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Reviews > Rain Gear > Jackets and Pants > Marmot Womens Crystalline Jacket > Owner Review by Marina Batzke

MARMOT WOMEN'S CRYSTALLINE JACKET
BY MARINA BATZKE
OWNER REVIEW
March 05, 2015

TESTER INFORMATION

NAME: Marina Batzke
EMAIL: mbbp2013 (at) hotmail (dot) com
AGE: 55
LOCATION: Los Angeles County, California, USA
GENDER: F
HEIGHT: 5' 5" (1.65 m)
WEIGHT: 130 lb (59.00 kg)

I converted from day hiking and car camping to backpacking in spring 2013. Since then, I have selectively purchased new, more lightweight gear, while I still carry some heavier gear from my car camping trips. I always hike with a group and I like the gear talk when in camp. I am a tent camper looking for ways to lighten my pack. My backpacking trips are currently weekend excursions in Southern California, USA. If my business travel allows me to get away, I try to backpack one or two weekends a month.

PRODUCT INFORMATION

Manufacturer: Marmot Mountain LLC
Year of Manufacture: 2013
Made in Vietnam
Model No.: 45720
Manufacturer's Website: http://marmot.com
MSRP: US $160.00
Listed Weight: 6.2 oz (176 g)
Measured Weight: 6.9 oz (196 g) for the Medium size
Listed Center Back Length (Base of neck to bottom of hem): 26.25 in (67 cm)
Measured Center Back Length on my Medium size jacket: 25.75 in (65 cm)
Medium size jacket Arm Length from upper seam to hem: 24 in (61 cm)
Waistband Diameter: 42 in (107 cm)
Other details:
Available in women's sizes XSmall, Small, Medium, Large, XLarge
Available in colors Black, Lithium, Green, Blue, Purple

PRODUCT DESCRIPTION

The Women's Crystalline Rain Jacket is an ultra-lightweight shell, made from 100% nylon: Marmot's MemBrain® Strata™ waterproof and breathable fabric. Marmot lists its trademark-protected fabric at 20,000 mm in waterproof performance (indicating in millimeters the amount of water pressure this fabric can withstand before leakage occurs). And Marmot lists the fabric at 20,000 grams in breathability (indicating the amount of water vapor that can pass through a square meter of fabric during a 24-hour period).
IMAGE 1
My Marmot Crystalline Jacket

I bought my jacket in the color Lipstick (I would call it raspberry) in the medium size. The outer nylon fabric is pleasantly soft to the touch and shows a tiny square pattern, while the jacket feels kind of rubbery on the inside and shows a tiny bubble pattern. It does not have a liner.
IMAGE 2
Inside and outside fabric pattern

The jacket is 100% seam taped and has a water resistant front zipper. The jacket arm cuffs have a hook-loop tightening closure with three settings. For my arm length, the 24 in (61 cm) jacket arm length (measured from top seam to end of cuff) fits perfectly.
The jacket features Marmot’s Angel-Wing Movement™ which keeps the jacket in place, even when leaning forward while I am bike riding or while I am reaching up with both arms, having my pack on. Movements like putting my backpack on are not hindered by any tightness in arms or shoulders. The bottom hem of the jacket has an elastic draw cord that I could pull tight to my body to keep warmth in. Yet so far I have not used this hem elastic draw cord as the jacket fits well as is, giving me sufficient turning movement.
IMAGE 3
Close-up view of taped seams and draw-string

The jacket has two side pockets that each close with a pull-up (non-water resistant) zipper. Each zipper is protected against water with a slightly overlapping fabric. Each pocket has a large interior: I can easily insert my hand and could have e.g., lightweight gloves or a pack of tissue inside the pocket too. One nice feature is that I can fold the jacket into its left side pocket for easy storage (like its own stuff sack). That left side pocket has a two-way zipper and a small fabric loop.
IMAGE 4
Size comparison

IMAGE 5
Back of hood has hook-loop adjustment

The jacket has an attached hood which features a two-way elastic cord adjustment. When I close the jacket front zipper all the way up, the collar covers my chin. I can then pull the hood even tighter with those two cord adjustments and wind cannot blow the hood off my head, which is very helpful when facing strong head wind. The front of the hood has a semi-stiff bill that projects beyond my glasses and helps a little to protect my face against rain (depending on the intensity and direction of rain).

