User Review: Outdoor Research Revel Jacket

Summary

Not waterproof. Not breathable.

EDITED: 16 JULY 2012 - See comments below:

I tried this jacket on a few different trips, one to the Rockies for the Easter long weekend, a few more times on a local day hikes, and most recently on a couple of weekend mountain trips.

Good things:

The design is nice. The full-length pit zips allowed me to vent some of the sweat and the hood packs away nicely when not in use. The jacket is very light, and stows away in one of its own inside pockets.

Bad things:

NON-breathable. I had to rely on those pit zips to stop from getting thoroughly soaked, but even then my arms and back, away from the vents, were sweaty and soggy.

On the spring Rockies trip, temperatures were between -10°C and freezing, and I managed to stay cool enough by opening the vents that I could handle the extra dampness. On the local day hike, temperatures were around 0°C and although there was a mix of rain and snow falling, I eventually switched back to my old, non-waterproof shell. The Revel was just too hot and clammy.

NON-waterproof! In a July thunderstorm, the jacket got soaked through in just minutes, and even the next day in a slight drizzle, the rain quickly soaked through.

From now on, I will relegate the jacket to my pack as a lightweight wind shell for summer use. It should be okay over a T-shirt on a summer morning or evening to keep the chill off, but I'll never wear it again for hard exercise with an insulating layer underneath and I'll always carry a backup if there's any chance at all of rain.

I've now started wearing the jacket as rain/wind gear while bird-watching at the local ponds, and just to look cool and outdoorsy when I'm walking around town or to the fitness centre.

UPDATE: I ASKED OUTDOOR RESEARCH WHAT I COULD DO TO FIX THE LACK OF WATERPROOFING, AND THEY IMMEDIATELY SUGGESTED I SEND IT BACK FOR A FULL WARRANTY. THEY ALSO OFFERED TO SWAP IT FOR A DIFFERENT STYLE IF I THOUGHT THERE WAS ONE THAT WOULD WORK BETTER, AND WILL BE SHIPPING A REPLACEMENT OUT TO ME RIGHT AWAY. I MIGHT NOT THINK THE REVEL IS A GREAT JACKET RIGHT NOW, BUT I AM VERY, VERY IMPRESSED WITH OUTDOOR RESEARCH'S CUSTOMER SERVICE.