REI Crestrail Review

The REI Crestrail Jacket earned good scores in water resistance, comfort and mobility, and durability, but was one of the heaviest contenders we tested, limiting its overall score.

Performance Comparison

Water Resistance

The Crestrail kept us dry both in the shower and when sprayed with a garden hose. The hood cinches up well enough around the face and the offset, adjustable cuff design both seals well and provides some extended coverage for the back of the hand. Most notable though, we were impressed with the DWR's performance over our test period; this jacket beads water well. Our one point of concern lies in the chest pocket zipper, which is located under the main storm flap immediately next to the main zipper. We found it a little awkward to operate, and are concerned water could seep in here during a long rainstorm. For a jacket this heavy, we find the Marmot Minimalist and Outdoor Research Foray both provide better protection.

Breathability & Ventilation

Three mesh-lined pockets and larger-than-average pit zips provide ventilation for this jacket. All zipped up and secured against foul weather, we found the breathability of the Crestrail's fabric to be average. Both the Marmot PreCip and Foray were less steamy inside when all closed up against the rain.

Comfort & Mobility

The Crestrail presents a mixed bag in this metric, but earned a slightly above average score. The fleece at the chin and around the neck are nice comfort features, and the jacket in general moves really well with you. Sewn-in cord locks make one-handed adjustment of the hood and waist hem cinches easy, and all the zippers have string pulls with plastic fobs attached. But here is our main complaint. The pit zip zippers. The shell fabric is stitched and laminated right up to the edges of the reversed zipper, making it stiff and uncomfortable in the armpit. In addition, we found these zippers more difficult than others to operate while wearing.

Weight

This rain jacket in size large weighed in at 17.1 ounces on our digital scale, which is quite heavy. Indeed it is the heaviest of the 2.5-layer models we tested. Nearly all of the heavier pieces we tested use a polyester face fabric, and this is true for the Crestrail as well. The stretchy polyester face fabric and the fleece-lined collar that extends all the way around the neck account for most of the weight increase over similar competitors like the Marmot PreCip and Patagonia Torrentshell. While the burly face fabric certainly adds some longevity if abrasion is a concern for you, we didn't find the extra 5 or 6 ounces added much to performance.

Durability

The face fabric of this jacket is one of the more abrasion-resistant that we tested. As a result, the Crestrail earned an above average durability score. The construction and sewing quality seems top notch, but we do have a concern related to pairing a very stretchy shell fabric with a seam-taped laminate. We did a lot of pulling and stretching checking out this model, and could see the seam tape pucker up. This is a potential wear area on the inside of the jacket.

Packed Size

Unfortunately, this jacket does not stow in one of its pockets. When we want to pack it away, we roll it up into the hood.

Features

This 2.5-layer jacket features a hood with a stiffened brim at the brow, but unlike what we feel are more comfortable designs, the elastic cinch cord extends all the way around the face opening across the brow. The cord locks are exterior on both sides. In addition, another elastic cinch cord extends from the temples to the back of your head, where the cord lock is shielded by a small hood of fabric.

The collar is well-featured and includes a fleece-lined interior collar that extends all the way around the back of your neck, but there is no fabric hood for the zipper up front. At the back, below the fleece collar is a small hang loop laminated in with the REI logo size tag.

This model features average sized pit zips, and rather than a storm flap, the reversed zippers are hidden with shell fabric that extends right to their edges. We appreciated the low bulk of this design, but find it to be quite stiff and somewhat uncomfortable under the arms. The pit zips do have zipper pulls at either end for convenience of opening. This model features large, mesh-lined hand pockets, but does not stuff away into either one. On the interior left chest is a zippered pocket (just the right size for a smart phone) that includes a headphones port. All the exterior zipper pulls of this jacket have strings attached with small plastic fobs on the ends, a great feature for ease of use if you're wearing gloves.

The cuffs of this jacket are built with asymmetrical dimensions, with the back of the hand side about one inch longer than the inside wrist. They cinch down nicely with a velcro adjustment tab. Finally, like most other models, the hem can be cinched up with a sewn-in cord lock at either hip.

Best Applications

With a stretchy and abrasion resistant polyester face, we feel Crestrail is best suited to folks who want an affordable rain jacket that can handle rough use. If you aren't too concerned about weight, this is a good jacket for hiking, backpacking, and and all sorts of outdoor playtime.

Value

At $139, the Crestrail is in the middle of the 2.5-layer rain jacket price field. We feel the Marmot PreCip and Patagonia Torrentshell both deliver better value. But if you seek a model with a more durable face fabric than these two, then the Crestrail is a good deal

Conclusion

The REI Crestrail jacket is a good, solid rain shell. The stretchy fabric helps create a comfortable and mobile jacket that seals out the rain well.

Other Versions

• Waterproofing: 2.5-layer REI Elements waterproof breathable laminate

• Pants stow inside their own pocket

• Available in S,M,L,XL,XXL, and XXXL