Marmot Exum Ridge Gore Tex Active Jacket Review

Marmot Exum Ridge Gore Tex Active Jacket Review

The Decision-Making Process - to help guide others!

A news report in November 2017 saw Dundonnell Mountain Rescue urge hillwalkers to wear bright clothing. Donald Macrae, the team leader made the point that it can be challenging to see people out on the hills in dark clothing - but brighter clothing can be a contrast to the landscape and help find people.

It's something I'd been thinking about for a while. My time out on the hills, mountains, fells and ridges can sometimes leave me confused as to whether I'm an outdoors person or a ninja. Not just for my extraordinary abilities to move silently without being spotted but mainly due to the fact that my main waterproof jacket is black, my waterproof trousers are black and my face mask snood thing is also black.

And I have other friends who are also part-time ninjas...

Scottish Ninja Day Out

I was also looking for a slightly lighter weight breathable and fairly robust jacket. I'd tried a number of 2.5l jackets in Gaynors and Cotswolds but that clammy feeling you get just didn't work for me, despite some great jackets. I'd tried a Neoshell jacket but due to the nature of Neoshell it's pretty heighweight stuff by necessity.

A trip to George Fisher saw the team recommend me a Montane Spine jacket with Gore Tex Active. I put it on and thought, 'this may be the holy grail of jackets right now.' But George Fisher prices can be as high as their customer service (that's a compliment by the way!) so it made me stop and think. A quick check on Sports Pursuit led me to the Marmot Exum Ridge jacket with Gore Tex Active in - and at a price over £100 cheaper than the Montane Spine was at the time.

And it was a nice blue! Result.

The Alpkit Balance had been slightly reduced and offered (offers!) very similar features - but the price had gone back up from a sale price to £175. (The Alpkit Balance is a brilliant jacket by the way).

So the Marmot Exum Ridge at £125 (offer price) was the way ahead!

In practice

This jacket has now become my general go-to jacket in days out across the UK in some pretty interesting weather at times. One day on Dartmoor (I'd gone to meet some friends who'd gone out for a run before I arrived) so I thought I'd head out anyway despite some typical moor weather. I also had to wing my way up through some steep heather, long grass and moorland menagerie and make my way across to the tor through the bog infested wet / wet infested bog. I did wonder if I should have brought a raft...

A Dartmoor Day

No problems with the jacket, despite its first proper outing. Quickly adjusted the hood toggles sides and back to fit around the head and give good visibility. These are slightly fiddly to use and I wouldn't want to do it with thick gloves on in the middle of a snowstorm but that's true of most jackets. Possibly not quite as good a hood 'fit' as the North Face jacket I've got but not far off at all.

There's an elastic drawcord around the hem of the jacket that's easy to cinch - which is a big advantage over the North Face Jacket which has to be cinched together within the pockets (and seems tricky to un-cinch!) The Exum Ridge keeps it simple.

The outer is durable with a nylon rip-stop outer. I've worn it with a couple of packs and done some scrambling in the jacket and it's held up well. I haven't dragged it across rock but it's as sturdy as I need.

Yes, the Gore Tex does mean it sounds a bit like a crisp packet but I'm not too bothered about that, unless on one of my ninja missions of course...

Adjustable cuffs are pretty good and fairly easy to adjust even with gloves on. The zip does up without snagging and although it's on the 'wrong' side for UK use (the right side) it's no issue at all. There's not a zip 'park' at the top but there is a beard guard on the inside of the main zipper at the very top 5cm or so. Nice touch.

There's a reflective 'Marmot' on the hood and a reflective logo on the right shoulder at the rear. Reflectivity on a jacket is something that isn't much but is important for those of us who run on the hills or roads (not that I often run in a waterproof!) Logo on the front is also reflective.

The cut is fairly athletic but not at all restrictive. It's got a semi-articulated feel to it - certainly hasn't 'ridden up' at all. Breathability is not something I've really faced as I use jackets  and layers pretty carefully. There's no pit zips etc but Gore Tex Active is for active lightweight use and pit zips add weight.

The pockets are mesh lined so can be opened to add breathability if needed (and if it's not raining!) In comparison the North Face jacket I own has fully waterproofed pockets.

A snow-laden day on Windy Gap, brutal winds, freezing cold and a great view of Great Gable...

The jacket has been tested in rain, wind and snow. It's been up and down ridges, sat in shelters (well, I was the one sat there), seen sun and rain, blue skies and clagged out weather in the mountains, on the fells and on the moors. Packs down well, lightweight for what it is (346g medium).

Great jacket and cracking shade of blue!!

The Gormless Snowman in the Marmot Exum Ridge Jacket