Marmot Motion (Lotion) Jacket
By Rocky Thompson on February 19th, 2008
Marmot’s new Motion Jacket for Spring 2008 is a 16oz windbreaker that relies on welded seams to keep it lightweight and ultra packable. Now if I could only figure out what kind of weather calls for windbreaker. The jacket has a DWR coating so it’s reasonably waterproof, but it lacks a hood so you wouldn’t want to wear it in the rain. No lining means it won’t wick like the Marmot Windshirt so you can’t wear it as a next-to-skin layer. I think windbreakers are only suitable for standing on the sidelines of a high school football game. At least the Marmot Motion Jacket is only $65.
Too bad that welded seams and top-loading washing machines don’t mix.
I must say that I love my wind shirt. It makes for a great system when combined with my poncho-tarp. Both homemade of course… Of course my windshirt only weighs 3 oz. I don’t know why you’d want a silly 1 lbs windshirt, it kind of defeats the purpose IMO.
Hmmm… yeah that weight can’t be right. The Marmot Ion windshirt is also listed on the website as 16 oz but actually only weighs 4 oz. And it’s made from the same material. I wonder if welded seams really are lighter than sewn seams.
Rocky, you might want to warn Steve House that windshirts are only good for watching football. He used one as his only shell on Nanga Parbat.
I rarely have used a windbreaker for hiking but they’re perfect for cycling. Actually I really like a vest with windbreaker material on the front and mesh on the back. When it’s a little cool, I’m still dripping in sweat at the top of climbs but get chilled at 50 mph on the descent. It’s easy to pull a vest out of my jersey pocket just before I start downhill.