Marmot Nabu Neoshell Softshell Highlight

Part of this article was already posted.  This is the rest of it.

One of the most searched Marmot products in the past year has been the Zion jacket, according to the local Marmot sales rep.  That doesn't surprise me.  In a short time after posting Phil's review of the Zion jacket on this blog, it moved up to the second most read review and is still there.  We have been quite impressed with the Zion Jacket over the last year or so, but as was stated in the review, it isn't perfect.  The best part of the jacket is the Neoshell in a softshell application.  It breathes very well without the cool feeling that tends to accompany Neoshell hardshells.  The downside of the jacket is that it's on the heavy side and it is quite warm, making it a little less versatile during the warmer months.

When I saw the Marmot Nabu jacket at summer OR in July, I couldn't wait to get my hands on it.  It seemed to me like they took mine and Phil's complaints about the Zion jacket , fixed them, and called it the Nabu.  I am happy to say that the Nabu jacket showed up at GEAR:30 last week, one of the few placed around that have them this early.

*I haven't been able to use it yet, but from trying it on and checking it out in the store, I have not been disappointed.  I think this could be the ideal foul weather active piece for the whole year.

So, here are some pictures and descriptions of the jacket, as well as some specs.

Nabu Specs

• Weight: 21.6oz (Men's Medium).  In comparison, the Zion weighs 26oz in size Medium
• 2 handwarmer Pockets
• 1 external zip chest pocket
• 1 internal zip pocket with headphone port
• Adjustable cuffs
• Adjustable, helmet-compatible hood (truly helmet-compatible, unlike the current Zion)
• Drawcord hem
• Lightly insulated

Pictures and Descriptions

The Men's Marmot Nabu Jacket.  If you like the Zion, I'm pretty sure you'll love the Nabu.  If you didn't like the Zion, I'm pretty sure you'll like the Nabu.

The women's color.  A vibrant red with blue zippers.  It's a really nice color combination, in my opinion.  So far we've had only good feedback from women on the color and fit of this jacket.

Not sure what happened to the color on this picture, but it is actually the same jacket as above, just a little washed out.  Anyway, there is a single zippered interior pocket on the inside.  It is big enough for a smart phone, wallet, etc.   Taped seams, Neoshell, and the light grid-mesh liner (which help to wick moisture) make this one of the most breathable, fully waterproof jackets on the market.  This used a similar application as Marmot did on the Zion jacket, but used a lighter interior liner fabric and exterior face fabric, which I can only imagine make the jacket more breathable, lighter, but probably less warm.

Detail of the interior grid mesh material.  At first I was calling it a really light grid-fleece liner, but it doesn't really feel much like fleece.  It goes over layers better than fleece, but also isn't quite as soft as fleece.  I think calling it a mesh is more accurate.

Polartec Neoshell in a softshell application.  Neoshell is incredible as a waterproof membrane.  It breathes far better than any other membrane I've used to date.  The downside is that, in a hardshell application, it moves humid air away from the body so efficiently that it can feel a little colder than other waterproof/windproof shells.  Not as ideal to wear while sitting on a cold ski lift.  For example, when I wear a Gore-tex shell, I can plan on the shell adding about 10 degrees of warmth to my layering system, at least until I get sweaty.  And unless I'm cold all day, I almost always get sweaty in Gore-tex.  With Neoshell, it doesn't trap much heat.  When I wear a Neoshell hardshell, I don't plan on it adding any warmth to my layering system, so I dress accordingly.  But I also expect that, if I've dressed correctly for the conditions, I either won't get sweaty during the day, or I'll dry off fairly quickly while still wearing my shell.

In softshell application, I and Phil have found that it breathes even better than in the hardshell (because the liner wicks moisture, I'd imagine), but it doesn't feel as cool as in a hardshell.  You don't get a slight chill when you're resting at the bottom of a frozen waterfall after a 45 minute approach, like you do in the hardshell.  It is just comfortable.  I think that the Neoshell softshell application is the best performing waterproof material so far.

