Reviews > Clothing > Jackets and Vests > Marmot Flurry > Raymond Estrella > Test Report by Ray Estrella

MARMOT FLURRY JACKET
TEST SERIES BY RAYMOND ESTRELLA
LONG-TERM REPORT
March 07, 2007

CLICK HERE TO SKIP TO THE FIELD REPORT
CLICK HERE TO SKIP TO THE LONG-TERM REPORT

TESTER INFORMATION

I have been backpacking for over 30 years, all over the state of California, and also in Washington, Minnesota, Nevada, Arizona, Idaho and Utah. I hike year-round, mostly in the Sierra Nevada, and average 500+ miles (800+ km) per year. As I start my 4th decade of backpacking I am making the move to lightweight gear, and smaller volume packs. I start early and hike hard so as to enjoy the afternoons exploring. I usually take a freestanding tent and enjoy hot meals at night. If not hiking solo I am usually with my brother-in-law Dave or fiancée Jenn.

INITIAL REPORT

Product Information

Manufacturer: Marmot Mountain, LLC
Web site: www.marmot.com
Product: Flurry Jacket
Style #: 5026
Year manufactured: 2006
MSRP: $150.00 (US)
Weight listed: 21 oz (605 g) Verified weight: 31 oz (879 g)
Color tested: Bonfire
Colors available: Ionic Blue, Fire, Black
Size tested: Extra Large (also available in Small, Medium and Large)
Warranty: (Quoted from web site), "We warrant every product we make to be free of manufacturer defects. Should you have a warranty issue, return the item to us. We will repair it if possible or replace all valid warranty items."

Product Description

The Marmot Flurry Jacket (hereafter referred to as the Flurry or jacket) is a light weight, synthetic fill jacket. It arrived with three hang tags attached. One had the size, color, style number and name, one was an ad for a trekking give-away, and the last talked about Marmot and had some jacket info on the back. (The information shared is included in the Product Information section above.) I requested an extra large to accommodate my long arms and to allow me plenty of layering room, should I need it. It fits well.

The outer shell is made of "Cubic P-190" nylon. I can not find any information about the fabric on the printed materials or the web site. It is what they call Bonfire in color. I call it orange. I ran it under the faucet and water rolls off it nicely. It held a bead in a fold quite well. From what I can decipher on the "Technology" section of the web site it does not use a Durable Water Repellent, rather a "WR (Water Repellent) basic flouro-carbon based resin. Used on linings were DWR is less critical." As I expect to be in snow much more than rain this hopefully will prove to be adequate.

Up on the left chest area is a zippered pocket big enough to hold a map and glasses. Goggles are a tight fit though. The orange zipper is a flat-style closer. It has an orange round nylon pull with a plastic end that is easy to grab even with mittens on. On the pocket the "Marmot" name as been stitched with orange thread. On the right arm at bicep level a round orange Marmot "M" logo has been applied. A matching one is on the back, centered between my shoulder blades.

On the lower front of the jacket are two flat-zippered pockets lined with micro-fleece. These pockets are very spacious. I can put my hands in them with my largest gloves on. I like this. They also have the orange zipper pulls. The zippers are not water-proof. (I am drying out the pocket as I write this…) At the very bottom of the jacket body is an orange pull-cord that allows me to cinch the jacket tight against my waist to help block out wind, and retain heat. The cord pulls are accessed from inside the side pockets, and can be tightened from the inside. But to loosen them again I must access the tethered cord locks inside of the jacket proper.

The Flurry has an orange YKK nylon zipper running down the front of it. This zipper is double ended allowing it to be opened from the bottom while the top is closed. It has a zipper pull that is flat and…gray in color! The zipper is backed by a 1 in (2.5 cm) wide orange draft-stop. A piece of nylon webbing has been sewn on to it directly under the zipper to keep it from snagging.

The attached hood sits atop a cadet-style (stand-up) collar. The hood is constructed with a center panel that gives it a much better shape and fit than the two-piece constructed hoods that I have used in the past. The hood is adjustable around the face opening and the jaw-line by the means of orange elastic cords running through tethered cord locks. The hood has a brim which is another feature I like in a winter jacket.

The cuffs have an elastic band sewn in, and have orange Velcro closures to allow them to be snuggly closed around my wrist. The sleeves are cut with what Marmot calls "Angel-wing Movement, a Marmot exclusive: a jacket and sweater design whereby armholes and sleeves have been engineered to allow your arms every-which-way movement." It is my feeling that means that they let the armpit drop a little lower than is the norm. My Marmot Down Sweater and Plasma Parka are made the same way.

The inside is lined with dark gray "Flashback P-220 nylon. Retro ripstop downproof lining fabric". I think what makes it "retro" is the cool psychedelic pattern it has. It is very silky feeling. I wore it with a t-shirt the day I received it and it felt great.

Centered inside of the jacket, where the collar meets the body, is an orange and gray flat nylon hang loop with two Marmot "M"s on it. Underneath it is a sewn-in "Marmot" label. Directly under the label is a tag stating "Made in China", along with the size. Attached to a side seam inside the jacket, on the left, are four consumer tags with a material list, some mystery numbers, and laundering instructions printed on them. (They are; close all fasteners, machine wash cold, tumble dry warm, do not bleach, iron, dry clean or use fabric softener. (Uh, I'm a guy. That won't be a problem! What is fabric softener?)

An inside zippered pocket is large enough to hold a 1 qt/L water bottle with room to spare. It also doubles as a stuff sack but is quite a chore to do so at home. I was worried I was going to tear the fabric. I'll see later how feasible it is in adverse conditions. Here is a picture of it stuffed into its pocket-sack. As can be seen the sack follows the shape of the lining where it goes around the sleeve. It is roughly 11 x 11 x 5 in (28 x 28 x 13 cm) in size when packed.

