Suggestions for climbing jacket

when i was bumming around yos last year ... that gentlemen who always takes photos was hanging around camp4 ... people who did nose runs would come up to him and ask him if they took some photos of em

the first thing he asked was "what was your colours?" ... if it was grey, brown, black, etc ... you were SOL ... shiny colours got the standout photos

there have been several SARs around here where people have gotten lost, and they have been much harder to find according to the teams because they didnt wear bright colours ...

i like subdued colours myself ... but im starting to bling myself out for the aforementioned reasons ;)

BirminghamBen wrote:I have worm my OR Ferrosi halfzip (no hood) almost every day since I got it for Christmas. Very abrasion and wind resistant, would satisfy your fit criteria. Not extremely warm, but definately adds more warmth than the thinner windshirts such as Marmot Ion or Trailwind. A bit less warmth than the DriClime, which is also a favorite piece. Like RAB, OR tends to keep it pushing, in my opinion. My new favorite all-conditions combination for upper body warmth is a synthetic tee, Patagonia R1, and OR Ferrosi. During winter, with R1 and softshell bottoms.

Another +1 for the Ferrosi Windshirt. I've had mine for almost two years and it goes just about everywhere with me. Treat it with DWR once a year and it resists light rain, shove it through an offwidth and it comes out looking new, flexible enough to use on my mountain bike, and breathable enough for a run in cooler weather. Protects against wind and wears well with a light fleece underneath. Throw a puffy over the top for cold belays. For the price I don't think I have seen anything I like half as much.

Marmot DriClime Windshirt!

Ray Pinpillage wrote: The ROM is very breathable....Ferosi hoody...It is in the same league as Arcteryx Squamish or Patagonia Houdini but a little more durable.

I disagree with this.

The ROM is windstopper which is basically stretchy material with goretex laminate. It breathes as well (well poorly) as goretex does it just doesn't have taped seems.

The Ferrosi (which I am a huuuuuge fan of) is a true softshell (i.e. it blocks wind due to the tight nature of the weave) and is quite heavier than the ripstop nylon (poor breathability) Squamish and Houdini (i.e. 17 oz versus 6-7 oz).

The Ferrosi is and always will be my go to jacket for anything short of ice or Fall through Spring alpine climbing. Incredibly durable, blocks wind and breathes like a champ. It probably could handle winterish conditions with a heavy weight base layer underneath and carrying a UL wind shirt like the houdini.

Allen Corneau wrote:Marmot DriClime Windshirt!

Yep...I am actually using mine today as a layer under my down jacket. Surprisingly warm, very durable, perfect for a fall rock climbing jacket, and a very versatile piece given the air it traps between layers

I have been climbing with the Marmot Windshirt for years and I think it's the perfect jacket. Packs in its own pocket and clips on your harness while you're leading a pitch, unpacks in a jiffy - the super light two-layer aspect is awesome. It's got some windblocking ability and also a warm, soft inner layer.