Reviews You Can Rely On

Marmot Stride - Women's Review

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marmot stride for women wind breaker jacket review
Credit: Marmot
Price:  $100 List
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Manufacturer:   Marmot
By Chris McNamara ⋅ Founder and Editor-in-Chief  ⋅  Nov 18, 2016
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OVERALL
SCORE
  • Wind Resistance - 20% 7.0
  • Breathability - 20% 9.0
  • Water Resistance - 20% 7.0
  • Weight - 20% 4.0
  • Versatility - 10% 5.0
  • Durability - 10% 7.0

Our Verdict

The Marmot Stride - Women's is a classic piece that has been going strong for over a decade. It's wind resistant, repels a light rain and breathes well. The three dimensional knit design not only provides a comfortable soft feel on your skin, but wicks moisture away from you to the backside of the mesh when the internal heat is on. The lined collar and chin guard are a nice touch as well. Because of the cozy internal lining, it is not our top choice for all day or multi-day adventures. We preferred the non-insulated Patagonia Houdini - Women's, our Editors' Choice winner, or Arc'teryx Squamish Hoody - Women's, our Top Pick for Alpine Climbing, over this jacket for most of our outdoor pursuits. However, if you do a lot of cold weather aerobic activities, like winter running or biking, or cross country skiing, this is a great jacket to have in your closet.
REASONS TO BUY
Wind resistant
Breathable
Moisture wicking internal fleece provides warmth
REASONS TO AVOID
No hood
Rides up underneath climbing harness
Hard to layer
Does not stow in pocket
Unavailable - November 2016
Marmot has confirmed that this jacket is not available for the Fall 2016 and may be discontinued in Spring 2017. Stay tuned!

Our Analysis and Test Results

The Marmot Stride - Women's is made of 100% polyester ripstop DWR and the lining is 100% polyester DriClime. It has elastic cuffs, an interior pocket as well as three exterior pockets, and it comes in four colors. It weighs 8.8 ounces (249 grams).

Performance Comparison


marmot stride for women wind breaker jacket review - jean tucky gearing up for another climb on the mustache wall in pine...
Jean Tucky gearing up for another climb on the Mustache Wall in Pine Creek Canyon, CA. This jacket breathes well and has good range of motion for rockclimbing, but it tended to ride up beneath our harness.
Credit: Paisley Close

Wind Resistance


This jacket not only resists wind, but the moisture wicking internal fleece lining adds warmth to your core on cold windy days. In this sense it was the warmest model that we tested and offered the most protection for our core. But the downfall of this piece is that it does not have a hood, which adds more overall protection and warmth from cold winds. So, while we found our core was well protected from the wind, it lost points in this metric due to our head being cold and unprotected.

marmot stride for women wind breaker jacket review - the main downside to this jacket is it's lack of a hood. luckily, we...
The main downside to this jacket is it's lack of a hood. Luckily, we had some other wind breakers with us on this cold and windy spring day atop Cathedral Peak in Yosemite National Park, CA.
Credit: Jean Tucky

Breathability


This jacket was designed to inhale and exhale and was one of the most breathable models that we tested. The specialized lining pulls moisture away from your skin and disperses it to increase evaporation. The lining's fine dernier yarn is also soft to the touch, and this jacket feels great over nothing but a tank top or sports bra.

marmot stride for women wind breaker jacket review - paisley close goes with the flow, demonstrating the breathability...
Paisley Close goes with the flow, demonstrating the breathability and flexibility of the Stride in Pine Creek Canyon, CA.
Credit: Jean Tucky

Water Resistance


During our water resistance testing, we noticed that the Marmot Stride - Women's did not soak through to the skin, but the outer layer did hold moisture on the outside longer than the Patagonia Houdini, Arc'teryx Squamish Hoody and The North Face Cyclone Hoodie - Women's. While those models had superior water resistance, none of these wind breakers are designed to keep you dry in a downpour.

marmot stride for women wind breaker jacket review - the marmot stride jacket repels water under a light spray and the...
The Marmot Stride jacket repels water under a light spray and the inner liner wicks internal moisture away.
Credit: Jean Tucky

Weight


This is the heaviest of all the wind breakers we tested, but it does serve as a multi-dimensional layer and provides extra warmth. So, if you were to add the weight of a long-sleeved base layer to the weight of a lighter wind breaker, the weight of this model rivals that of the other jackets. If you prefer to use a layering system, this jacket is not the best choice. It has a tight fight and we had difficulty wearing it over a baselayer.

marmot stride for women wind breaker jacket review - the inner material is a special moisture wicking knit. technically...
The inner material is a special moisture wicking knit. Technically, this jacket does not zip into a pocket but we pushed it in one anyway. While it did fit, it was challenging to unzip because it's not a two-way zipper.
Credit: Jean Tucky

Versatility


Because it is not suited to layering, this jacket received a mediocre rating in this metric. We also didn't like the way it rode up under the waist belt of a backpack, and when the sleeves are pushed up, the outer shell had a tendency to roll over the internal lining, which was annoying. There were a few features that added to its versatility though. The full length zipper lets you unzip it all the way to help ventilate when climbing a steep hill and the multiple pockets are nice for holding a phone, camera, keys, music player or energy bars, though they don't fit well underneath a climbing harness or backpack waist belt.

marmot stride for women wind breaker jacket review - this jacket had a tendency to ride up under a waist belt and...
This jacket had a tendency to ride up under a waist belt and climbing harness. The pockets are also hard to use and access when wearing a pack with a waist belt.
Credit: Jean Tucky

Durability


The Marmot Stride - Women's outer lining is tough, made of 100% polyester ripstop DWR. So whether you are climbing in Joshua Tree, trail running in the Rockies or bouldering in Bishop, this jacket holds up.

marmot stride for women wind breaker jacket review - jean tucky ponders the next climb in pine creek canyon, ca. this...
Jean Tucky ponders the next climb in Pine Creek Canyon, CA. This jacket help up well on sharp granite rock climbs.
Credit: Paisley Close

Best Applications


This jacket is best for high cardio activities on cooler days. The comfortable lining lets you wear this piece over a sleeveless tank when bouldering, rock scrambling, cycling, trail running, cross country skiing or hanging out in your cabin.

Value


At $100, this jacket is a great value for how it functions. It's not the least expensive wind breaker out there, but you are essentially getting a two-for-one deal with the soft lining that acts as a baselayer.

Conclusion


If you want a jacket that wicks moisture in cooler temps, go with the Marmot Stride - Women's. It is definitely the coziest of all the models we tested, but not the best for layering on multi-weather excursions. It fits comfortably and flexes nicely with movement. However, the jacket had a tendency to ride up under a harness or backpack waist belt. If you're looking for a wind breaker to layer with, our Editors' Choice winner, the Patagonia Houdini, weighs half as much and keeps you dry in a light rain. Or, check out our Top Pick for Alpine Climbing, the Arc'teryx Squamish Hoody, which is durable and seals you off from the elements even more. Check out our full Women's Wind Jacket review to see how all these models compare.

Chris McNamara