The hood has an aperture drawcord the pulls the hood tight around the face.  The rest of the cord remains on the inside of the jacket.  Though this is clean and keeps the cord from smacking you in the face in high winds, it forces you to unzip the jacket tighten the hood. 

There is a second drawcord at the back of the hood that takes extra volume out of the hood and allows the hood to move with your head.  This hood can actually be worn with a helmet.  More on that in a minute.

I am 6'2", 190 lbs or so, and this is a Medium.  The Medium fits trim with little extra room to layer, but it is still a comfortable fit.  The large was a little roomier and allowed room to layer, but didn't seem too baggy.  I usually go for the trimmer fitting layers, but in this case, I liked the Large better for my size.  I think the medium would be a better fit for those that are under 175-180 lbs or so or you prefer a trimmer fit.  The face fabric on the Nabu is not as stiff as on the Zion, so the medium Nabu is a much more comfortable fit, in my opinion, than the medium Zion.

The hood fits nicely without a helmet.

The hood also fits nicely with a helmet.  The Zion jacket's hood was not quite big enough for a helmet, in my opinion.  When you zip the Zion up with a helmet on, the fabric is super tight across the mouth.  The Nabu has a little more room and is comfortable to wear zipped up with the hood over a helmet.

The hem still pulls up a bit with arms up, but not enough to pull out of a harness.  The cut isn't as good for climbing as the Rab jackets I've used, but it is a little more comfortable cut, especially under the armpits, than the Rab.  The only place I think the cut is a downer is when climbing.  Unfortunately, that's exactly what I want this jacket for.  

The jacket has a drop hem in the back.  The sleeves are a comfortable length on me (I have pretty average arms).  For those that have longer-than-normal arms, the sleeve length may be a little frustrating when climbing in the jacket.  For most people, the length should be fine.

There is great stretch in this jacket.  Because of the stretch and the softer face fabric, it is a very comfortable jacket to move in.  It feels less restricting than the Zion.  It also feels significantly lighter than the Zion.  Even though it is only 4.5oz lighter than the Zion, it feel to me like it's much lighter.  I think that is because the face fabric is thinner and more supple and the wearer has to put in less effort to move in it than the Zion.

More stretch.

Final Observations

Both Phil and I have been very impressed with the Zion jacket, but mostly with the softshell Neoshell fabric.  The jacket itself, needs some work.  Marmot told me that the hood is being revamped on the Zion jacket to better accommodate a helmet.  That's definitely a much needed update.  But there were multiple gripes that we had with the Zion jacket that we felt needed to be addressed.  To review, here they are:

• Hood to small/jacket too trim around the mouth
• Fabric too heavy
• Jacket too warm for shoulder seasons and warmer winter days
• Too many pockets (interior pockets, many exterior pockets, a shoulder pocket, etc)
• Medium fit well in the body but pulled up out of a harness when lifting hands above the head

I think the Marmot Nabu remedies all of these problems, except maybe the jacket pulling up too much when lifting hands above the head.  

The hood is much better than on the Zion.  

The fabric is lighter and more supple, making the jacket feel much lighter than the Zion, even though there's only a 4.5oz difference.  

The grid-mesh liner fabric is much lighter than the fleece used in the Zion jacket, making the jacket less warm (which I consider a good thing, though many may disagree with me on that).  The fact that this jacket is less warm means it's a better 4-season jacket, instead of a cold weather only jacket that I feel the Zion is.

There are less pockets on the Nabu.  Only one less, but that's a start.  They got rid of the arm pocket that is on the Zion.  I like the pockets that are on the Nabu.  They make it a more versatile jacket.  If I was designing the perfect climbing jacket, I would have taken off even more pockets, but the pocket configuration on the Nabu are fine.  They're out of the way of a harness/hipbelt, so I'm happy.

The jacket doesn't come untucked out of a harness when I lift my arms.  This is true about both medium and large sizes.  It does pull up a little and then bellow out over the harness a bit, but most of my jackets do.  This cut is as good for climbing as most any I have tried, Rab and Arc'teryx not included.

