by sthughes » Tue 01 May, 2012 3:22 pm
It really does everything it says it will - technically. It just doesn't "breathe" much (main gripe considering all the hype), the pockets are a bit hard to use, it weighs a ton, it's not nearly as long as I expected, it's much bigger in the body than I expected, the hood is hard to adjust with gloves on (and isn't as good as my Montane anyway), the "little" pocket is hard to get open with gloves on, the reflective bits are pealing off and I noticed on the weekend the light blue stuff under the arms is beginning to wear a lot considering the amount of use (hence deciding not to sell as my "as new" statment was no longer true). At $150 I'd say it's a great jacket, but at almost $600 just a joke.
Just theorizing on the weekend - half the breathing issues might be that pretty much the entire front of the jacket is at least 2 layers thick of heavy event fabric. Then there is the lousy DWR everybody is talking about.
As for returning - without a receipt or even an accurate idea of when I got it an exchange would be the best I could hope for, so I'd be bugger all better off for the hassle.
"Don't do today what you can put off 'till tomorrow." (Work that is!)