Biographical Details

Reviewer:	Roger Caffin
Age:	59
Gender:	M
Weight:	61 kg (134 lb)
Height:	166 cm (65")
Email address:	r dot [surname] at acm dot org
Home:	Sydney, Australia

Backpacking Background

I started bushwalking (the Australian term) at 14, then took up rock climbing at University with the girl who became my wife and is my walking partner. Later on we took up ski touring and canyoning. Winter and summer, we prefer long hard trips by ourselves: about a week in Australia, up to two months in Europe/UK. We prefer fast and light in unfrequented trackless country. We would be out for at least three months a year. Over the last four years we have reduced our pack weights from 18 - 20 kg (40 - 45 lb) each to about 12 kg (26 lb), including food, for week-long trips. I designed and made much of our lightweight gear myself.

I am also the maintainer of the Australian aus.bushwalking FAQ web site www.bushwalking.org.au/FAQ/.

Product Information

Manufacturer	Outdoor Research	www.orgear.com
Country of manufacture	China
Style	Medium length alpine jacket, or 'storm shell'
Size	Medium, 'Wasabi' (ie green)
Material	15 denier Gore-Tex PacLite
Features claimed:	Fully seam-taped
	Narrow seam tape
	Separating water-resistant front zip
	Single, rear-pull, hood adjustment
	Slash Napoleon chest pocket
	Hem drawcord
Weight (measured)	211 g (7.44 oz)
Guarantee	'Infinite Guarantee'
MSRP	US$199

Product Description

The company web site says: "This spartan design brings waterproof/breathable performance down to the weight of a windshell. Ultralight 15D Gore-Tex® PacLite® fabric and narrow taped seams offer excellent protection while keeping the Zealot’s packed profile to a minimum. A slash napoleon chest pocket with a water-resistant zipper keeps maps and GU packets close at hand. The single, rear-pull hood adjustment offers a full-range of foul-weather adjustability. A double-separating, water-resistant front zipper maximizes venting without adding unnecessary bulk. Elastic cuff closures and a drawcord hem adjustment repel weather on stormy alpine descents."

Initial Impression

My initial impression is that the picture on the web site (used in heading) is a very good rendition of the jacket. What turned up was pretty much exactly what I had been expecting from the web site. Overall, It looks very neat.

The web site makes a number of product claims (listed above) which were not fully appreciated when I first read them - or perhaps I simply suspended judgment until I could see the jacket. I have worked through them here with my comments. I have also flagged some particular concerns which I will be monitoring fairly carefully.

• Ultralight 15 denier Gore-Tex PacLite
  Yes, it is very light - lighter than any Gore fabric I have seen in Australia. Gore have told me they won't release their ultra-light fabrics here because our scrub is so rough, so I will have to be just a shade careful with this fabric in the bush. Being so light, I am also unsure whether it will take having pack straps working across my shoulders for days on ends while I am walking or ski touring: I will be monitoring this carefully. The Gore leaflet does warn that 'traveling light means giving up some of the fabric durability you expect from heavier garments'.
• Fully seam-taped, narrow tape
  The seams are of course taped as claimed. What was pleasing was that the seams had a very 'flat' appearance: the light seam tape does not seem to distort the fabric. How well such a light tape will last is to be seen.
• Double-separating water-resistant front zipper
  I have only seen this 'water-proof' design for zips once before, and I have no experience with it in the wet. While there is a small flap behind the zip, there is no storm flap over the zip, and just how well this will work in the pouring rain is something I will monitor carefully.
  The front zip is of the standard separating jacket zip design, with two sliders so it can be opened from the top and the bottom. The waterproof zip material tends to be a bit stiffer than a conventional zip. I had some trouble at first getting the bottom end to connect properly at home in warm conditions so I could do the zip up. I can imagine this being a problem under cold conditions in the snow when I want to put the jacket on suddenly - unless a bit of use makes it easier to operate. I will monitor this as well.

