Outdoor Research Aspire Jacket - Women's reviews and deals for sale

Love it! would get a size up

Love it! would get a size up if you're going to use it as a shell and wear layers undeneath.

Bad zipper

Since day one this zipper has been a problem.

Love it, zipper a little bent though

So I ended up ordering two of these. The first one arrived with a bend in the zipper from being folded that was, uh, kind of embarrassing in terms of what it looked like if I sat down wearing the jacket... Ordered another hoping for a difference. The second had the same problem, but to a lesser degree. This time I decided to keep it though because I LOVE the jacket in every other… read more respect, and I figured I'd work out the bend eventually, especially since this one was not as pronounced. I just might not be sitting down in it until I do. ;-) So, what I love: The color is awesome, but I love green and gray. The material is soft, but waterproof, no weird rubbery smell, and the seams are really well sealed! LOVE the pit zips too, that was a must for me! I have only used the jacket a couple of times since buying it, but it was raining pretty hard, and it kept me perfectly dry. Not sure how it will hold up in a downpour, or for hours at a time, but I'll mostly be using it for day hikes where it might suddenly rain, and I can tell it will be great for that. I am 5'2" and 120#, but I ordered a medium so I could layer it, and because most gear is narrow at the bottom. I made the right call! Medium fits perfectly for my purposes.

Awesome jacket, sizes small

Best LW waterproof jacket, but was surprised that a W-L didn't fit. Just a tad too snug around hips and sleeves not as long as expected. Will try an XL- hope it isn't too big!

Awesome lightweight jacket!

This jacket is a great option if you are looking for a lightweight rain and wind coat. It does a wonderful job of keeping out moisture! I really like the pockets on this coat as well, they are waterproof so you won't have to worry about water leaking into what you have in your pockets. I found the adjustable hood to be very convenient as well, allows you to stay even drier and… read more protected from the elements! Also, if you are needing to cool down a little bit the pit zips make that really easy by providing a way to get some airflow.

Great Jacket, Not for Everyone

Really nice quality rain shell. However if you're short and curvy like me, the proportions of the garment may not work for you. I had to try the large for my hip measurements, but even then it still wouldn't zip, and the rest of it was too big. Seems to be designed for a slimmer, taller shape person. Other than sizing issues I love the jacket, and I wish it worked for me. The search… read more continues!

Women get the cool colors

I loved this shell, super lightweight it fits perfectly in my 20L bag that I use for bouldering. The womens large fit me perfectly and was super breathable for all my approaches. Overall a great piece of equipment.

Great Lightweight Weather Protection

This shell is great. It is not the burliest shell around, but that is exactly the point. It weighs very little and keeps the weather off when called upon to do so. It has done great fighting the wind and precipitation and it should do that for a good long lifetime.

Rain

I got this because all my other rain jackets leaked through since they were 10 yrs old. So all this awesome UT rain we have been getting I decided it was time to upgrade. I got this for running with my dog and hikes. I was out in the rain for 5 hrs at one of my jobs and stayed dry the whole time. It was a pretty heavy rain off and on.

Seems good

I haven't worn this through any crazy rain but I did wear it up Mount Hood and it does great with breathability. It also kept my dry on the glissade down.

Wet through in light rain

I had it in light rain for 30 minutes before it started leaking inside. That's pretty poor performance for what is supposed to be an amazing raincoat.

sleek and hardy

I can finally write a review, as I've taken this jacket on a handful of snow camping trips. I was looking for something sturdy, but lightweight and also able to wear over my big down jacket. I have worn this jacket while out in hours and hours of snowfall, sleet fall, and snow block hauling, and have stayed super dry. It also fits well over my down jacket for those evenings,… read more sitting in the snow kitchen. The big pockets are great, with welded zippers all throughout. The hood is ample and fits over my down jacket hood and beanie or trucker hat just fine too. I'm super happy I made this purchase, and have since sought out other OR products as well.

Great coat for everything

I am on coat #2 of the Aspire. The first one began to delaminate and OR replaced it after I sent them a picture, which was so nice! I live in Vancouver, BC now, so this is basically my all-the-time coat. I will wear this skiing, especially if I'm touring and I know I'll be getting hot while moving but still want a windbreaker. This was also my go-to coat living in Vermont and running… read more in snowstorms. It kept me perfectly warm when temps dropped below freezing and was especially handy if it was snowing. I LOVE that the pit-zips go the entire length of the jacket- a very underrated feature in my opinion. This coat has been basically everywhere with me (I even got engaged in it!) and I cannot say enough good things about it.

Great quality jacket

This jacket held up amazingly during hours of heavy rain and wind during a 5-day trek. My friends’ rainjackets ended up soaking through, and I was completely dry! Highly recommend!

Excellent rain jacket

For years, I have been on the lookout for a rain jacket that's both functional and light. It's surprising how difficult a task that has been! This jacket has checked all of the boxes. I wear it for heavy rain in the city and wore it as a windbreaker while hiking in Patagonia. Its performance has been amazing and it has never let me down: cuffs stay dry, pockets stay dry, it doesn't… read more make a crinkly sound when I move, and doesn't cause a greenhouse effect while wearing. An excellent purchase!

