On a damp and drizzling July day at the base of Mount Hood, Oregon, I put the Marmot Precip Jacket and Precip Pants to the test. With the temperatures in the mid-80’s, and the humidity rocking my world, a friend and I took a fast-paced loop around nearby Trillium Lake.
Admittedly, I’ve never had much use for rain gear. Living in Utah I don’t encounter a lot of unfrozen precipitation, and the jacket and pants I’ve worn in the past have always left me feeling clammy and overheated.
But being in Oregon to work (ski) on the Mount Hood glacier, and temporarily unable to do so, I put on a brave face, and headed out to perform my gear-review duties. Rain or shine.
Given its modest price tag ($100), the PreCip Jacket is loaded with an impressive amount of advanced fabric technologies. Marmot’s proprietary PreCip polyurethane coating is fully waterproof, windproof and breathable, while Dry Touch Technology eliminates the need for an inner liner and is designed to provide next-to-skin comfort (i.e. no clammy feeling.) Fully seam taped and boasting a helmet-compatible hood, elastic drawcord hem, and adjustable sleeve cuffs, the PreCip Jacket boasts some serious batten-down-the-hatches capability. With PitZips allowing excess heat to be shed, and Marmot’s Angel-Wing Movement preventing the jacket from riding up when you’re scrambling, the PreCip Jacket completes the checklist for fast-paced adventure in wet weather.
Also impressively affordable ($80), the PreCip Pants feature NanoPro, which Marmot claims is the most comfortable, fully-waterproof and breathable fabric coating. When combined with nylon ripstop, the result is a pair of rain pants that provide full weather protection, great breathability, and rugged durability – all while packing down to the size of a fist. With ankle side zips that help get these pants on and off when you’re wearing hiking boots, and an elastic waist that rides comfortably under a backpack hip belt, the PreCip Pant is definitely geared toward the backpacking crowd.
I made a point of starting the Trillium Lake hike with the jacket and pants stashed in my pack to help get a sense for what it would be like to throw them on when wet weather caught you by surprise. I was impressed. The pair took up a minimal amount of space in my daypack, the pants had no problem slipping on over the rubber soles of my wet hiking shoes, and Marmot’s claims of breathability were only slightly exaggerated, if at all.
Twenty minutes into the hike, and after a quick splash of heavier rain, my skepticism regarding the effectiveness of Dry Touch Technology began to seem warranted. Even though I was fully dry on the inside, the jacket still felt damp and sticky against my bare arms.
By hike’s end, however, I was thoroughly impressed with the performance of both the jacket and pants. The hydrophobic coatings worked flawlessly and had no problem shedding the light rain while drying quickly and fully. And with the PitZips open on the PreCip Jacket, I stayed cool and dry on the inside even with the elevated temperatures.
At 6’2” I find myself bouncing back and forth between large and extra-large clothing depending on the brand. In this case, I was working with XL sizing for both, and while the jacket fit reasonably close to size (if a little boxy) the pants were positively enormous. I have since passed them along to a friend who is a stout 6’4” and they fit him with room to spare. And while the large openings of the pant cuffs were appreciated when putting them on over wet shoes, the lack of sleekness of these rain pants would not be ideal in faster-paced hiking or running scenarios. Overall, both the PreCip Jacket and Pant run large, and it’s safe to say that they are not designed for endurance activities.
If you’re looking for rain gear that can handle three hours of pouring rain, the Precip Jacket and Pant aren’t going to cut it. But that’s not what they’re designed for. I would put the PreCip Jacket and Pant in the precipitation-preparedness category – a great option to throw in your pack, or keep in the back of your car, for as-needed use. While people who are used to top-of-the-line GORE-TEX outerwear might find a few small annoyances with the PreCip Jacket and Pant, as far as affordable, lightweight and packable rain gear goes, Marmot definitely over-achieved in the protection department.
Nate Tomlinson, Senior Content Writer
The Marmot PreCip Jacket and PreCip Pant certainly impressed. Wary of rain gear in general, and especially skeptical of this combo given the combined price of under $200, I can confidently say that they both exceeded my expectations.
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