Marmot Men's Featherless Jacket Reviewed

I wanted to put the new Marmot Featherless Jacket through a solid test. It's incredibly lightweight and a puffy that's actually eco-friendly, made with recycled loose-fill fibers instead of your regular goose feathers. I couldn't quite believe it would hold up to the standard protection of similar down jackets, so I took it on a three-hour paddle board down the freezing Truckee River in the middle of Tahoe's winter along with another adventurous soul willing to put it to the test.

Our first thought was that it barely felt like we were wearing a jacket. It's so light that it gives the false impression of being thinly insulated. We weren't sure if this would be good or bad, until we had our first burst of wind and the jacket seemed to knock it off without any trouble. Then once we got cruising on the boards it was very apparent that this jacket was an athlete's dream. With a lot of upper body movement going on, the jacket flowed seamlessly with my torso and arms and was never an interrupting thought while trying to focus on paddling. I've owned far too many jackets that give me the warmth I need but not the additional comfort in mobility that this one does. We obviously had to have the waterproof test, so I made sure to splash my buddy with the Sierra's finest freezing water and watched the droplets roll right off. I had the excuse of camera in-hand so we'll have to take his testimony of staying completely dry under the jacket after the waterproof test.

If you're looking for the perfect jacket to stay warm while not compromising mobility during cold weather activities, this is the jacket for you. It also packs up incredibly small because of the unique fiber fill Marmot has chosen to use, so it's easy enough to stuff into a backpack without having to contemplate too much if it's worth the space. And last but not least, it looks freaking sweet! They offer the jacket in five different colors and the tiny box insulation pattern is something unique to stand out from your other boring down jackets.