REI Revelcloud Jacket - Men's Review

Likes
This is a simple jacket that gets the job done. It is relatively light and great to layer under or over. All the pockets are zippered making it a great around town jacket for securely holding all your stuff. During this review I had my wallet fall out of an unzippered pocket while biking… from now on, it's zippers all the way.

It packs down very small. This, along with the Patagonia Houdini, became stables of our bike commuting package. Both these items packed down to nothing but gave us tremendous versatility in varying temperatures.

While simple, they do add in a cool headphone slot in the chest pocket. This allows you to easily listen to music while routing the headphone cord in a convenient spot.

Dislikes
This jacket just barely does not pack into its own pocket (see photo above). It does come with its own stuff sack but you then have to either put the stuff sack in a pocket or keep track of it. If the pockets were a little bigger it would fold into itself. The fit is similar to other REI jackets we have tested: it seems to leave room for you if you have a little belly. It also doesn't taper much at the wrists like the Montbell Thermawrap. It's a minor thing, but we don't feel it is as ideally fit for slim folks and is not the most form fitting in general. As of this writing, you can see what I mean at the REI web site. One model is a stockier build and the jacket fits perfectly. The other model wearing the jacket is slimmer and you can see the cuffs bunch up.

This jacket is simple: the pockets are not lined with fleece and there is no fleece around the neck. It is not what would we call one of the most stylish of the insulated jackets; it has more of an outdoors/utilitarian look and feel.

The REI warranty, refund, and exchange policy is hard to beat. While many companies will replace or repair a defective product through the mail. REI is one of the few retailers where you can walk in with an item and get an exchange or refund that moment.

Best Application
Once you own this jacket or one like it, you wonder whether a thick fleece jacket is that necessary. Other than high heart rate activities, this jacket works well for just about everything: skiing, backpacking, hiking or bike commuting.

Value
This is one of the best values out there. Not only is it the least expensive insulated jacket, it comes with zippered pockets and a light weight that make it very versatile. Don't be surprised if you wear it 50-100 days a year. Because it uses synthetic insulation, we feel at ease about using it hard, getting it dirty, and then tossing it in the wash. A similar down jacket requires much more care.

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