Marmot Precip or Patagonia Super Shell

“I heard that with the marmot Precip carring large loads will cause the jacket to lose its waterproofness. Due to a coating on the jacket rather than a waterproof fabric. Under extreme use the jacket may have a lifetime up to 2 years or so.

Supercell has the same coating but is between to fabrics, there for it will many of last years.

The precip weighs like 11oz and the super cell is 14oz. Same pockets and arm zippers.


***know this is what I was told, true or not, o well****

what do you all think??”

“Had not heard that about the "Precip". Just got one so I hope it is BS.”

“I think it's pretty tough to project the life of a jacket that exact. There's too many variables to say something will only last two years or for that matter two months. I haven't had my Precip 2 year yet so I can't comment on life span other than that it's still working OK. I have a friend that's so hard on gear he'd be lucky to get more than a year out of anything.”

“I think you are splitting hairs with the coating on the fabric/waterproof fabric idea.
Have you ever seen them impregnate (yes that is the correct term) polyester? IMO it's the same thing.

Just my 2 cents.”

“I guess I should clarify that 'waterproof' fabric is coated. It is just coated prior to weaving.”

“Had a precip for the past two years. Have had no problems with leaks.”

“Here's a link

http://www.fabriclink.com/pk/x-finish.html”

“Just because a fabric is 'waterproof' (implying the yarn was treated prior to weaving the fabric) does not mean it will outperform a 'coating' (implying a coating was applied added after the jacket was made or the material was woven). It has to do with the chemistry and how good the process is.

In other words, you can't generalize that all jackets that receive a coating are bad and all waterproof fabrics are good. Either one can break down because of bad engineering (i.e, bad chemistry).”

“so BIZ, which jacket would you suggest??

or have you tried any of these?”

“the precip has been good for me . . . get a green one and you'll match me and CMB! lol!”

“the patagonia has the same treatment but it's not on the surface, it's in between layers? if you got it then i dont' understand, which im not ruling out.”

“My precips failed in Montana!

The jacket leaked in the shoulders (~1 year old). I bought the spray but didn't have time to treat the jacket between trips. My Patagonia 4R jacket was wet at the shoulder area for the Winds trip, but I stayed warm.

My fleece pants got wet under the precip pants (~2 yrs old) and I had to replace them for the Winds trip. No one carries XS, so I had to buy S, which I swam in. They did fine for the next trip and I was glad I had them.

I guess the weekly use wears it out too? I washed the jacket, stuck it in the dryer and used the waterproof spray. I'll test it in the rain, if we ever get rain in CA again! The Sierras are on fire now!!! (at least yesterday it was, you couldn't see Mt Whitney from the highway when we left)”

“I knew some one actually used there jackets!!! Thanks Snow Nymph.


Man everything out west is either on fire or has done burnt up!”

“Prowler,

Several folks in the Ozark Highlands Trail association wore the Precip jackets during last seasons thru hike series. I don't recall any product problems. They were worn in several rains, sleet, snow and almost everynight as a windbreaker. The average backpack weights carried were ~ 30lbs.

One fellow from Fort Smith put in over 400 miles with his precip. He did the Ozark Highlands Trail and the Ouachita Trail (+) in his precip.

Product Life? I'd say it depends upon how well you take care of your gear. If you are rough on gear you might want a heavier/tougher material to start with regardless of the water proofing method.

Ounces Count!”