Marmot PreCip Review

Comfort & Mobility
Testers found that the Precip was generally comfortable and layered well. The jacket allowed for good freedom of motion and Marmot’s angel Wing design prevented the waistline of the jacket from riding up when reaching far overhead. The cuffs and collar were not as comfortable as some of the other jackets that we tested as there was no lining on the cuffs and the collar had a small patch of microfleece.

A minor dislike, is that we didn’t find the Precip to be the most attractive of th jackets that we tested. It has a somewhat boxy cut and the elastic on the cuffs is not as sleek as some other jackets we tested. Performance and price wise, it’s awesome, but if looks are your primary concern, the Precip might not turn any heads.

Breathability
In addition to pit zips, there are two large pockets on the front of the jacket that have an interior mesh lining and when left open greatly increase the breathability.

None of the rain jackets that we tested proved to be very breathable. Almost all of the jackets boast a “waterproof breathable technology” of some kind, but please interpret these claims loosely. We found that when we wore the jackets for any kind of high exertion activity (and we pointedly took at least one hard 1 hour run in each jacket… in the rain, In addition to climbing in them, hiking in them, walking in them and biking in them) we found that we were promptly creating our own weather inside the jacket. The only thing that saved us from our self-made monsoon was the fact that each jacket we tested had pit zips to let out some of moisture.

Marmot’s Precip Rain Jacket has large mesh lined pockets with large openings that can be left open in addition to the pit zips to help with breathability. While the jacket wasn’t very breathable with the vents all closed, once we opened the pit zips and the pockets there was considerable breathability with little loss on weather protection. All in all, a good design

Water Resistance
We had no issues with leaking water in any areas of the jacket. The seams are all taped well, and the zippers are covered well with storm flaps.


Weight & Bulk
The Precip packs down nice and small into one of the pockets. There’s also a little loop making it easy to attach to your harness or the outside of your pack.

At 16.98 ounces however, the Precip was the second heaviest rain shell that we tested outweighed only by its heavyweight counterpart the Marmot Oracle (17.9oz). If you need something light, check out the Patagonia Rain Shadow or Mountain Hardwear’s Epic Jacket.

Feature Functions
The pockets on the jacket are large and have more than enough room for your belongings, and the sleeve cuffs are adjustable and easily closed with a Velcro strap.

All the zippers on the jacket are super smooth and the pit zips were easily opened and closed with one hand. The bottom of the jacket cinches up nice and easy with a single elastic pull, and the waistline of the jacket doesn’t ride up when you raise your arms. The structure of the hood is bomber and while the cinches for the elastic cord around the rim of the hood were easy to use, the rear cinch (the that pulls the brim of the hood back and away from you eyes) was a simple Velcro strap left something to be desired.

Value
We like a lot of things about the jacket. The Marmot Precip is just an all around solid little budget jacket. At around $100 it is one of the cheapest jackets that we tested, and let’s face it, saving money is awesome.

Best Application
Any activity in wet or rainy conditions; around town use. As with all the rain jackets we tested, breathability is poor so layer with a synthetic base layer in high intensity adventures or suffer the clammy consequences.