Marmot Men's Baffin 1/2 Zip Pullover

Great Piece
February 20, 2012

This is one of those pieces of clothing you want to keep around you at all times. Wether tossed in the back seat of your car or at the bottom of your pack. It's great under a Gortex shell when it's dumping precip or by itself on more forgiving days when it's dry and cold. It comes in a full zip version too if the pull over thing isn't your thing. It does have a bit of a gloss to it so I'm not sure you'd wear it to the Met but for your kids play it'll do just fine.

Good but not quite Great
January 16, 2012

I own two Baffin 1/2 zips, so obviously I like them. However, there are a few shortcomings that prevent this from being a great piece of gear. First, the good. It's warm to very warm depending on what you're accustomed to, has a great athletic fit, great colors and scheme, has decent weather-proofing, is packable and is versatile. The problem is it's not enough of a few of these to make it a great piece. For example, it's warm but it's not warm enough to be a stand alone jacket. It needs better wind-proof fabric to be a stand alone, without any real rain resistance. On the other hand, it's not slim enough to easily layer or pack down for maximum space saving. It seems like Marmot couldn't decide whether it should be a stand alone or a layering piece, and made it somewhere in between. There are also some QC issues as I've noticed fraying seams on a jacket I haven't worn. And the stretch material for side-venting allows in far too much air plus it feels flimsy. I also think the material should be a little stronger and more durable. It doesn't seem like it could hold up to serious backcountry adventures. Marmot has the materials to do these things but I think this 1/2 zip was put together somewhat hastily. I expect Marmot will address these issues next season.