Marmot has always been one of my favourite brands as they not only produce my quality clothing and equipment, but they let us women feel like women. Their women’s clothing range is flattering and made in fantastic colour combinations and contrast. One of my favourite garments is the Minimalist Jacket in the lovely fern colour. I have had the opportunity to give it a good thrashing (to say the least) in the bush. I tested out the jacket for the non-stop Expedtion Race “GODZone Adventure Race” lasting 4days 06hrs with 3.5hrs sleep.
We endured some incredibly tough trekking stages throughout the challenging course which saw only 4 teams, out of 33 teams, finish the full course. We had 12 hours of darkness and cold nights with frost. The first trek was about 19 hours and very cold with a true kiwi bush bash to find our checkpoint. The following stage was also very tough and I’ve never been so grateful for a jacket that kept me warm and comfortable. The fully waterproof Minimalist Jacket features the very breathable, strong and light performing Gore-Tex paclite material.
This jacket is minimalistic on weight but certainly not in features. The Minimalist has a storm hood for those very windy and cold days, pit zips and three zippered pockets which I have used to store some handy ginger nuts and other snack food when pace was on and I didn’t want to reach into my pack . The jacket also has a Dri-clime lined Chin Guard so you don’t get rubbing on the chin when jacket is fully zipped up.
I not only used this jacket on the trekking stages but also during the bike and paddle stages. The other great feature is the feminine and flattering shape and the length means it’s long enough to keep you dry and warm on lower back.
Great price for the quality you get. Thank you to Marmot for making my races enjoyable.
Note: Men's Minimalist Jacket also available.
Photo of Sia Svendsen and team mates from Team One Square Meal at finish line of the GODZone Adventure Race 2012
