Marmot Precip durability?

I'm wondering if anyone has any comments on the durability of the Marmot Precip jacket. I know people seem to rave about the jacket here, so I figure the waterproofing must be pretty good, but I'm more interested in how the fabric holds up to rough bushwhacking on a daily basis. Will it get caught on branches and rip? Will it get muddy and start to leak?

In the past I've just used a cheapo coated nylon jacket, which is great because it was lightweight, it worked, and I didn't care when it finally disintegrated last summer. Now I'm wondering if I should get another cheap jacket, or splurge on the extra ~$50 and get the Precip, so I can be like the cool kids.

(Or, if not the Precip, is there any other < $90 jacket I might consider?)

Thanks!

I've worn mine in a few BW occassion (Catskills) and it's been fine--

I don't own a Precip jacket, but I do have Precip pants. They have held up quite well on the 15-20 bushwhacks I have taken them on. I have a small hole on the storm flap, but beyond that the durability has been excellent. There have been many times that I have run into a sharp branch or snagged on a tree and it has not left any dents, rips, abrasions, or tears in the fabric.

As far as mud is concerned, I have had no problems there either. I'm talking about a pant, however, so I usually wear gaiters and such, so those keep a lot of the mud and such off. The waterproofing has held up quite well, and there has been no deterioration in the inner fabric in the two years I have owned it (this was a problem for me with the EMS System III).

Hi,
My experience with the Precip is as follows:

1. It is very durable fabric and I have done several bushwhacks without any rips or tears. Some of the bushwhacks were NASTY.

2. It is waterproof, but it begins to wet out after a couple of years. My efforts of restoring its waterproofing have yielded mixed results.

3. In cold, wet conditions, you will experience significant breathability issues, even with the pit zips wide open. It does not move moisture very well when it is cold outside.

Many people rave about the Marmot Oracle, which has an advanced Precip fabric that is even stronger, more breathable and maintains waterproofing longer. It also weighs about 5 ounces more. I bought one late this winter for about $75.00, but have not gotten the chance to fully evaluate it. Jackets with Goretex Pac Lite are also supposed to work very well, but will probably run you a bit more than $90.00.

Good luck,
Marty

My experience is like Martys, it is pretty durable and I have used it while bike commuting and while hiking. After awhile the liner on the insides will start wearing out and you'll have little tiny squares all over and you'll be scratching your head to find out where they are from til you look at the inside of the precip pants and see missing squares. Other than that, they are good for what they cost.

Jay

I agree with Marty and JAy. My precip shedded its lining at stress points; just below the hood on the upper back. I have tried to restore its water repellancy with the Tech products but was not successfull and bought another jacket. I do multi task with the jacket with hiking, running and biking. Thats being siad, the jacket lasted me about 4 -5 years before I replaced it with another precip jacket

marty said:

Hi,
Many people rave about the Marmot Oracle, which has an advanced Precip fabric that is even stronger, more breathable and maintains waterproofing longer. It also weighs about 5 ounces more. I bought one late this winter for about $75.00, but have not gotten the chance to fully evaluate it. Jackets with Goretex Pac Lite are also supposed to work very well, but will probably run you a bit more than $90.00.

Good luck,
Marty

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Judy has an Oracle that she carries for extreme winter weather..Probably too heavy for summer weather..I sweat so much w/ any shell on that I use mine strictly for major downpours, when I'm standing still waiting it out..For all other rain I just keep hiking--I'll get wet one way or another

Thanks for all the replies so far.

It sounds like the reviews are somewhat mixed, so I'm still not quite sure whether I'll go for it or not.

cushetunk said:

In the past I've just used a cheapo coated nylon jacket, which is great because it was lightweight, it worked, and I didn't care when it finally disintegrated last summer. Now I'm wondering if I should get another cheap jacket, or splurge on the extra ~$50 and get the Precip, so I can be like the cool kids.

Thanks!

Click to expand...

You said it yourself...if what you had worked and you didn't care when it wore out why not just buy the same thing again. Use the cash you save to buy a few new books or some new music or some beer or wine, or hell, just don't spend it! I have a Red Ledge something or other that I bought for $50 when my Precip started to wear out around the shoulders a little (after about 4 years of use). I wear them both still and they are about the same as far as I can tell in terms of durability and rain protection. If it's really raining hard...I still get wet from the outside eventually. If it's hot and a bit rainy...I still get wet from the inside. So, I don't really see what the big deal is about Precip jackets...but that's just me.

