Reviews > Rain Gear > Jackets and Pants > Outdoor Research Zealot Jacket > Kathryn Doiron > Initial Report

Outdoor Research Zealot Jacket - Initial Report

Product Information:

The OR Zealot is a light weight minimalist jacket. There are no frills or bell and whistles to this jacket. Even the zipper pulls are utilitarian. The jacket comes with a Napoleon Slash pocket located on the upper left side of the jacket. This is handy storage for small items and easily accessible with my left hand. The jacket is very light which does make zipping the slash pocket up a little difficult with only one hand owing to the rubberized zipper being a little stiffer to zip up. The rubberized full zipper also reverse zips at the bottom, and inside the jacket is a zipper flap for extra security. The jacket also comes with a tightening cord at the bottom, which tightens the whole bottom of the jacket with the pull being only on the left side. As the toggle is attached to the jacket with a thin strip of webbing, it may be possible for me to tighten the toggle with one hand by pulling on the bungee cord. The hood has a slightly stiff beak over the face and comes with only one tightening toggle, which is located in the back of the hood. The toggle actually tightens the hood around the face while also pulling the sides away from the face for better vision. This is a very interesting way of tightening the hood, while very simplistic it is also quite light weight as there is only one toggle involved rather than the standard three toggles.

The jacket I received was a large in Wasabi green. The jacket is a little large for my frame but the larger size was required in order to fit over my hips. This jacket is only available in mens sizing and does not account for my hips. I feel the extra space will not be a problem and may actually help in cooler weather for layering. This jacket is part of Outdoor Research's Storm Shell line. The jacket is made with 15D Gore-Tex PacLite fabric. All the seams of the jacket seem to be well taped and sealed. The light rain I had a chance to test it in beaded nicely on the shell. The cuffs are elasticized and owing to the men's sizing, the sleeves are long enough to comfortably tuck my hands inside to protect them from the elements.

I will be testing this jacket by wearing it to and from work. I will also be carrying it on my biweekly Sunday morning walks and on all overnight camping trips. I will be looking into how well the material holds up to wear and tear. This is a very light jacket and the Gore-tex material is quite thin. I worry that it will catch easily on branches. I will also look into how well the jacket keeps rain out and if the Gore-tex loses its water-fastness. I am most concerned with the usefulness of the slash pocket. I worry that it is located at the same position as where my chest strap lies and as such I will have limited access to the slash pocket. I will further investigate this once I go out for a hike with a pack. Another area of concern is the zipper. There is an internal zipper flap and so far, the zipper has caught on it each time I have zipped up the jacket. I worry that the zipper will eventually chew up the Gore-tex fabric in that area thus diminishing the water-fastness of the jacket. I have taken to zipping up the jacket with my thumb riding inside the jacket to hold the zipper teeth away from the zipper flap. The last thing I will be looking at closely will be the elasticized cuffs. I worry that the elasticity of the cuff will be abrasive on my wrist. I will watch the cuffs carefully and evaluate this. I will look into how well the beak keeps rain off my face and how well the tightening toggle keeps the hood tight to my face while minimizing rain penetration and vision blocking.

Field Conditions:

Most of my overnight camping will take place in the White Mountains in New Hampshire. I have a few trips planned that will include an extended trip to the top of Mt. Washington, at 6000 ft (1829 m). Expected temperatures can be anywhere from below freezing to 20 C (70 F) depending on season and elevation. Weather on Mount Washington is very unpredictable. Expected weather conditions in the White Mountains in the spring can be from wintry to springlike, rainy or snowy, with driving winds depending on elevation.

I have a trek planned into the 100 mile (160 km) wilderness in Maine for mid-summer. I expect the weather to be cool and wet with lots of bugs. This would be a 10 day trip and any equipment I bring would see lots of hard use.

I also have a weekend car camping trip planned for Mount Greylock in Massachusetts in July. I expect the weather to be warm and mild with some chance of rain.


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Reviews > Rain Gear > Jackets and Pants > Outdoor Research Zealot Jacket > Kathryn Doiron > Initial Report