Marmot Alpinist Jacket

After having my last Marmot jacket for 14+ years, I decided to splurge and get a new one. I found the Alpinist on sale and decided to go for it.

This jacket is much more 'fitted' than my last jacket, and significantly lighter. The lining that protects the gore-tex is very thin and breathable, and it is bonded to the outer fabric. This makes this jacket significantly lighter in weight and warmth than my old Marmot and less bulky. I find that I wear a light fleece layer underneath when it's cold outside to stay warm.

Since this jacket is not as roomy, you can't pack on a lot of layers under it. I have a heavy Marmot polartec liner from my old coat that does work (better than I expected!), but it seemed kinda tight in the arms. However, I did still have plenty of range of movement due to the design of the arms, and it wasn't uncomfortable once on. (Size note: I'm 6'2", 195lb - I got the XL and it fits perfectly)

I really like the new hood design Marmot is using. It gets pretty windy here in Colorado. My old coat would catch the wind and blow off when up (which sucks when it's raining), or turn into a giant balloon when down. The new design stays put and comfortable when adjusted.

This has been a great coat for me over the last month or so. We've had a nice variety of cold, snow, and warm days, so it's been put to the test (No rain yet). Breathability is great - I don't feel like I'm sitting in a sauna when I start heating up. I haven't tested the durablity, but it seems well constructed.

Final Verdict: An awesome all purpose jacket, but not a warm one. That's a plus for me since it's going to be my all purpose jacket.. It's all about layering. This is the one and only outer shell you'll need. Light enough for spring storms, tough enough for skiing or hiking. It looks great wearing it around town (not the baggy loose look at all) and is easy to handle.

Downsides:
Sometimes I do wish it had a little bit more warmth to it so that I don't always have to carry an extra layer, but I'll be glad it doesn't come spring.

Price. Watch for sales. SAC FTW

I currently have an XL Alpinist jacket I got in 1999 that still looks brand new and performs great except for 2 things. Its big & heavy and the sleeves leak between the elastic cuff and the rest of the sleeve. I just got back from a trip where we backpacked for 10 to 12 hours in a constant 35 degree rain and I stayed completely dry except for my forearm.

Now that they have gotten rid of the elastic cuff, cut out the lining, and have more breathable fabric on the market its time to upgrade. After reading the sizing chart and some reviews I got this new model in a size L from SAC on a sick deal. The fit is great with a microfleece or similar underneath. Its a little tight over my XL Patagonia R4 jacket which by itself fits perfectly. The sleeves feel a little tight, as others have mentioned, mostly in the shoulders. I think this is because of the cut for the angel wing movement (that works perfect) and the stiff zipper on the pits keeping the pit pushed up further than normal. I am confident that once I get some break-in time, the stiff pits and extremely high collar will get more comfortable. I got this for backpacking so I need the cut to be tight to prevent the excess baggage I experience under my hip-belt with my old Alpinist. I am 6'4" & 215 and if I were looking for an around-town jacket to pair with a 200 or 300 fleece I would have to up-size.

I have a lot of marmot and the Gore-tex proshell is a no brainer so quality and waterproofness/breathability is a non-issue for me with this product.

Also, as someone else already mentioned, the Terra color is sweet and not as represented on-line. Its a burnt orange/rust color with black zippers. Great for those wet Virginia Tech football games!

I own an earlier version Alpinist Jacket which now has hundreds of days on it, mostly mountaineering, winter backcountry, and heli skiing. The construction is absolutely reliable. The long length, hood, sleeves are excellent. Pockets, powder skirt excellent. Marmot still keeps a slight flap over the front zipper, a smart design for redundancy even in this day of waterproof zippers. Having once damaged a zipper on a lesser quality jacket on a climb, I refuse to go on serious remote trips with the modern arcteryx style single zipper with no flap. The zip out powder skirt on the new version is a nice feature, as the skirt adds warmth in high winds not to mention keeping snow out, absolute necessity if you are stuck out somewhere or in an emergency bivouac situation. The gore-tex should be washed regularly, and the finish periodically re-newed with the repellency treatment sold by gore. With that, my jacket has worked wonderfully even though the original fire engine red fabric has faded to a pastel.

I've had mine for 3 weeks now. During the recent east coast wintry mix it has been dry as a bone and no issues - pit zips vent well and quality appears to be everything I would expect from a $425 jacket.

Fit is a little strange but on me it hasn't been large as others describe. Mine is a bit slimmer than I'm used to - at first I thought it might be constricting but the "angel wing" construction actually does allow full range of movement (went cragging for a day and had no major issues). I'm 5'11", 170 lbs and certainly couldn't have gone down a size. I could have gone up a size, but M is probably the right one (I wear M in all other Marmot stuff). As others mention, It IS long, but not large (that's what she said).

great jacket! i am 5'10" and 185 lbs. and wear the large. this is my winter mountaineering shell and can layer up with several layering options with this including primaloft and puffy down. the fit is long in the torso and sleeves, but this is a good thing when reaching and lifting arms overhead. i like the snowskirt option and that it has a storm flap over the front zipper. i also like the fact that you can zip yourself right up in this thing like a turtle in its shell. the hood has good adjustability and accommodates a helmet well. i would buy this again if needed. if you want to feel like superman in the elements, this is the jacket.

Solid as a rock. I have this and an Arc'Teryx Theta AR. The alpinist works well in everything cold and wet, a bit more than you need in the warm rains we sometimes get in washington. Works well while skinning up and shredding down. Breaths well, looks good, fits great. I have a large, i'm 5'11" and about 175lbs. I like my jackets a bit baggy and this works perfect. My Theta AR is a medium and fits a bit tighter. The only thing I wish this coat had is wrist gaiters. And that's only because I wear DaKine gloves that go under the sleeve. If i wore gloves that went over the coat it wouldn't be a problem at all.

This jacket is pretty big. I usually wear XL but the marmot XL is bigger than other brands. The hood is huge and I really like it because I can wear it over any helmet I want. The collar literally comes up to your nose so you can tuck in your chin or even cover most of your face if you need to but you can adjust the hood. Nice pitzips, chest pockets, removable powder skirt and zippers. Very high quality and great attention to detail.

Marmot Alpinist jacket is definitely up there with flagship jackets like Norrona Lofoten, Arc'teryx Alpha SV, Haglofs Spitz and TNF Free Thinker jackets.

I will enjoy jacket for many years to come.

I've got an old, old model of this jacket (late 90s). Absolutely bombproof design, great quality of execution. A very rugged, functional piece.

The only downside is the choice of fabric. Marmot seems to be locked to WL Gore, and having owned both Goretex and eVent jackets, I can confidently say that eVent blows Goretex away. To the extent that my new purchases a driven by fabric rather than clothing brand. I used to buy exclusively Marmot/Patagonia, now I buy Montane or RAB.

If you're not fussed about fabric, the Marmot is a good quality choice.

The jacket quality is top notch. Can't argue about that.

Given the opportunity to try one on in a store I would have bought a Medium. I did however follow the sizing guide on the Marmot website as well as Steep and Cheap when I bought it. I fit into the Large category, and the jacket fits, but it is definitely LARGE.

I am 6'1" and 180 lbs. I would definitely liked to have been able to try on a Medium, though, given the charts I have a feeling a medium would have been too small.

I really wanted to keep this shell when I got it but it was way too small for me in the Large. For Reference I'm 6 FT 220lbs. The arms and shoulders were way to tight for me. I think an XL would have fit better but the length would have been too long and clumsy. I liked the fabric and am considering the Marmot Torre for my next ski shell purchase.