PreCip Jacket

I bought this because I knew I would need rain gear and it was on sale. It had gotten numerous positive reviews so I was fairly sure that it would work well. I turned out to be wrong. This jacket works okay in very light rain, but then again so does a windbreaker or a t-shirt. I took a ten minute walk in moderate rain, under trees most of the time and by the time I got to my destination the jacket was soaked through at the shoulders and the arms. In its favor it does breathe very well but I would rather have it shed water worth a crap. On a less serious note, the sizing sucks. I am a tall skinny guy and I got a small and the thing is gigantic on me. I know that rain gear is supposed to fit loosely but I can fit my backpack under the thing with room to spare. Despite being huge on me, the arms are too short so they are constantly riding up if I need to lift my arms to reach something, even with the cuffs tightened as much as possible.

So in short, save your money and buy something more expensive that will do the job better. Or buy a cheaper Red Ledge jacket that will actually do its job, albeit while not breathing at all.

A lot of my friends have been raving about Marmot gear, but I never know what they were talking about until recently. I made an unusual impulse purchase and grabbed a bright blue Marmot PreCip jacket off the rack and went quickly over to the register to avoid any further insanity. If purchasing this jacket is a condition of insanity, then I should go fully insane, because this jacket is everything I hoped it would be.

The PreCip is extraordinarily lighweight and very comfortable. It is not a jacket by any means, although it cuts wind nicely and keeps the wind chill way down. But for rain gear, it is an exceptional piece of workmanship. It's been raining here on the east coast, but when I wear this thing, I rather enjoy being out in the rain and the cold. I stay dry, and with the wind blocked, it's really kinda nice to be outside in the elements.

The seams are sealed all over, and water has a hard time getting through the zippers. The pockets are located on the front of the jacket, and are mesh construction that lets you pack the jacket inside one of the pockets if you turn it inside out. Only one of the pockets has zipper tab on both sides, though, so be careful which one you choose. The fabric is light enough that you can pack a small size into a Nalgene. You'll need a larger Nalgene than normal, if you want to get any larger size packed into one.

The main complaint I have is with the hood and how it folds out of the way. The hood rolls up and fastens to the neck with only a single velcro tab that fastens in the middle. It rolls up, and not down, so if rain does come, and you have it rolled up (for whatever reason), water will collect and dump on your neck when you move around or open it up. Also, because the tab is in the middle, the ends come loose and start expanding, and you look a little ridiculous. I just leave my hood unstowed, and style around like that.

In spite of that, I really can't find anything negative to say about this rain jacket. It's awesome!

The Marmot Precip is a very good jacket if you want a light wind/water proof jacket.
While it isn't entirely waterproof it did provide excellent protection from misty and light rain conditions in and around my school. It also does a great job at blocking wind and is easily packable. I also like the placement of the pockets as I can easily open and close them with a pack on my back.
This jacket is definately is either on me or in my pack.

Excellent for what it's made for and an amazing jacket considering both the weight and price; I got mine for under $50. The waterproofing has held up better than my 3-layer Gore-Tex and it breathes better as well. I keep this in the bottom of my bag anytime there's a chance of rain. Not tough enough for mountaineering but better than any lightweight wind or rain gear I've used.