The collar and top 4 in (10 cm) of the zipper's draft-stop has been lined with DriClime fabric. This is how Marmot explains the fabric. "DriClime® fabrics are 'plaited' bi-component denier gradient knits made of two distinct layers of 100% polyester yarns. The layer closest to the skin has a larger denier yarn and a brushed surface, which decreases the surface area next to, and contact with, the skin allowing for greater movement of perspiration to the outer layer. The outer layer has a smaller denier yarn with higher surface area, which powerfully pulls moisture away from the body and allows it to spread out and evaporate."

The reason for its use on the Flurry is to manage moisture caused by condensation from my breathing. It will be interesting to see how this does.

The Flurry is insulated with Primaloft Sport insulation. Here is what Marmot says about it. "High loft insulation from Primaloft, Sport is a blending of micro and macro denier fibers to maximize softness, durability and compressibility. Superior water repellent finish for warmth when wet and fast drying."

The insulation appears to be in sheet form, and feels to be no more than a half inch (1.75 cm) thick anywhere in the jacket. It has no baffles and with the exception of a seam in the lower section of the sleeves, none of the seams are sewn through. The Primaloft is attached only to the outer shell, the lining slides freely past it in all areas but the sleeve seam mentioned.

As this is my first jacket with Primaloft insulation I will be very interested to see how such a thin layer will do at keeping me warm. So far in the two days since I received it I have been wearing it in 25 F (-4 C) weather with good results.

This concludes the Initial Report of the Marmot Flurry. The following reflects the first two months of use.

FIELD REPORT

Field Conditions

I have used the Flurry at Itasca and Maplewood State Parks in Minnesota in November and December. Temps were down to 3 F (-16 C) with winds to 20 mph (32 km/h).

I used the Flurry in the Wasatch Mountains of Utah for one week in December. The temperatures there ranged from 5 to 28 F (-15 to -2 C). There was about 3' (1 m) of snow, with some fresh powder a couple of the days. I was snowed on during one day's hiking.

Observations

I recieved a pleasant surprise when I got back to California from my last Minnesota trip. A very nice looking blue Flurry Jacket was waiting for me at the office. As this is a much better color for me all testing will be done with the blue model. (I gave the orange jacket as a Christmas present to the handicapped daughter of a friend that just loved the orange color as it is one of her school colors.)

I have been pretty impressed so far by the Flurry. I was concerned as to the insulating attributes of the Primaloft Sport, but it is very warm for as thin as it is. On one cold day in Minnesota the wind was very biting. While my legs and hands were cold, my torso and arms stayed warm in the Flurry. It does a good job blocking wind.

While in Utah in the middle of December I wore the Flurry to snowshoe on a 17 F (-8 C) day with light snow falling off and on. I only wore a lightweight zip-neck top under it. It kept me plenty warm enough. But one thing I found a bit disconcerting was that my body heat melted snow on the jacket which seemed to be thoroughly wetted out when I got back to the trailhead. After getting back home from Utah I checked this in the kitchen, and sure enough, it does wet out. The DWR does not seem to be up to snuff. I will say that I never felt any moisture making it to my body.

On a 10 mile (16 km) day in Utah the temp was 13 F when I took off, climbing to 17 F (-8 to -11 C) then plummeting back down to its starting point near the end. I was wearing only a Prana short sleeve T-shirt under the Flurry. It was cold enough to wear the hood. (I did not bring a separate hat so as to test this use.) Within about two miles I got warm enough to want to vent the jacket. (I am a very hot-blooded hiker.) I tried opening the zippers on the pockets to let some heat out. It did not help noticeably. To drop the hood worked, but my ears would start freezing in a few minutes, so it would have to go back on. I played with the front zipper the whole day, alternating between two-thirds down and full zipped up. Here is a picture with my hiker girl in some fresh Utah snow.

LONG-TERM REPORT

Field Conditions

January and February saw the cold temps finally hit Minnesota. I wore the Flurry in -18 F up to 0 F (-28 to -18 C) in about 4 in (10 cm) of snow. The wind was blowing up to 30 mph (48 km/h) making for some wicked wind chills.

The same months and March saw temps in California to 20 F (-7 C) and a lot of higher elevations on trips in the San Bernardino Mountains and the San Jacinto Mountain range. All trips during this phase have been in snow.

Observations

I continue to be impressed by the Flurry's insulating abilities. I have been convinced that down is not the only way to go to keep warm and have a compressible package.

It got bitterly cold in Minnesota. In February we had lows to -30 F (-34 C). What made it worse were the high winds that blast across the flat terrain. The Flurry did an admirable job of keeping me warm. I was out in it at -18 F (-28 C) and was fine as far as my torso went. But the wind would blast inside of the jacket every time I opened the pockets. The first time I was completely caught off-guard by it. The wind rushed into the pocket and puffed the jacket up like a balloon. I looked liked the Michelin Man. A very cold Michelin Man. It emptied all of the built up warmth in a mater of seconds. It made me realize how much warmth I was getting from the Flurry, and how well it blocked wind. A couple more times of this happening has cured me of opening the pockets in the wind.

In California I carried it on trips to San Gorgonio Peak and Mount San Jacinto, but only used it while stopped to eat, or resting on the peaks. I just get too hot trying to climb in it especially with a pack on. But it sure is nice to dig out of the pack once I have stopped for a while. Here is a picture eating lunch at 10000' (3200 m) on the way up to the peak of Mount San Jacinto.

Reviews > Clothing > Jackets and Vests > Marmot Flurry > Raymond Estrella > Test Report by Ray Estrella