Edit: Also...for your stated purpose of rough bushwhacking on a daily basis...well, seems like anything is gonna take a beating in that case. In my opinion if you go for the less expensive but serviceable option you won't be as worried about the ripping/muddiness/general mess you'll cause while whacking those bushes into submission. Who wants to worry about your expensive gear when 'whackin?

Funny how often the "cool kids" are wrong, eh?

No financial interest here but I have found Mountain Hardwear's Epic fabric to be durable and water-repellant and moderately breathable. I have had their Epic jacket for the last 4 years and have left my heavier Goretex jacket in the closet for everything except serious mountaineering.
I actually own a Marmot Precip jacket but it is still in closet unworn as the Epic jacket is still going strong.
I got the Epic jacket for $99 four years ago and I see it can be had for $90 or less at the moment as they offload discontinued colors.
Has anyone else here used Epic clothing?
I must add the hood is great and will fit over a ski helmet as well as a climbing helmet - very nice!

Not a fan of Marmot Precip

My Precip leaks like a seive...I've found it absolutely useless in moderate to heavy rains, but OK for very light rain but that's about it..I have an REI Taku jacket that I love for wind and rain. That said, I'll take my Marmot Precip bushwacking and leave my "better" gear at home.

As Marty said, it doesn't move moisture well in cooler temps -- I feel clammy and cold when I've hiked in it in spring conditions.

The outer fabric of my precip is holding up well, but like others, the inner membrane on the back below the hood and on the shoulders is flaking off after 5 years.

To restore the DWR, put it in a hot dryer for 20 minutes or so. This works with Hyvent, GTX, and others as well for the first few years.

Hikes4fun said:

Judy has an Oracle that she carries for extreme winter weather..Probably too heavy for summer weather..I sweat so much w/ any shell on that I use mine strictly for major downpours, when I'm standing still waiting it out..For all other rain I just keep hiking--I'll get wet one way or another

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Yeah, I agree that the Marmot Oracle could be heavy for summer hiking. Bought it primarily for winter use. Like Toe Cozy, I have used a Red Ledge (Thunderlight?) that was comparable to my Precip, except a bit less durable for bushwhacking. I use a Frogg Toggs for trail hiking, like 1HappyHiker.

The Lisa does have me interested in the MH Epic, though I know, I'm a gear junkie and admit that freely.

Marty

marty said:

I use a Frogg Toggs for trail hiking, like 1HappyHiker.

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Whoops! Shortly after posting a reply to this thread, I deleted it. I felt that my mention of Frogg Toggs was sort of “off-topic” to the original question that was posted. But, now I see that another “Frogg Togg” fan has made reference to my deleted response.
So, for anyone who might be interested, below is the link contained in the reply that I deleted.

http://www.froggtoggs.com/technology.asp

jbreen said:

The outer fabric of my precip is holding up well, but like others, the inner membrane on the back below the hood and on the shoulders is flaking off after 5 years.

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Had the same problem with my first Precip, the lining wearing away on the shoulders and where the hood meets the back. I figured it was from wearing the Precip under my daypack.

I sent it back to Marmot and they replaced it, no questions asked. Well, they did ask one question: what color I wanted.

The Precip is not a heavy duty jacket and is not meant to be (or advertised as) waterproof. It is great when you need to pack something away in case of showers, and also works well in urban environments. It's done fine on my limited bushwhacks, although I tend to avoid a lot of bushwhacking in the rain.

I like Marmot's designs, pricing, and corporate attitude, and will get another Precip if necessary.

I still have my old flaked off precip. Maybe I'll try to return it

I bought the Marmot precip jacket ..orange..and pants..black.. years ago..

While I carry the pants as emergency wind and rain gear most of the year I didn't like the jacket all that well..good for wind..not for water..seemed to trap as much inside as it kept out unless in a torrential down pour..

That being said..i would guess still a great value for the price

I treated myself to paclite fabric a couple of winters ago for my jacket and love its breatablity and windproofness..wears like iron as well

Don't see a 'reply', so I hope this hits.

Not been in a downpour, but the 'precip' has worked so far. Only complaint is that, at the suggestion of Campmor staff, I bought a X-L size, in which i am swimming. Hopefully the extra room will help 'breathing', but the excessive flapping in strong wind is killing me. Screw the Campmor staff for that input.