• Single, rear-pull, hood adjustment
  This caught me by surprise. I was looking everywhere for the conventional drawcord ends near my chin, but there weren't any. I eventually found a cord lock at the back of the hood which pulled the lower part of the face opening together. This left the part going over the top of my head unruffled and smooth. The line of the drawcord is shown to the right by the row of red dots. I have never seen this sort of hood drawcord arrangement before, so I will be interested to see how well it works in the field. In addition, as can be seen to the right, the cordlock is anchored to the hood.
  With this 'new' design of the drawcord, I find that the face opening remains very large. This has advantages of course: the opening doesn't slide over my eyes, but it might have disadvantages in a howling snow storm. I will have to see how well it works under different conditions.
  Not mentioned in the claims is the gentle stiffening in the brim of the hood. In its new state this works quite nicely, but I don't know how it will take being squashed when I pack the jacket away. We shall see.
• Slash Napoleon chest pocket with waterproof zip
  Well, yes, but I doubt Napoleon could get his whole hand inside this pocket. It's quite small, about 18 cm (7") high by 12 cm (4.7") deep. The web site claims this 'keeps maps and GU packets close at hand', but I haven't got any maps that small. (And I wouldn't recognise a GU packet if I saw one.) But I am not complaining about the size as I have rarely used a jacket pocket in the past anyhow.
• Hem and hood drawcords
  These use 2 mm (0.08") bungee cord and a 2-hole cordlock which is anchored to the exit point by a short loop of tape. This is visible at the right hand side of the above diagram. On the whole, I like this approach. The elastic cord is more convenient and flexible than a fixed bit of string, and the combination of bungee and anchored cordlock means I can tighten the cord pretty much with one hand. Slackening off the cord can be a bit more tricky at times, but I can monitor that in the field.

Other observations

I am normally Medium, and the Medium size provided seems to be a good fit. I can raise my arms over my head without the jacket riding up very far at all and my head can turn around easily when the hood is done up. The jacket is not 'long', but it isn't advertised as such. That said, the back edge comes a little way below my backside, and the drawcord tucks it in nicely.

The wrists have elastic in them. There is no way to open the wrist out when a bit warm. Well, that's a design decision, and sometimes works OK, especially in cold conditions. I will see how well it works with the PacLite fabric.

I found I could roll the jacket up into a cylinder about 18 cm (7") high by about 8 cm (3.2") diameter. That's small, although not super small. For sure, the rolled-up size is a lot smaller than my first heavy Gore-Tex jacket managed! Of course, the weight of this one is a lot less too.

Not mentioned anywhere in the OR claims is what sort of 'Durable Water Repellent' (DWR) coating the jacket has. The Gore leaflet does mention that the fabric has a water repellent coating, but they don't make a lot of it. Personally, I believe the DWR is crucial to good performance, but it seems Gore prefer to emphasise their membrane technology. We shall see.

Test Plan

My Test plan is of course to take the jacket on trips. Some of my trips are through very rough rocky scrubby country in the Blue Mountains, near to home. I think this might be a bit unfair on the fabric, so I will have to exercise some discretion here. But we are now moving into our winter here in Australia, and I will be able to take this jacket into the snow in our more distant Alps as well, and this is where I expect it to perform rather well.

Our local terrain is from sea level to about 1000 m (3300'); some of it (up top) is harsh and rocky while other bits can be wet rainforest (valley bottom). Temperatures range from near zero to very hot. Our Alpine terrain is up to 2200 m (7,200'), has typical alpine soils, and can range from way sub-freezing to slightly warm (in winter).

I will be evaluating at least the following (no special order):

• Overall comfort: do I 'like it'?
• Hood design: does this restrict my vision at all?
• Hood design: does the wide opening leave my face too exposed in a storm?
• Zipper: does the 'waterproof' claim stand up in the field?
• Zipper: can I join the bottom end easily in a cold or wet storm?
• Napoleon pocket: do I ever use this?
• Bungee cord and cordlocks: do these work well in the field with one hand?
• Fabric: is it strong enough to take a little work - like pack straps while ski touring?
• Fabric: how good is the DWR over time?
• Wrists: are the elastic wrists 'good enough' in the field?

Read more reviews of Outdoor Research gear
Read more gear reviews by Roger Caffin

Reviews > Rain Gear > Jackets and Pants > Outdoor Research Zealot Jacket > Roger Caffin > Initial Report

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