Marmot Reactor Jacket

The perfect fleece as an outer layer or mid-layer in colder temps for a trip to the backcountry or as a daily use item. It is warm, lightweight, soft, and snuggly. The drawstring cinch on the hem is perfect, the pockets welcome your hands, and there is no restricted movement when you need to move your arms around.

Let's do the negative first. This thing is a little bulky and takes up more room in my pack than I would like. As a mid-layer, it would be nice if it had thumb loops, and I may sew in some small elastic ones myself. I'm sure some people want a pocket on their upper arm for their phone or whatever, but for me it's ugly and I have no use for it. 

Now, let's do the positive. This jacket is amazingly comfortable. The large fits perfectly on my 6 foot tall, 185 lb frame. The length of the hem and the sleeves are just right. I can raise my arms up high and the sleeves reach the wrists and my belly doesn't show. The lightweight fleece stops the wind just like you would expect, and under heavy winds, you would use a shell anyway.

I haven't hiked in it, but I use it to keep warm when I reach camp for the night. I layer it over my base layer and under my shell. On a very cold night, I would be happy with this jacket as a mid layer under my down puff to keep me warm and toasty under the stars. 

It appears to be well made, and durable. I don't think I'm going to be bush-whacking in it as an outer layer, but who would? 

In a time when fleece layers can get expensive for such a simple piece of gear, the key is comfort, fit, and weight. This one has it all.