Game-Changing Material
After using my Marmot PreCip Eco in Ireland for a week, I felt the need to get something softer, stretchier, and more breathable. I went to REI and looked at every "stretch" rain jacket they had. Not a single one was near as stretchy or soft as the Outset, even ones costing upwards of $400. It's light and packable. Not as packable as competitors, but the softness and stretch make the trade-off worth it. The material holds its form better than other packable jackets, which is the main difference in packability, I believe. My photo shows the Marmot PreCip Eco on the left, and the Outset on the right. It's about 40% larger when packed down and definitely won't fit into some of the pockets or crannies I can use with the PreCip. Note that the PreCip is not a stretch jacket, but it's what I have on hand at the moment to compare. From previous tests, the PreCip has comparable packability to the stretch Outdoor Research Stratoburst, which would be a more direct competitor to this jacket. Because the material holds its form and isn't crunchy or wrinkly like most rain jackets, this looks more professional. At least, as professional as anything with a hood can look. You can also see from the pic how much less this material wrinkles compared to a typical rain jacket. Nomatic markets this as breathable. I haven't had a chance to test in real conditions yet, but the feel of the material makes me think the claim is plausible. Wearing it around the house, it never felt stuffy. When not wearing the hood, it pulls back on the zippered front which forces the zippered side into my neck. I really don't like this. So far, I don't have a good workaround, but I have a few more ideas to try. It is tight! I had to exchange my L for an XL. A lot of rain jackets are built to allow layering, but this one is not. So, you'll definitely need to size up if you think you'll ever wear a sweater or thermal jacket underneath. Even without layering, the L was just tight in my stomach area (I do have a belly, but I can generally still wear L in other products). So, it's not perfect. But there is nothing else I can find on the market that is even close to the softness and stretch of this, so it's still a 5* for those reasons.
