Marmot Vapor Trail Hoody

Great mid-weight wind and water resistant shell for early spring and higher altitude outings.

As part of my preparation for summiting some 14'ers this summer, I bought this Marmot Vapor Trail Hoody to carry as my mid-weight layer. The weather can change dramatically and in a hurry at altitude so I wanted something with a hood that was highly breathable yet blocked wind and shed light rain or snow. 

I bought this toward the end of winter but we had a lot of spring snow and rain this year in the Denver area so I got to put it to use sooner than I expected. I purposely would take the dogs on long walks in cold windy, wet weather so see how it fared and it performed very well.  

The are several adjustments that can be made on the jacket. There are cord locks with elastic around the waist, around the hood opening and on the back of the hood so you can micro adjust the fit for the conditions. Even in the weather described, a lightweight long sleeve shirt and a Smartwool Training Beanie were all I needed to stay comfortable in this hoody. Most of the wind blocking material is in the front while the back is a lighter weight material which seems to help wick perspiration.

The jacket also has a feature called "angel wings" which allows for better arm movement, especially up and down without the jacket riding up too much. I've actually used the jacket on the driving range hitting golf balls and was able to freely swing the club so this feature worked well for me.

The bright orange color is almost florescent so be aware that it is highly visible. But since I'm in Bronco country, the orange works out OK for me. When I wear this jacket along with the orange Patagonia Trail Runner shoes I've written about, I'm a beacon :-).

Very light, packable, breathable jacket.

I got this jacket as a cool weather shell for early spring and fall hiking.

At first, I was disappointed at how little it provided in terms of wind resistance. The whole back side is the same stretchy material for under arm. It's very breathable but it's so thin that it kind of defeats the purpose of wearing a jacket.

My first test was a night time hiking trip to Tibbet Knobb in VA. The weather forecast called for a bit of rain and the temps hovered around 40-50. At first, I put on an Eddie Bauer fleece over this jacket to stay warm, but within 15 minutes of hiking up the trail, I started to notice the jacket's features.

The fleece lined front kept me warm enough and the back side was busy evaporating any perspiration.

Bottom line is that this jacket performed as advertised, but it is not a very versatile jacket.