Product Review: Greg's Jacket

November 19, 2003

Marmot Minima Jacket
Suggested Retail: $250
Colors Available: electric blue, real red, cypress green, black
Sizes Available: S-XXL (size tested: L)

Score: 3.5 Gregs (Out of 4)

We at The WiRE are just getting rolling. We’re flying by the seat of our pants, counting the pennies to make the dollars, and living out every other frugality cliché you can think of. We don’t have money to spend on frivolous items such as jackets, and we haven’t been able to convince anyone to send us any gear to review.

But, we are resourceful. And lucky. As fate would have it, my friend Greg recently visited from Switzerland for a hiking/camping trip along Carter Dome ridge in the White Mountains and forgot his brand new Marmot Minima jacket. And it happens to be just my size.

So, here’s a review:

The Minima jacket is a lightweight (Gore-Tex Pac-Lite PL3 fabric), breathable shell that is ideal for outdoor autumnal activities. It features pit zips, a hood, Velcro cuffs, and virtually every other feature normally found on a top-of-the-line winter ski jacket by Marmot. It is perfect (for example) for light and fast hiking, leaf-peeping, watching cyclocross races or mountain biking in the ever-changing weather of New England.
If the sun breaks through the clouds and the temperature climbs too high, the Minima jacket can be balled up into a tiny, 16 oz. ball (sorry Greg). It looks sharp. So far I haven’t gotten any catcalls from passing women, but I feel cool wearing it around town. And fashionable: I believe electric blue is the new black for this season.

Based on the number of e-mails and phone calls I’ve received from Greg over the past few weeks trying to convince me to send it back to him, his review of the jacket is favorable too. If you have any other questions about the jacket, feel free to call Greg at his home in Epalinges, Switzerland at (country code 41) 021-784-3450. And if you talk to him, tell him the jacket is in the mail.

Likes: Lightweight, versatile, quality-construction.
Dislikes: Too light—shipping costs are not an excuse for not sending it back to Greg.