Outdoor Research Mithril Jacket

Summary

This jacket lives up to OR's summary. Overall solid performance. Good go-to jacket for cool weather, damp conditions.

(She and I in our OR coats)

I have two jackets to use as a basis, mine and my daughters.

She is 5'7" with medium build, and I am 5'4" with a medium build, and the jacket fits both of us really well. In fact, I liked hers so much, I bought my own.

She uses hers heavily at college, so it is her primary outdoor coat. I use mine for my winter outdoor sports and my go-to winter coat. It is sturdy enough for serious outdoor wear and attractive enough for professional attire outer wear.

The only discomfort I have found in wear-ability is the way the zipper/hood under the chin fits. It feels bulky when zipped all the way up. And the garment gets 4 stars because of the seam taping coming off my daughter's jacket in two places.

When the fabric is washed and retreated with DWR repellent, the coat works best. But we have both noted that in heavier/steady rain, the coat will wet out. So, if you are looking for a rainproof coat, this isn't for you. But, if you want a versatile one-coat-does-lots, this does a good job fitting that description.

This coat layers great. My only caveat with that is my arms can get cold if I just have one layer underneath.

My daughter has had her coat for over three years. She is also a geology major. She has had to really put her coat to the test.  The coat has had to be out in the field, deal with downpours, shuck snow, travel hard over brushy terrain, and it has held up. We have both taken our respective jackets on backpack trips, snow sport outings like snowshoeing or snowboarding. She says she stays warm all day on the slopes with her coat.

Neither coat has not peeled or abraded. The only issue my daughter has had is the outer seam tape coming loose in a couple of places. We have not had an opportunity to learn what it will take to repair it, and since the rest of coat is still performing well, she is very reluctant to move on with a different coat. I have only had my coat since the beginning of fall, and I have had no issues, but I do not need to demand as much from my coat as she does.

All of the zippers, drawstrings, velcro, cuffs are still in good shape. I like the pockets and zippers fine, but I would like if the coat, besides having an inner zip pocket,  had an inside drop pocket and/or a sleeve pocket, too.

This coat is quite comfortable. I don't even notice wearing all day, like I have with some jackets. The cuffs are really adjustable, so they can be cinched down if it is rainy, or relaxed to fit over heavy gloves.

I think it says a lot about OR's product when I spent quite some time tracking down *just* the right garment and color because I liked my daughter's jacket so much.

It is well made, well designed, and when used in the conditions it was designed for, functions well. The jacket has taken a beating, traveled hard, and still gets the job done. She and I would both buy this jacket again.

Atop Mt. Adams

On the Wonderland Trail, Mt. Rainier

This is an awesome jacket. I used it all last winter ice climbing and above timberline in brutal conditions in the mountains of NH. The material breaths, it stretches it's really great.

I had originally assumed since it was a softshell type material that it wouldn't block the wind sufficiently for those -10f, windy days spent on Mt Washington guiding. But it does, and is still breathable. I don't understand how it works, but I don't have to.

It quickly became my go-to peice for almost any cold day whether I was climbing steep ice or walking on snow.

I am typically a size large, and this fits me perfectly. Great hood, great arm length.