Marmot Mica Jacket -
First Look
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Price:
£90
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Weight: 192
grammes (medium)
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Features: Ultra-lightweight waterproof
shell jacket, 2.5-layer MemBrain Strata fabric, fully taped,
full-length water resistant zip, adjustable hood, adjustable
cuffs and hem, twin hand warmer pockets, reflective details,
Marmot Angel-Wing cut.
Also available in women's
version, the Crystalline Jacket.
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What's It
For?
Simple, minimalist ultra-lightweight jacket aimed squarely at the less
is more crowd, so adventure racers, runners, mountain bikers,
lightweight walkers. Marmot's big claimed advantage is unparalleled
breathability at this price level.
The Techy
Bits
The Mica is all about Marmot's new 2.5 -layer MemBrain Strata fabric,
the inside of which is claimed to be four to four times more abrasion
resistant than their regular MemBrain fabrics. The pattern on the
inside of the fabric protects the lamination and also gives a dry feel
against the skin.
It's also claimed to be very, very breathable - the MVT, moisture
vapour transfer, test figures of 20,000 gr are in the eVent ball park
and it has a 20,000mm hydrostatic head, also right up there.
Black internal grid pattern
protects laminate from damage
Marmot says that its laminated fabric is around 100 per-cent more
breathable than 2.5 layer coated fabrics on the market.
The rest of the jacket is, as you might expect, quite minimal though
you get a water-resistant main zip and two pockets. It's all about
attention to detail, so the hood volume adjustment, for example, is a
weight-saving Velcro tab rather than a heavier cord. Small savings, but
they all add up.
How It
Performed
We've used plenty of very light jackets before, but what blew us away
with the Mica was just how breathable it was. Normally running or
biking in a lightweight waterproof shell results in a sweat bath. Not
with the Mica - of course you'll still get hot working hard, but it
really is a cut above anything else we've used other than eVent, which
is amazing given the £90 price tag.
Put simply, you stay more comfortable for longer and the filmy, almost
translucent fabric lacks the nasty, slimy feel agains the skin you half
expect from it.
Cut is medium short and neat, but not restrictive, we could happily
wear a microfleece under our test jacket. It also stayed well anchored
when reaching up and out in scrambling or biking mode. The hood is
actually surprisingly protective for a minimalist jacket, okay, the
peak isn't particularly stiff, but we were actually pleasantly
surprised by how well it works though there's a slight tendency for
your head to turn within the hood.
Everything else works well. Simple Velcro cuff tabs and shock-corded
hem are easy to use and functional, though the narrow wristed may find
the smallest closure on the cuffs too loose for ultimate lock-down
scenarios. The pockets are fouled by pack belts, but to be honest, we wouldn't
advise using the Mica regularly with a pack. A chest pocket would have
been nice, maybe in lieu of the existing ones.
Wow, light, massively packable in stow and forget it's there sort of
way and also amazingly breathable and all for £90. That
enhanced breathability really is the icing on the cake and blows away
anything else this light we've used. And yes, it's waterproof too. So
far it's all good news.
Buy if
you're looking for an affordable, ultra-lightweight waterproof jacket
that's also improbably breathable.
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Weight, price, breathability and it's a nice cut and a lovely colour
too.
 Cuff closure
may be too wide for some small wrists.
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Know more or want to?
If you'd like to add your own
experiences of this
product check out our user review system and post your opinions to
the world. If you have questions you can mail
us direct, ask
Richard Gear or try
a posting to our
gear
forum.
Jonathan Quirk
