Outdoor Research  Realm Rain Jacket - Men's

First, let me say OR's lifetime warranty is the best in the industry. Great people, great company with great products. I ordered my Realm jacket directly from OR last year when REI didn't carry it at the time. Realm is a no-nonsense ultralight rain jacket that is made for high energy output activities in cool/cold temps. The fabric is similar to REI's eVent, which is highly breathable but won't be 100% windproof like a GoreTex shell. Unlike eVent, OR's own fabric is slightly lighter in weight but much softer and thinner so it feels much more comfortable on bare skin. I have used it primarily for cycling because the hood is so great that it can accommodate my cycling helmet entirely and I still feel very comfortable. The Lemongrass color is much better too for cycling. The fit is excellent and it can move with you. The positions of two external pockets are ideal for my use. Though the upper arms are bulky in size. For walking/hiking in the rain, however, the jacket is not ideal. Without wearing a big helmet, there is always a rather large gap open at neck directly underneath my mouth, even when zipped all the way up. As a result, rain can pour in. I have tried to tie the two neck cords together to close the gap but that is not very convenient. If you want to use it for hiking, get something such as REI's Rhyolite instead since it has a much smaller hood, so you won't have the same issue. Another weakness is OR's poor DWR treatment. In medium to heavy rain, it gets wet out in less than ten minutes and my lower arms and lower back can get wet even when temp is around 60s or below but humidity is relatively high. Without OR's famous Torso-Flow vents in place, Realm can get steamy in warm temps. In general I think OR designed Realm more for cool/cold temp high energy activities.

First, let me say OR's lifetime warranty is the best in the industry. Great people, great company with great products. I ordered my Realm jacket directly from OR last year when REI didn't carry it at the time. Realm is a no-nonsense ultralight rain jacket that is made for high energy output activities in cool/cold temps. The fabric is similar to REI's eVent, which is highly breathable but won't be 100% windproof like a GoreTex shell. Unlike eVent, OR's own fabric is slightly lighter in weight but much softer and thinner so it feels much more comfortable on bare skin. I have used it primarily for cycling because the hood is so great that it can accommodate my cycling helmet entirely and I still feel very comfortable. The Lemongrass color is much better too for cycling. The fit is excellent and it can move with you. The positions of two external pockets are ideal for my use. Though the upper arms are bulky in size. For walking/hiking in the rain, however, the jacket is not ideal. Without wearing a big helmet, there is always a rather large gap open at neck directly underneath my mouth, even when zipped all the way up. As a result, rain can pour in. I have tried to tie the two neck cords together to close the gap but that is not very convenient. If you want to use it for hiking, get something such as REI's Rhyolite instead since it has a much smaller hood, so you won't have the same issue. Another weakness is OR's poor DWR treatment. In medium to heavy rain, it gets wet out in less than ten minutes and my lower arms and lower back can get wet even when temp is around 60s or below but humidity is relatively high. Without OR's famous Torso-Flow vents in place, Realm can get steamy in warm temps. In general I think OR designed Realm more for cool/cold temp high energy activities.