Overall I am super impressed with the jacket.  I haven't used it yet in the mountains, so my mind could very well be changed in the coming months, but so far I think it could be one of the best active jackets on the market.

Marmot Nabu Jacket Review/Preview

Women's Marmot Nabu Jacket

One of the most searched Marmot products in the past year has been the Zion jacket, according to the local Marmot sales rep.  That doesn't surprise me.  In a short time after posting Phil's review of the Zion jacket on this blog, it moved up to the second most read review and is still there.  We have been quite impressed with the Zion Jacket over the last year or so, but as was stated in the review, it isn't perfect.  The best part of the jacket is the Neoshell in a softshell application.  It breathes very well without the cool feeling that tends to accompany Neoshell hardshells.  The downside of the jacket is that it's on the heavy side and it is quite warm, making it a little less versatile during the warmer months.

When I saw the Marmot Nabu jacket at summer OR in July, I couldn't wait to get my hands on it.  It seemed to me like they took mine and Phil's complaints about the Zion jacket , fixed them, and called it the Nabu.  I am happy to say that the Nabu jacket showed up at GEAR:30 last week, one of the few placed around that have them this early.

*I haven't been able to use it yet, but from trying it on and checking it out in the store, I have not been disappointed.  I think this could be the ideal foul weather active piece for the whole year.

The rest of this Preview/Review/Article can be found here:

http://www.gearthirty.com/blog/2013/01/31/marmot-nabu-neoshell-jacket-preview/


Updates on the performance of this jacket will come as I get to use this jacket a bit.  Stay tuned.

Lightweight Hardshells introduction

Early this morning, about 4am, I got dressed to go climbing before I had to go to work.  It was raining quite hard and the temperature was hovering around 35 degrees.  We decided to go drytooling instead of rock climbing, figuring we may get more purchase with picks in cracks than rubber on wet rock.  Not only that, drytooling would allow us to wear warm boots and gloves.  Instead of being bummed as is normally the case when rain thwarts our rock climbing plans, I got excited knowing that colder temperatures and wetter weather is a good sign that ice season is approaching.  But drytooling in the rain and sleet meant I needed a jacket that would keep me dry from the elements, but breathe well while I was pulling hard.

Last year I did most of my ice climbing in a softshell.  Only one or two times did I ever wear a hardshell while climbing, and only when it was snowing really wet snow and I'd be out in it for a long time.  In fact, I generally only wear hardshells in really wet and nasty conditions. This morning was a hardshell morning.

In years past, I avoided wearing hardshells except in the worst conditions because I would generally overheat, oversweat, eventually get cold and clammy, and would be uncomfortable.  But, with the progress that has been made with waterproof/breathable membrane technology over the last 3 or 4 years, and especially in the last year or two, I have started working hardshells into my clothing systems again.

This morning I was surprised at how comfortable I was able to stay while climbing hard in a hardshell.  I stayed dry from the outside, even though it was dumping rain/wet snow, and I didn't work up a sweat like usual on the inside.  I was climbing in the Rab Stretch Neo jacket, made of Polartec Neoshell.  My friend was wearing a Mountain Hardwear Drystein jacket made with Mountain Hardwear's proprietary Dry Q membrane.  He stayed pretty dry too, only complaining once that he started to work up a bit of a sweat while pulling the crux of one route while being totally pumped.  We both agree that hardshell technology has come a long way.

So, while it rained hard on us while we were climbing and it continued to rain all day, I thought about the important role that hardshells play.  It has been said, "There is no such thing as bad weather, only inappropriate clothing."  With that in mind, there are certain types of weather that require a hardshell to be considered good weather.

There are a lot of great, new hardshells on the market.  I have the good fortune of inspecting a few of the better ones (in my opinion) that we will be selling at our shop, GEAR:30 in Ogden, Utah.  Because I haven't used most of these jackets yet, I will not be writing reviews on these jackets based on performance.  I will simply try to show the fit, features, and details in a useful way for those that are interested in any of these jackets, but maybe haven't had the opportunity to use or see them in person. For the jackets that I decide to buy and use, I will update the posts with performance information based on my own experience after a few months of use.

