Marmot PreCip Jacket and Pants Review

"Great rain protection gear. It's very breathable and I've never had a problem with it."

"Jacket developed leaks all over within the first month. Pants did the same after about 3 months. Waste of money. I liked the pit and chest vents, but hated the failure to keep me dry."

"I've been testing my Precip this winter and comparing it to my 3 layer Goretex jacket and my conclusion is that the Precip does not breathe nearly as well as Goretex. It has a clammy feel to it and condensation builds up fast and is slow to dry up. Worse yet, after about a dozen uses the fabric started to develop small cracks around where the hipbelt tightens around my waist so the durability is questionable. The only thing this jacket has going for it is good venting and lightweight, so it's OK for a coat that you carry in your pack just in case, I suppose. The Red ledge can do the same thing for half the price. It would be better to spend a little more money and find a Goretex jacket on sale than spend $100 on the Precip. Goretex works better and lasts much longer making it a better value. Goretex weighs more, but if you want a jacket to actually wear instead of just to keep in your pack it's the better choice because it's more comfortable and will keep you twice as dry as a Precip that only breathes half as well."

"i have been very disappointed with my precip jacket. i haven't used it hard and it already is starting to wet through in places. spend the extra money and get something that will work the way it should"

"This is by far the best piece of raingear I've owned. It's superlight (11 oz), vents well, sheds water great and its only $99... what more could you ask for? I've used a TNF Mtn. Light in the past and was never happy with it. It was heavy, didnt vent well and I kept having to treat the coating with expensive techwash as the coat would 'wet out' and it cost over $200. In the summer when the relativity humidity is high no rain jacket is breathable enough for 100% of your sweat to escape... Unless youre using an unbrella or a poncho. When the precip becomes damp from sweat you can easily turn it inside out and it will dry very quick. Overall, it vents better than gore-tex will ever be. Gore-tex xcr is nice and breathes well, but the precip breathes even better. Ive noticed the Mountain hardwear rain jacket made with epic. I havent used it but Ive heard epic is highly brethable and waterproof. Its just a bit more than the precip in cost and may be better, but you cant go wrong with this jacket.. its a great deal. This jacket is a staple among real hikers (thru-hikers)!"

"The Marmot Precip Jacket worked fine for my first two outings in the rain. However, the jacket began to breakdown on the inside and the membrane began to crack and peal inside the arm area. I am returning this jacket and recommend that you spend a bit more. I am now going to try my luck with the Mountain Hardwear Epic Jacket. My experience in the past has been good with the Mountain Hardwear product . We shall see."

"I LOVE THESE PRECIPS! Since I started wearing them, I stopped wearing my GTX products. My Fiance and I spent a weekend up at the South Fork of the Smith river, entirely in the rain wearing Precip pants and jackets living in a Swallow 2P and a Lair tent. NO RAIN GOT THROUGH ANY OF IT.

I feel these problems that people are having w. their Precip stuff is due to unreasonable expectations ( it is rain gear. nothing more... it is rain gear that people have been seen summiting Rainier in.)it is light weight and may be less durrable as a GTX shell, but that is due to the outer fabric, not the coating!!

I believe Marmot has set the standard w/ RAIN wear for which all others will try to simulate. i will be snowboarding in nothing more that precip this year. See you up there.
cheers!

I will give the precip a rating of 4, because great things can still get better!!"

"Only own the jacket (anorak) and have really put it through the paces. Held up to some pretty nasty Alaskan snot and kept me dry for the most part. They tended to retain a little more moisture than I would have liked but clearing back country trail is also sweaty even in dry weather."

"this is an incredible shell for keeping one dry in the wettest of conditions. i have had it in the rockys as well as the apps in snow, ice, and rain and have not felt any moisture from those elements. however it does not breath well and retains heat and moisture developed by the body itself."

"had the anorak a couple years and wore it very little, last time out it leaked down my neck and back - inspected it later and saw that the lining had changed color where it was leaking - looking for a better product, didn't breath like real goretex products"

"The original precip material is questionable. After wearing about 10 times rain began permiating through. I returned my jacket to marmot and they concluded the material had delaminate, although I saw no change in the appearance of the inner fabric.(marmot quickly replaced this with a supposedly up-graded precip plus jacket."

"I bought the women's jacket in Decemeber 2001, to use as a general rain jacket, for walking, hiking, cycling. I loved the fit, especially the roomy arms (great when cycling) and lightweight and big pockets and the color. It breathed well, and kept me dry, but then in 2004 the coating started to break down around the hood and neck and the seams unsealed around the same area. At first I was disappointed but then I decided to take it to Marmot's shop in Berkeley, CA in 2005, asked what they could do, and they sent it back to the warehouse and I got a brand new one, within 2 weeks. So I can't really complain, their customer service was superb."

"The PreCip Jacket is made to be lighter than GoreTex. It is not fair to compare the two on durability. I find that it feels at least as breathable as my GoreTex parkas, and it may just be because it is so much lighter with more openings. I must agree that my first one never made it out into the field until it suffered the same abrasion problems as someone else noticed (I just seam sealed those areas, but a new jacket would have been nice!). My second one has not suffered the same problems yet. If you want to travel with minimal weight it is a useful piece of gear. I am thinking about buying another currently."

"I bought the jacket a few years ago. The sizing is fine, and it seems sturdy enough, but I found the breathability minimal. Any exercise in this jacket makes me soaking wet inside, and I am not a big sweater. I only use this for emergencies. I find goretex MUCH better for exercising in rain."