Marmot DriClime Windshirt Review

The Marmot DriClime Windshirt has been my main ski jacket for over 15 years. I’ve worn out about three of them, but they are very durable. I ski about 60-80 days a year in the backcountry and I alway wear a DriClime. This is my Marmot DriClime Windshirt Review.

Is this jacket warm enough for winter skiing? In most cases, it’s plenty warm. If the temps are in the mid-teens to low 30s, I wear a Patagonia Capilene Midweight Zip-neck as a base layer and the DriClime over it. If I keep moving, that’s warm enough for the up and down.

If the temps are in the single digits or below zero, I wear a Patagonia Capilene Midweight Zip-neck, a Patagonia R1 Zip-neck, and the DriClime on top. If I keep moving, it’s more than warm enough. If I stop to eat or I get chilled, I put on my Patagonia Nano Puff Bivvy Jacket, but rarely do I use the Nano Puff on a climb.

Another advantage of using the DriClime for up and down is you don’t have to keep changing jackets. This speeds up changeover time at the top and bottom. The less gear you have to fuss with, then less time it takes. You stay warmer and you get more skiing in less time.

What’s the hurry? There are lots of people out there skiing up your untracked snow ;)

I never buy Gortex gear because it’s expensive and doesn’t work. To be fair, I don’t think any of the so-called “breathable / waterproof” laminates work. They don’t breath enough and they aren’t waterproof. But, for winter use, they work OK. But since the expensive Gortex works no better than the other laminates, I buy the less expensive ones.

On a warm storm day, when it’s snowing hard, I wear an REI Essential Rain Jacket ($69.95) over the DriClime. That keeps me a little drier than the DriClime by itself.

But that’s what’s amazing about DriClime: You can get it soaking wet and if you keep moving, it dries out.

What I like About the Marmot DriClime Windshirt

• It’s very warm and breathable and it keeps me warm on the up AND down
• It dries very quickly
• It’s very durable
• It has a nice chest pocket big enough for a phone, a radio, or some snacks
• It has a full zip front so it’s easy to get on and off and for ventilation
• I can fit my skins inside the jacket so I don’t have to take my pack off on changeover at the top

What I Don’t Like About the Marmot DriClime Windshirt

• The chest pocket has a zipper on it, but it’s a tiny zipper that you can’t get a hold on with gloves and especially not with Mittens. So I had to add my own zipper pull so I could open and close it without taking off my mittens.
  

  

• I also have a DriClime Hoody. Great idea Marmot, but when I got it I was very surprised and disappointed to find that the hood is not lined. I expected it to have the same nice liner as the jacket body. A liner in the hood would make the DriClime Hoody a bombproof jacket. But without the liner, the hood is not very warm.
• Also, the hood on the DriClime Hoody is too small. It’s made for pin heads.
• If you’re going to put a hood on a jacket, make it warm and roomy.

Bottom Line

I highly recommend the Marmot DriClime Jacket or Hoody. Warm, breathable, windproof, and durable.