The jackets that I will be highlighting are as follows:

• Rab Stretch Neo Jacket - Neoshell - (I actually have used this one, but it's still relatively new and I don't have a lot of mileage in it yet)
• Rab Latok Alpine Jacket - eVent
• Outdoor Research Axiom Jacket - Gore-tex Active Shell - (Outside Gear of the Year 2012)
• La Sportiva Stormfighter - Gore-tex Active Shell - (Outside Gear of the Year 2013)

I will try to highlight one jacket each day, but depending on how busy work is, I may switch to one every other day.  If other jackets become available that fit the category of 'lightweight hardshells,' I will add them to the mix

Marmot Zion (Neoshell) Jacket Review

My friend, main climbing partner, and fellow gear addict Phil graciously agreed to write a review on his Marmot Zion Jacket.  I have eyed this jacket all winter with envy and was anxious to get an in-depth summary of his thoughts.  Here they are:

Marmot Zion Jacket

Phil ice climbing in his Marmot Zion Jacket

Size Large

Catalog weight:  18oz (probably a medium, maybe a small)

Scale weight: 28oz (large); Really, Marmot? Really?  10oz difference?  I guess maybe if they measured a small.

W.L. Gore and Associates patented their first WPB fabric circa 1976 and revolutionized the outdoor clothing industry. Many companies since then have worked to improve the waterproof-breathable category with some nominal improvements (mostly in the total weight of the membrane/treatment and the face fabric that they match it to), but you and I both know that waterproof AND breathable usually aren’t on speaking terms when you’re out huffing it up some canyon. Sure some fabrics will lose that clammy feeling within a few minutes or they may have some pit zips that alleviate the symptoms but unless temps are really low and/or you are not sweating, feeling clammy comes with adding a shell.

Well. . . that’s not exactly the case anymore. Polartec’s new Neoshell membrane has come a long way from our old and beloved Gore-tex partners.

Hiking uphill, 20 degree weather, comfortable in t-shirt and Zion Jacket

For disclosure purposes, I sweat. I sweat a lot! When hiking up to our usual ice cragging area with temps in the 20’s and only wearing a t-shirt, I drip sweat from my brow, my back, my legs, and usually have some beading up on my forearms. I know that is gross. I understand; my wife tells me about it occasionally. However, you need to know that in order to understand how great Neoshell is. This past winter I have used Marmot’s Zion Jacket (featuring neoshell) almost exclusively (I have dabbled in dry-Q elite). With the Zion Jacket I make that same approach wearing my usual silkweight long-sleeve tee, plus the Zion! The results? I still sweat a ton…. But now it gets moved outside the jacket like I’ve been promised it would by so many other fabrics for so long! I dump my pack to get racked up and I’m already dry. Literally.

But enough about the fabric (which is awesome), the jacket as a whole deserves some consideration.

6'3", 185lbs, Zion Jacket in size Large

Hood is a little tight across the mouth/lips with helmet on

I am 6’3” 185lbs. and I have the Zion in a large. The medium fit well, ridiculously well in fact, but had one drawback: on the official harness/jacket untuck meter it was a 9 (totally un-tucked from the harness within 2 ice moves and moving over my gearloops). So I compromised by going with the large that bellows out a little above a harness or hipbelt because of the additional volume (not too much of a compromise in my opinion). Dave Searle's un-tuck meter: http://coldthistle.blogspot.com/2011/12/my-2-pence-on-midlayers-by-dave-searle.html

Marmot paired the neoshell membrane with a super comfy liner fabric (think brushed suede or butter-jersey) and a burly shell fabric that will probably hurt the rock more than the rock will hurt it. It is a soft-shell format that most other companies aren’t doing with neoshell. At first I was a little disappointed with the heavy-handed construction, but have found solace in a few key facts:

