Marmot Trail Wind Hoody Review

Marmot’s Trail Wind Hoody is a featherweight jacket that weighs in at a skimpy 4 ounces (or 116 grams) for a women’s medium. If you are familiar with Marmot products, you may note the distinct similarity to the Ion Wind shirt. Both tops are wind resistant, breathable, water repellant, come with an attached hood, and have elastic cuffs. Marmot reports that the Ion weighs 4 oz or 113 grams, ever so slightly lighter than the Trail Wind Hoody. But, I bet you can’t tell the difference, we sure didn’t! As owners of a 2008 Ion Shirt, we found the Trail Wind Hoody to be far superior due to the installation of a ventilation system under the armpits, which allows increased breathability in one of the most important places. The ventilation system is mesh-like and stretches with you as you move, a major plus. The Trail Wind has also added an elastic draw cord (maybe this is the source of the extra 3 grams) to help cinch down during adverse weather.

We have been utilizing the Trail Wind Hoody as backup weather protection while out trail running and on the bike during a very fickle spring out in Colorado. The Trail Hoody has a zippered sleeve pocket that can store a small phone, mp3 player, or your keys. The small pocket also doubles as storage for the jacket itself. We were able to pack the jacket into the pocket in less than 30 seconds! This feature makes this jacket incredibly attractive for cyclists that want a little added weather protection but don’t want a bulky jacket bouncing around in their jersey pockets. We also liked the convenient loop on the outside of the packed up jacket, which allows you to clip the jacket to your pack with a carabineer for easy retrieval.

The Trail Wind Hoody runs true to size and can be easily layered over a light-base layer and medium weight fleece. As for the performance of the jacket, we were extremely impressed with its breathability while doing challenging trail runs. The Trail Hoody helped to block the wind and the jacket didn’t balloon with high-powered gusts of wind thanks to the elastic draw cord and elastic cuffs. This jacket is water resistant, not water proof, and provided a nice barrier to misty conditions for up to 45 minutes. Overall, the Trail Wind Hoody is a great jacket to have in your arsenal because of its’ next to nothing weight and the protection it can offer. For more information, please visit Marmot.com