The word Marmot is imprinted in silver-reflective below the left side pocket. On the lower right of the jacket's back, the M logo is imprinted in silver-reflective.


The care instructions allow machine washing with warm water and powdered detergent. Following the manufacturer's advice, I do not use fabric softener or bleach, and I do not iron or dry clean the jacket. It is ok to tumble dry the jacket with all fasteners closed.

Marmot guarantees the jacket for life if I register at marmot.com.

FIELD USE

I have owned the Marmot Crystalline jacket for a good year now and have used it on day hikes, backpacking trips and bicycling vacations.

2 days/1 night April On- and Off-trail hiking Joshua Tree National Park, California, USA: 50-93 F (10-34 C)

1 day June On-Trail hiking Mt. Baldy, Southern California, USA: 75 F (24 C)

3 days/2 nights June On- and Off-trail hiking Mt. San Jacinto, Southern California, USA: 59-76 F (15-24 C)

4 days/3 nights July On- and Off-trail hiking Yosemite National Park, Northern California, USA: 47-79 F (9-26 C)

4 days/3 nights July On-trail and Off-trail hiking San Gorgonio Wilderness, Southern California, USA: 59-75 F (15-24 C)

1 day August On-trail hiking Sugarloaf Mountain, Southern California, USA: 55-75 F (13-24 C)

6 days September Bicycle Tour Innsbruck, Austria to Bolzano, Italy: 61-79 F (16-26 C)

2 days/1 night January On-trail hiking West Fork Trail to Cogswell Dam, California, USA: 48-69 F (9-21 C)

2 days/1 nights January On-trail hiking Piedra Blanca Trail to Twin Forks Camp, California, USA: 40-75 F (4-24 C)

PRODUCT REVIEW

Living in Southern California means it does not rain a lot, so on most outings I would not need to take along a rain jacket. Yet this jacket is part of my Ten Essentials (survival items that hiking organizations recommend for safe travel in the backcountry).

Since I bought it, I have most frequently used the Marmot Crystalline Rain Jacket as windbreaker. Typically when we start hiking in the early morning, I am wearing the jacket over my hiking shirt for wind protection. Then once I start warming up from the hike, I stuff the jacket into its left pocket and stash it away in my backpack.

In the evening, when I cook dinner, I like wearing the jacket against cool wind. At times when it is rather cold and I am wearing a thick fleece sweater underneath, I wish I had a little more room in the waist area. Next time I am buying an outer layer product, I have to remember to try it on with multiple layers underneath.

In Yosemite National Park, I wore the jacket as additional clothing layer against aggressive mosquitoes.
IMAGE 6
Wearing the jacket more for bug protection


I only experienced rain on my trip to Europe. During the six day bicycle trip in Austria and Italy, we had daily 30 minute afternoon rains around 4.30 PM. The Marmot Crystalline Rain Jacket truly showed its waterproofness. My shirt underneath did not get wet. The jacket seams did not let any rain get through. Once the rain subsided, the jacket dried quickly from the headwind.

SUMMARY

I really like this ultra lightweight rain jacket, as it helps me lighten my pack weight. It packs into a small little bundle into its left side pocket and fits well in my backpack.
My only reservation about this jacket is its list price, which I consider expensive.

THINGS I LIKE

ultra lightweight
nice raspberry color
hood fits tight and does not blow off
roomy side pockets

THINGS I DO NOT LIKE

Expensive

SIGNATURE

Marina Batzke

This report was created with the BackpackGearTest.org Report Writer Version 1. Copyright 2015. All rights reserved.

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