Great for rain

I love this jacket as an outer shell but it still provides some warmth too! The hood is one of my favorite parts because it doesn't slide back, it covers your head nicely and sort of has a little visor on it. The cut on the bottom is nice too... I like that the back is cut a bit longer to cover your back if you were to bend down. I'm knocking a star off because it's a little bit… read more stiff in the arms. I find that if I raise my arms it's tight. I wouldn't want to size up though because then it would be baggy.

Great outer shell!

Great performance over an extensive hiking vacation. Completely unaffected by brambles/thorns. 5'4 132lbs 36/26/39 small fit well with room for layers; but that was pretty much at the maximum hip-size limit. I don't really understand why so many jackets have drawstrings to tighten them yet are still cut for women without hips~ That said, although I didn't have any room to tighten… read more the bottom it didn't ride up with a base layer and a packable puffer underneath. I feel like the medium would've been too roomy everywhere else.

Awesome Rain shell!

I bought this Jacket as a gift for my girlfriend and she LOVES it. The two highlights of the jacket are the breathability and the hood! The hood is big enough to wear a hat under, but small enough that it will not blow off your head, and actually stays very secure in the rain! The jacket is easily breathable enough to hike in, and keeps out that really cold clammy feel you can get… read more wearing shells. The only downside so far has been the main zipper is a bit difficult to start, but it has lasted her a season of teaching in the outdoors in New England!

An overall disappointment :/

**** a positive before all the negative: I adored ADORED the poncho side zips, still do. ***** I got this jacket early 2018, to wear on a 9 day/200km hike in the Scottish highlands, in late April 2018. The morning of day 2 (of 9 days), I went to put my mobile in the pocket after gearing up in waterproofs, it was going to be a rainy day in the hills. I heard a thunk as I walked… read more away, and it was my phone, lying on the scree. I wiped it off, and chastised myself for having mistaken the open poncho zips as my pocket. I put it in my pocket again, and stepped away. Thud. WTF. Turns out the bottom of the pocket's seam had completely shorn away, I wasn't imagining things. Pissed off to high heaven, as my gloves were using the only other functioning pocket. The gloves got relegated to my pack, and my mobile took over the only other secure pocket. Thank god it was still working. At the inn that night, I was able to sew the pocket relatively back together, and reinforced the other one just in case. Fine. I'm pissed off, but at least have two working pockets at hand for the 7 days ahead. Evening of Day 3, the bottom of the main zip was a bit sticky when I went to take it off for the first time that day (meanwhile, I'd rigged rope to my phone that morning in case the *sides* of pockets gave out. Stupid me had forgotten to pack duct tape, not that I should have to be worrying about repairing my rain coat). The jacket suddenly gave way, as well as the metal zip stop at the torso bottom. F*ck. Got my needle and thread out again, thinking I'd have to sew the main zip entirely shut for the day ahead, but managed to squeeze enough of the zip together to have it catch and zip up. Only proviso, I would definitely have to put it on and off as a poncho, NOT dare unzip fully, or be faced with being soaked the next day's 24 kilometres. Huh. I got fricking soaked regardless. Must have been something wrong with that run of Gore-Tex fabric, because it was leeching through by day's end (and continued to, the rest of the 6 days). I emailed Rab UK while crying in my plate of chips, and they wouldn't be able to get me a jacket until another 50 or so kilometres further on, when I was closer to a town. I was well and truly stuck with this Aspire. Fast forward to when I got back to Canada in May, and filed a Warranty claim. They'd replace it no problem, but didn't have my size left, and "could I wait until the 2019 Aspire jackets come out in September." * the OR fellow I dealt with via email was perfectly pleasant. "No problem, I'll just wear this jerry-rigged OR jacket for the hikes I have planned this summer, and wait till September. Ugh." I was offered OR credit, but I didn't want a cheaper one, and wasn't about to spend more for a higher-end Outdoor Research. Ideally I'd have got my money back so I could buy a Rab. Alas. Fast forward a couple of months, I emailed for a new replacement last Tuesday. I was asked if I could email them again on Friday "to remind them," (uh, what?) as they should have stock in by then. So. I just received my 2019 replacement Aspire, in the red, today. Except, it's really orangey red. Visibly different from the cherry red 2018 I'd initially purchased and loved. And they want me to send back the original FrankenAspire on my dime, about $17 in shipping fees. Just...No. So, I'll have to wait a couple of years to justify buying from a different manufacturer. I'm stuck with this orangey red Aspire for now (I do like the new chest pocket). I'll be back in Scotland for two weeks next May, and again in September, and those times I'll remember to wrap duct tape around my poles in case I have to fricking tape myself into the damned thing if bits give out again. I'm crossing my fingers it was an overall shitty manufacturing run, but hopes aren't high.

Great snow jacket on Juneau Icefield

We just returned from a ski/hike trek of 50 miles on the Juneau Icefield. The jacket was awesome in the blizzard/white out conditions we experienced. Venting options (side zips) kept condensation at bay. In SE Alaska I'd still choose fishermen's rain gear for most applications but OR jacket did a great job in the snow and wind!