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EMS Storm Front Jacket

rated 3 of 5 stars
photo: EMS Storm Front Jacket waterproof jacket

Good looking, lightweight raincoat that packs to a fairly small size. Versatile for hiking, biking and everyday use. Sized correctly.

Pros

  • Looks good with attractive colours and nice shape
  • Multiple adjustments (hood, wrist, waist) keep rain out
  • Fairly light and packable

Cons

  • Not very breathable. Works poorly as a windbreaker
  • Front zipper sticks badly

I bought this specifically for a Grand Canyon rafting trip. It fit well, allowed layering, and had plenty of adjustments to keep rain out. It worked well as a rain coat while it rained our entire first day and night. 

The wrist, hood and waist adjustments allowed a remarkably dry trip through the rapids, even the big ones! However, remember that when not being soaked, one is rafting through a desert, with temperatures over 100 degrees F daily. Since the jacket did not breathe terribly well, not really an issue for a raincoat in reasonable climates, I found myself zipping and unzipping before and after each rapid.

The very fine zipper looked good but performed poorly. It was almost impossible to quickly zip or unzip with two hands, let alone with one hand. Getting the zipper started was also problematic. Note: this also happened to my wife wearing the women's version.

In all, a great everyday rain coat. However I would be reluctant to test the finicky zipper on a days long backpacking hike.

Source: bought it new
Price Paid: $130

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Specs

Men's
Price Historic Range: $84.50-$138.98
Reviewers Paid: $130.00
Women's
Price Historic Range: $84.50-$104.23
Product Details from EMS »

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