnJA

Quote from longdong : You're talking a LOT, but you have absolutely no experience with this product. The Precip does have a DWR coating, but also has a MemBrain layer underneath. It's 100% waterproof and has stayed that way through a lot of extreme wear (400ft slides down scrabbly hillsides after slipping off a ledge, multiple spills into cacti from bike and on foot, etc.). This is a serious jacket - though not a technical one - and has performed much better than technical gear I've owned from Pata/TNF/MH/Arc/BD. I use it when I go climbing all the time, and it has yet to fail even when being roughed up by granite and limestone. WRONG. The Precip has this. The Precip is also very breathable - I never, EVER overheat in it. Granted, I'm in low humidity areas most of the time, but it's even good in the summer in storms.

Nice review! glad it worked out for you, seems like this might not be such a bad deal after all.

Quote from chopsomedeals : Quote from iherebyresign : cool, picked up one of these along with this filler: http://www.rei.com/product/856324...1-closeout who doesn't need a folding fork? Got the folding spoon instead Thanks OP, I've been looking for a rain jacket. I got 3.5% cashback too

Get the Spork instead! best of both!
http://www.rei.com/product/856321...1-closeout

Quote from super32 : Get the Spork instead! best of both! http://www.rei.com/product/856321...1-closeout

But it's more expensive

Quote from longdong : You're talking a LOT, but you have absolutely no experience with this product. The Precip does have a DWR coating, but also has a MemBrain layer underneath. It's 100% waterproof and has stayed that way through a lot of extreme wear (400ft slides down scrabbly hillsides after slipping off a ledge, multiple spills into cacti from bike and on foot, etc.). This is a serious jacket - though not a technical one - and has performed much better than technical gear I've owned from Pata/TNF/MH/Arc/BD. I use it when I go climbing all the time, and it has yet to fail even when being roughed up by granite and limestone.

Pretty sure this disagrees with you:
http://www.rei.com/learn/expert-a...works.html

It may well be a great jacket, but it's quantifiably not as breathable or waterproof as eVent. I realize that it's not all about numbers and the actual fabrics / materials used make a difference, and maybe you have an older (better) version of the product but I don't believe the technical information you're stating is correct.

Quote from lpranal : Pretty sure this disagrees with you: http://www.rei.com/learn/expert-advice/rainwear-how-it-works.html It may well be a great jacket, but it's quantifiably not as breathable or waterproof as eVent. I realize that it's not all about numbers and the actual fabrics / materials used make a difference, and maybe you have an older (better) version of the product but I don't believe the technical information you're stating is correct.

I never said it was as breathable or waterproof as anything else out there. I said it does the job, and does it well, under pretty harsh conditions, and that it has done the job better than much, much higher priced gear I've used. Who doesn't want to save money and get a better product in the process?

Thus, this is a very good deal for a great piece of kit. That's it.

Also, nowhere in the REI link does it refute anything I've said. It's 2.5 layer - 1 & ".5" layer of coatings, 1 layer of MemBrain or whatever they're calling it now. It even says so right on their own product page [marmot.com]:

Quote : Our value-oriented PreCip® Jacket features our waterproof/breathable membrane and two highly technical coatings

I don't know how much more basic I can make it. People get so caught up in having the latest/greatest/best named gear that they've spent a small fortune on. For less than expert technical gear, I prefer to get the best performance I can for the money because, quite honestly, no brand or technology is perfect and few are worth the premium paid. That is, until you get into the expert stuff required to summit McKinley, K2, Everest, etc. But that's not retail f***head gear, either. Apples/oranges.

Just out of curiosity, since we seem to have some experts on here: how does this jacket compare to the Patagonia Torrentshell? I just picked up one of those at $58 (during their recent sale) and I'm just wondering if the Marmot is superior in any way. They seem pretty comparable; i.e. 2.5 layer, DWR, H2No instead of PreCip/MemBrain or whatever this one has.

Quote from Parker1974 : Just out of curiosity, since we seem to have some experts on here: how does this jacket compare to the Patagonia Torrentshell? I just picked up one of those at $58 (during their recent sale) and I'm just wondering if the Marmot is superior in any way. They seem pretty comparable; i.e. 2.5 layer, DWR, H2No instead of PreCip/MemBrain or whatever this one has.

I haven't tried that one, but, based solely on the specs, they look pretty comparable. Form & fit are likely the biggest considerations beyond that. Personally, I haven't had good luck with Patagucci gear, but some of their clothing is very stylish.

Quote from Parker1974 : Just out of curiosity, since we seem to have some experts on here: how does this jacket compare to the Patagonia Torrentshell? I just picked up one of those at $58 (during their recent sale) and I'm just wondering if the Marmot is superior in any way. They seem pretty comparable; i.e. 2.5 layer, DWR, H2No instead of PreCip/MemBrain or whatever this one has.

I actually just bought one of the TorrentShells on sale for $58 to compare to my Marmot Precip.

The fit on the Torrentshell is really weird - I don't like the way the zipper opens near my neck. Hard to describe, but you might want to try one on to see what I mean. I'll be returning mine.

Quote from longdong : I haven't tried that one, but, based solely on the specs, they look pretty comparable. Form & fit are likely the biggest considerations beyond that. Personally, I haven't had good luck with Patagucci gear, but some of their clothing is very stylish.

Quote from ls1dreams : I actually just bought one of the TorrentShells on sale for $58 to compare to my Marmot Precip. The fit on the Torrentshell is really weird - I don't like the way the zipper opens near my neck. Hard to describe, but you might want to try one on to see what I mean. I'll be returning mine.

Thanks to you both for the responses. Reps for each of you.

@ls1dreams - I'll try it on tomorrow (when it's delivered) so maybe I'll see what you mean then. Though I certainly would have preferred to try before buying, $58 seemed pretty reasonable. You know the SD rule: buy first, think later.

And with that in mind, perhaps I'll pick up this Marmot too, and simply return the one I like less. Seems silly to keep them both, since they serve essentially the same purpose.

Darn good rain jacket, great price.

Backpacker's perspective:

I noticed with all the people trashing the Precip that none of them mentioned weight at all. Hmm. It's a lightweight shell that is waterproof, with solid features.

I use it as my rain jacket on backpacking trips and it was the best one for the job. If it's raining all day long on a backpacking trip, then we usually have stopped and gotten in the tent anyway. Breathability isn't as important as really being waterproof and being light and low volume for packability. I do use mine quite often in camp, or when stopped if it's cold and windy out, but when hiking it's almost always in the pack. It is fantastic at stopping the wind and feels much warmer than I expected just because no wind gets through. That right there answers the breathability question for me.

By the way, mine weighs 13oz (measured). I got it a couple years ago. No pit zips. EVent fabric may have an edge in breathability (don't know for sure since I usually only see Goretex and eVent compared), but the eVent and Goretex jackets I know are more substantial than this and weigh more. Anyone know a waterproof jacket this light that is more breathable? This is pretty much the tradeoff you get. There is price also of course. I use a trash bag for a rain kilt by the way lighter than rain pants which I'm even less likely to need while hiking.

I wear a medium t-shirt and have a large Precip. Fits me great, room for layering. The list price is $100 but I got mine for $60 or something. Great price here. Haven't seen it for less.