New Marmot Oracle

[dreamingbig]

Hey guys, I am thinking of picking this up as my light-weight rain shell. It seems like a good all around value. I spent about an hour at the REI flagship in Seattle looking at the different mountaineering rain shells and while I liked some better than this they were out of my budget.

I wanted to spend less than $200 and I wanted pit zips for extra breathability. The fabric on this shell is much quieter than the paclite goretex shells I looked at or the eVent shells. I ended up bringing one home and will probably put it through a couple of spring rain storms here in the PNW to see how it does.

Also, I liked the color choice of Fatigue/Forest as the best non camo color choice. Anothe thing I was thinking was that I could wear my Kuiu vest over the top of the shell for extra protection and reduce noise. Yes I would be sacrificing this base layer until it dried out but I would also have two Kuiu merino wool tops plus the guide jacket an the spindrift jacket.

Here is a link to the jacket.... Am I crazy for considering this route? I love the look of the Kuiu chugach but I can't stomach the $300 price tag yet.

http://www.rei.com/product/809455/marmot-oracle-rain-jacket-mens

 

[dreamingbig]

Uh oh... I must be really off base. I am going to give it a whirl for a few weekends this spring.

 

[Ryan Avery]

Looks like it would work. Let us know how it works for you.

 

[Evan Williams]

Keep in touch on here and like Ryan said...let us know...you have now become our ginny pig

 

[dreamingbig]

Thanks guys. I will let you know how it goes. The previous version of this jacket seemed to get pretty good reviews from several different websites.

 

[TrevorKaech]

I have used the Marmot PreCip for a season and since have used it at work. Seems to work real well. Curious why you aren't looking at the PreCip? Durability maybe? The PreCip is pretty lightweight. Stay out of the blackberries. I haven't seen the Oracle in person, but the PreCip is half the cost, comes in a better color (subjective), and is 4 ounces lighter. No matter your choice, I believe you'll no doubt stay dry.

 

[dreamingbig]

I looked hard at the PreCip and this is what I came away with.... 1. It was noisier in my highly scientific scratch test in the store 2. The PreCip uses a different waterproof membrane; the orcale uses the MemBrane strata (•MemBrain® Strata™ 2.5 waterproof, breathable laminate reduces internal condensation to effectively increase your comfort range without weighing you down) and 3. The hood can be removed and has a more heavy duty visor.

All small things but I wanted to see if it was in fact more breathable than the PreCip. My wife has a PreCip and loves it but she has only worn it around town.

Btw, by the better color, do you mean black or fatigue? The oracle comes in fatigue.

 

[TrevorKaech]

Sounds like the Oracle will suit you perfect. Let us know how it works out. I was just making sure you didn't overlook the PreCip and you obviously did not.

It looks like the Oracle only comes in Forest/Fatigue and the Forest color looks near neon green to me. Quite bright. Deal breaker for me.