This winter and spring has been wet, really wet. I have been wearing the Outdoor Research Foray Jacket and Pants way more than I thought! They are made from Goretex Paclite, which is one of the best shell materials. Paclite does not require a liner, but don’t let “lite” in the Paclite scare you, it is as tough as any hard shell jacket. I used a pair of Paclite pants for mountaineering, hiking and commuting for a decade before I finally wore them out, which was really only because of too much glissading on snow climbs like this.
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| mt neva, indian peaks co |
Which is why when it came time for a new shell and pants I looked for gear made out of Paclite. I have been a big fan of OR for years so I was psyched to that they made the Foray Jacket and Pants out of Paclite.
I wanted a burlier coat than my Marmot Precip, which is nice, but in a down pour the Marmot is only good for 30 minutes. I have worn these Outdoor Research Foray pieces in the rain on all day hikes where it just dumped and water has not been able to get through.
This pic below is after 2.5 hours in pouring rain. The water is still beading up on the sleeves.
The coat has pit zips that go all the way from the elbow to the waist, which makes temperature regulation a snap. This is great for those days when it is still too cold to go without a jacket but you don’t want to be sweating more than you are getting rained on.
The pants have a zipper that runs from just below the waist down to the ankle.
With the side zippers the pants are easy to put on over shoes or boots.
The jacket has a napoleon pocket, and two front pockets.
The pocket is actually quite deep, as you can see from the inside photo.
There is another larger internal pocket on the other side.
The cuffs have velcro, and a nice touch is the sticky rubber on the velcro tab so you can make adjustments with wet hands or gloves.
The hood provides plenty of coverage, and has adjustment cords on the front.
Bottom Line:
I really like these Outdoor Research Foray Jacket and Pants. The details are spot on and Paclite lasts for a very long time, If you live in a wet area and do active outdoor stuff, these are great.They pac down very small too, a nice bonus of the Paclite material.
Outdoor Research says:
- Lightweight, waterproof/breathable 40D GORE-TEX® Paclite® fabric
- Fully seam taped
- Dual-pull adjustable hood
- Double-separating front zipper with external stormflap
- Double-sliding, water-resistant TorsoFlo™ hem-to-bicep zippers
- Water-resistant zippers; napoleon pocket and hand pockets
- Zippered internal chest pocket doubles as stuff sack
- Elastic cuffs with hook/loop tabs
- Dual drawcord hem adjustments
- Lightweight, waterproof 40D GORE-TEX® Paclite® fabric
- Fully seam taped
- Water-resistant zippers
- Accepts accessory suspenders
- Elastic waist with drawcord
- Zippered rear pocket doubles as stuff sack
- ¾-length side zippers
- Gusseted crotch
- Articulated knees
- Snap/elastic cuff closures
- Loops for instep lace
Thanks for this review. The way that the pants fit around your ankle, it looks like rain will drip right into your show. Has this not been a problem? Or how do you avoid it?
wondering the same, this seem like a huge drawback (Unless you wear a shoe with high ankles i guess…as long as the pants fits around it)
Hey KM & Luuis – I have not had the problem of dripping water in my shoe from the Foray Pants. That said when it is really dumping I tend to wear boots, which are higher. Or in deep snow when wearing these I used gaiters.
-Joe