Marmot Zeus Down Jacket - Men's

Comments about Marmot Zeus Down Jacket - Men's:

This is my first Dawn jacket.
I have not even removed the tags but feathers started coming out. I am gong to the store to find out if this is normal.

Comments about Marmot Zeus Down Jacket - Men's:

A friend was wearing this coat. He told me about it. It was what I was looking for. We play golf all year and in the winter it's nice to have warm lightweight clothes to help you swing easily. The Zeus Down jacket is ideal for golf and for casual wear as well. I am enjoying it a lot. It was my first puchase from REI and I will be buying more items from your company.

Comments about Marmot Zeus Down Jacket - Men's:

The title invokes a showdown but it really shouldn't be. Both products bring excellent quality to the outdoorsmen, hiker, backpacker, and others depending their activities. So I have spent 45 of my, eh eh, years in the outdoors going back to my early days as Boy Scout in the 1960s and three decades as a scoutmaster and an scout adult leader. Next to hydration, I learned my first and most important lessons in BSA about how to stay both warm and dry. Yeah BSA! This critique and these coats are very much about warm and dry so here it goes.

Both jackets have their advantages. Sometimes the advantages are so subtle the casual buyer will never know the difference. Others differences may be important depending on your time and place in the outdoors or around town. I am going to talk about six different qualities that make a difference; warmth and weight, water & wind resistance, looks and fit. Ninety-five percent of us will have specific interest in those categories. Both coats have excellent construction.

Warmth and weight: Both down coats are excellent here because we are not talking about real, real cold, as in Alaska winter cold or consistent sub zero. However, if you are living in an area where temperatures drop significantly in the evening below freezing, the Zeus edges out the Pat. Both have great designs regarding warmth and both are 800 down fill quality, which is very, very cool. This means excellent loft and weight qualities (this translates into more warmth for fill, less weight, and excellent compressibility.) The Pat down sweater will do very well if you have a shell, which you should in very cold, (freezing point and below), wet environments, or a combination of the two and especially with wind. In those conditions either coat should have a shell for backup. While both the Zeus and Pat have very good collars around the neck, the Zeus has a warmer design for the neck with less but more voluminous baffles, but that comes with a tradeoff. I will discuss that soon. Both coats have good length but the Zeus is a little longer and on cold days on ski slopes it is a better middle liner between the shell and the garment below the coat. If I am going on an extended backpack trip I will mostly reach for the Zeus. If it is weight your concerned about, that should not make a difference between these two excellent coats. While the Zeus is a little bit heavier it still compresses nice and the difference is too small to change my mind. The Pat is a little more compressible and they both make nice warm pillows at night on that backpacking trip. The Pat has some subtle advantages on summer backpack trips with cool nights.

Water & wind resistance: Ok, we are talking about down and water here. We know they do not do well together when exposed to each other and both manufactures will generously tell you should have a waterproof breathable shell if you think rain is in the cards. So true! The Pat says, "The Deluge® water-repellent finish causes snow and rain to bead up and roll off." The Zeus says, "The Durable Water Repellent (DWR) finish causes water to bead up and roll off." Well, "sort of" in both cases. After a few months of use I have found that both coats don't bead up as well and allow the droplets to fall off. They are definitely better than other comparable down garments because of the surface treatment and construction but don't leave home without the shell if you really think it is going to rain and get cold. Wind resistance; for down coats both do well here. Remember that wind pressure looks for voids in the garment; do pull the waist band before making the comparison. I would probably go with the Pat here but both are better than other garments with similar designs. Either way it is about six's again.

Looks and fit: Remember the tradeoff? Well here it goes. Ok we are the outdoor type and we are not so vain, wrong! Looks does count when it comes to wearing cloths casually, going to work, visits on cold days, hitting the ski slopes, and just wanting to be warm around town or short hikes. Hands down, the Patagonia down sweater is a better looking garment. My scouts and youth groups have a term for the Zeus; "it has a bit of the Michelin Man look," highly functional, but the Michelin Man look. I am in the outdoors for my work a great deal of the time in- and around- rivers with streambed material and survey equipment. The black fly larvae attached to river cobbles has the Michelin Man look in a light gargoyle color, with a touch of light brown. Fit has a lot to do with feel. The Pat down sweater feels very good and fits my frame well. Zeus is nice too but the Pat fit edges out the Zeus.