First and foremost, the Zion has impressive insulative properties. Good enough in fact to help eliminate a mid layer piece in your layering system. This helps compensate for the heavier nature of this shell without sacrificing too much versatility (more layers can usually handle a broader temperature range) because of how breathable it is – it acts like your midlayer, with the benefit of being stormproof. For example, a normal layering system could be MHW’s wicked lite long tee (5.6oz), Patagucci’s R1 Hoody (12.8oz), and Arcteryx’s Alpha Lt (super sick and 12.9oz); total weight 31.3oz. A layering system with the Zion that will easily handle upper teens and low 20’s while climbing is as follows: MHW’s wicked lite long tee (5.6oz), and the Zion (28oz). That’s it. Simple, and with a total weight of 33.6oz. I figure for 2oz more I have a broader range of comfort without having to stop and remove or add layers. That's pretty sweet. The best part is, when the jacket is on, I really don't notice the extra weight; and this jacket rarely comes off.  If you are venturing into colder climes take the R1 and the Zion (40.8oz for an action suit that will take you to around 0˚ F).

Second, the face fabric has and will continue to stand up to my abuse. I have scuffed this jacket against Ogden quartzite and SLC granite without any sign of wear.

Lastly, the combination of fabrics is exceptionally stormproof and doesn’t make that awful hardshell noise. ‘Nuf said.

The Zion includes 5 pockets: 2 handwarmer pockets, 1 napoleon pocket, 1 sleeve pocket, and 1 internal pocket. All are fleece lined and very comfortable. The two handwarmers are spacious enough for keeping your lead gloves warm and dry and to stash your skins in, while the napoleon is big enough to hold a 12oz drink along with your lip balm and has a headphone portal. I have found that the sleeve pocket works great to hold GU packets or chomps and the internal pocket never gets used. The Velcro adjustment at the cuff works very well for the wrap-around tab configuration they used.  The hood is helmet compatible, and has two adjustments: the usual hood aperture pulls and a rear circumference pull cord help you batten down the hatches and take out volume.

Harness/Hipbelt-compatible pockets with water-resistant zips

One internal zip pocket and soft brushed lining

Now for everyone’s favorite part…the nitpicking!

The two handwarmer pockets that are purported to be hipbelt compatible have a problem I find happens a lot among climbing jackets. The upper portion of the pocket is visible and usable above a harness; still, the lower offending portion is cut off – effectively making the pocket opening smaller. Such is the case with the Zion’s pockets. Though to be fair, the zipper pull is at the top in the closed position so the pockets really are usable with a harness on.

 In my opinion, and for my head, the hood is a little low on volume. With the hood up over a helmet and fully zipped, my chin and lips abut the zipper area forcefully enough for me to usually keep the zipper slightly undone. If it were a perfect hood, it would fit over my helmet, fully zipped, with some room inside to make adjustments or at least offer some more stretch in the fabric.

The last thing is the fit. Like I said, the medium offered a much more trim fit which I usually look for, but the angel-wing technology failed a bit and it would come untucked. The large has extra volume in strange areas that l notice when I’m at home critiquing the jacket, but actually really don't notice when I’m out using it. However, the angel-wing mumbo-jumbo still fails compared to my standard - the Arcteryx Alpha. The Alpha's hem moves about 3" from arms down to arms up. In contrast the Zion moves at least 5". When pinned under a harness the stretch of the fabric helps in this area. In Marmot's defense (I really like their products), many of their other jackets that I own don't move nearly as much as the Zion.

At least 5" of lift in the hem when arms are raised.  I guess they forgot the angel-wing on this one.

All in all this is a very nice jacket. As with all pieces of gear, it could be improved upon. Anyone can take their favorite piece of kit and say, "if this small problem was fixed, this would be perfect." This jacket falls under that category. Yet, even the way it is made right now, it does what I want all gear to do: go unnoticed. I don’t ever have to think, “I’m starting to overheat I’d better fiddle with my pit zips/take off a layer,” or “this is way more wet than I expected, I wish I had brought my hardshell.” And that is well worth its few short comings.

Overall I would give the jacket 4 stars out of 5.  I love everything about this jacket except the minor hood issue and that I had to get a large to keep it tucked into my harness.  It easily establishes itself among the best winter ice and alpine climbing jackets available.