Completely excellent. I got the Switchback Anorak for a steal (last year's color) It works great for cycling, but for the non-detatchable hood (I just tuck it under my CamelBak). Waterproof yet not overheating.

Note that the anorak runs BIG. Good for layering, but a Small swims on my skinny 5'9" body.

Customer Service

REI is a great company to deal with. I am a co-op member, but they took back a pair of used bike shorts that I was unsatisfied with (bad seam rubbed me the wrong way).

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American Eagle Outfitters parka
Columbia Fire Ridge parka

I don't do any of those 5 outdoor activities, but I use this for general use and is it good? yes. Guaranteed to keep you dry for sure. I simulated an EXTREMELY wet day by stepping in the shower. And what do ya know? It kept me dry. Other jackets I tested and were successful are: Lands' End Gore-tex jacket and The North Face down parka (Dont know wich, got it at the factory outlet.) Everyone should buy it, no one should not.

Customer Service

no experience, but the Lands' end site is the best. this rei jacket is better and all, but the lands end service is great cuz you ask questions and PEOPLE actually answer them live.

Great Lightweight jacket, at a really good price. Its held up really well in high winds, and snow / rain, and I've stayed super dry. The pit zips are really nice, though hard to operate w/ gloved hands. Definitely not worth the extra 200+ dollars for a "brand name" shell.

The main reason that I bought this jacket was the price. This has turned out to be a fairly good buy. I like the cut of the jacket and the light weight (for a 2-layer). My only complaints so far after using this jacket for Midwest winters and a few Southwestern afternoon rainstorms, have been the durability of the DWR. Mine came of rather quickly in areas of high abrasion. I think that the overall durability of this jacket is questionable because it lacks reinforcement in certain areas such as the shoulders. Still, for the price it is not a bad jacket. As far as use goes this jacket is too much for summers and not quite enough for serious winter pursuits. As this jacket wears out I think I will look to replace it with a 3-layer shell and perhaps a Marmot Precip for the summer.

Customer Service

REI is a great place to shop with great customer service. Their house brands are usually exceptional quality and price.

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I went to REI looking for a light weight shell. After awhile of looking at all the big names NorthFace, Mountain Hardwear, ect. I found most things were not very crushable or light, and they were more like ski jackets. So i decided to look at the rei stuff when i saw it i was very impressed it was 1/2 the cost of the big names and i thought better for my needs. I got the jacket and it's been half a year, and i have used it not only for day to day use in classes and things but taken it up three 14's and it's been out about 20 nights. If you want some thing light this is the best thing out there. I took the price as a bonus.

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Mountain Hardwear Vertigo parka

I picked up my XXL-Long shell up at the local REI for a week-long hiking/camping trip into the Colorado Rockies. It delivered through rain and about 8 inches of snow and slush. I became a co-op member and thought "Oh well, I will give it a try since I don't have enough for a 'name' brand' ". It did everything EXCEPT clean itself. My buddy uses a great $500+ Marmot shell but in actual use my REI shell (it's only 2-ply I believe) had just about the same features and performed all of its tasks admirably. Highly recommend it.

Dom

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