When you are walking up the East Slope of the South Sister on a cold windy day, looks doesn't really matter and the Zeus has a really cool angle wing cut in the upper arms for flexibility and comfort. Going out to dinner on a cold evening, hitting the ski slopes, or a short hike may make the difference on which coat you choose. The Pat has a nicer fit and it is a better looking coat. Having said that, the Zeus is still an attractive choice and so many of us have different upper body types that may feel and look good in the Zeus or the Pat. For me, I really like the Pat fit, and yes, even the looks of the Pat down sweater.

Ok, there is a reason I have both coats and that is because they are both excellent products and you can hardly go wrong choosing one or the other. For me, it depends on where I am going that day as to which one I will reach for. There is no such thing as a 4.5 on this scale but that is what both of them are to me. That means excellent use, value, looks, and overall functionality. There are just a few things that would make either coat a 4.9. Is there really such a thing as 5.0? No, but there is rounding up or down.
Riverbear

Comments about Marmot Zeus Down Jacket - Men's:

Stylish and extremely light.

Comments about Marmot Zeus Down Jacket - Men's:

My 1st Down jacket! This jacket is sooo warm you sweat. I do not need under armour anymore. If you are always cold in winter get this jacket.

Comments about Marmot Zeus Down Jacket - Men's:

This was a great Christmas present which I "pre selected" after looking at both the Patagonia and Marmot. The Marmot was a better value and fit very well, along with a good selection of colors. I live in the Pacific Northwest, so it is great for everyday wearing or an adventure. Not sure what the previous review was saying about the beer gut fit around the stomach, but I don't get that at all and think it fits great!

Comments about Marmot Zeus Down Jacket - Men's:

I want to keep this jacket. I really do. But this is the 2nd Zeus in less than 3 weeks. Here's the story...After much online research on this & the Patagonia sweater, I decided to pull the trigger on the Zeus.Right off the bat, it does not look or feel too durable. Very thin material. Fitment is nice, true to size. It DOES give you that "beer belly" look, usually when sitting. The first test was shortly after purchase. 26 degrees at an outdoor lighting event, at night for approx 3 hrs. I wore just 2 light layers underneath & the cold was tolerable. On 35 deg+ days, I could wear a just a tee & it keeps me WARM. Just after a couple days of normal wear (to the store & to work) the feathers started poking out. Brushed several of them off & didnt think much of it. A little later I find another...For those who've never owned a down, this is typical. But not like this. And if you pull it, in most cases the down will keep pulling. Best to push them back in, but u also risk making the hole bigger. I went back to the store & decided to exchange it for the Patagonia Down. They did not have it in stock as it was backordered so I decided to give the Zeus one more try. A few days later the new Zeus arrives in the mail. Felt just like the first one. Cool. After a few days, I was complimented on the jacket. But they also noticed something & pointed out that there was some down poking out above the pocket area. I inspect closely & looks like there was a good size 2mm rip. Enough's enough. This jacket's exterior is as delicate as an eggshell. I will be returning it & purchasing the Patagonia sweater elsewhere. Too bad. I really liked the jacket. Heck, I've tried it twice already. Fit was great, it was warm & lightweight. But the quality of this jacket does not support its[$] price tag.

Comments about Marmot Zeus Down Jacket - Men's:

This is a nice jacket. It does what it's supposed to and is very comfortable. If you are tiny little guy who likes to flex in front of a mirror and look for "flaws" in the jacket.. well this might not be the product you need.

Does have pockets.. Doesn't claim to be waterproof. Just a good insulating layer.

Comments about Marmot Zeus Down Jacket - Men's:

Bought this for my husband. Fatigue color does not look same in person. It is more of a forest green.

Comments about Marmot Zeus Down Jacket - Men's:

This has been a loyal jacket for over 2 years but has a few issues that need to be addressed for me at least.

For me (5'9' 135lb) this was way too roomy for a medium. I also feel that the fit was a bit big for a thinner cut fellow such as myself. I like to layer a little bit, but even with multiple layers under this thing I was still working to heat up the air around me.

Also, the warmth to weigh advantage of this jacket doesn't quiet cut it. I realize that its meant to be a lightweight down without too much bulk but little things... like the baffles on top of the shoulders were too large and the down shifts away and causes cold spots where my bone pokes up.