Product Testing: Kathmandu Pocket-it Rain Jacket!

To the horror of my wife, I have gotten myself an OREN coloured rain jacket from Kathmandu. She aint a big fan of OREN & quite frankly me neither - but the other colours were seriously too dull, or lack sizes, or too expensive. So OREN it was to be. Besides I later discovered the OREN matches my NB trail shoes! Yes shocking isn't it that I do have fashion sense actually. :)

In any case, being secretly envious of my wife having become an overnight sensation product tester/reviewer for Brooks & Skechers, I have decided to become a blogger-cum-product tester myself :D and have chosen this splendidly smiley debut intro pic (yes the one below) to give confidence to apparel companies & readers alike that YES this guy must know a thing or two!

I am the "Guy In Orange" GIO today, catchy yes?

Testing grounds... the trail that runs alongside the Buck reserve...rainy day = all to myself!

So rain started to get heavier & windier as I left the trail & entered back the pavements.. the real product testing started then. Pushing against the weather the jacket held on well, only when I lifted my left arm to check my watch water trickled in through the long sleeve. It's meant to be light-weight & since I'm wearing an S-size (ozzies are big blokes!), the weight would be less than 290g. I didn't really feel the weight during the run so that's thumbs up.

Copyright Kathmandu - a spin-around view of the jacket & how it fits a scuffy look!

Water was repelled & does not really linger (I can feel the waxy texture on the jacket) & there are effective draw cords to tighten the hood & bottom end - hope the elasticity will last. Once you tighten the hood, the bottom part covers up to your mouth area, blocking further against wind & rain. The hood eats into your vision by just a bit. It's all good measures but for runners - do remember there are limitations to what the jacket can do. I can see how it will struggle to hold against wind & rain in their extremities (My primary concern is how this will hold up in the Alpines.. all this is in prep for the Razorback Run, as training in full kit is important).

Do remember it will not help you stay warm either. After a run, your body is drenched & it's easy to get chills if you don't keep running. The hood helps retain some heat but won't block entirely against incoming chilly winds. I guess that's why Razorback organiser Paul listed down that extra piece of polypropylene long sleeve top as part of the kit list!

Retailing at $59.99 at the moment (discounted from $120+) - I will say it's close to being an absolute bargain :). And if you had reservations against the ORANGE/OREN being a fashion disaster, I hope my pictures have totally changed your mind :P

Verdict? Jacket held up well. Buy it. Well-worth if you're getting it at 59.99 AUD discounted price.

Thanks for reading folks, till next time.

Fashion digression: see how the orange colours are matching up! Say Hi to each other, MT876 & Rain Jacket!

ps. HERE is the direct  link to Kathmandu's website for this jacket!

pps. Ready for Techno Descend? Indulge in a total time-waster with GIO! :D