Outdoor Research Ferrosi DuraPrint Jacket Review

When climbers think of Outdoor Research, they often think of the Ferrosi Jacket and Pants. These two are generally hailed as the gold-standard in climbing softshells, time-tested classics folks like me rely on. So when OR announced that they would be releasing a new version of the classic Ferrosi Jacket with a printed pattern to increase durability, I was very keen to try it out. To over-simplify here, the jacket is still a real classic.

Outdoor Research Ferrosi DuraPrint Jacket Features:

• Water and Wind Resistant
• Breathable, lightweight, but durable material
• Movement Mirroring Stretch
• DuraPrint Printed Durability at Shoulders and Elbows
• Adjustable Hood Fits over Climbing Helmet
• Drawcord Hood Stowe Feature
• Zip Chest and Hand Pockets
• Weight: 385 grams (as weighed on my scale in size Large)
• MSRP: $155

The Yellow Jacket is Your Friend

The reason the Ferrosi Jacket was a classic in prior iterations was that it was lightweight, stretchy, thin, and breathable, but simultaneously provided enough protection to keep you warm for summer alpine missions where the wind kicks up and it made the surprise of a light rain mid-route a bit less devastating. It’s hard to find a jacket that can be all of those things, but the original Ferrosi was. As a result, it was worth its weight on every big rock climb.

The new Ferrosi Duraprint Jacket is the same kind of treasure. It keeps all of those qualities that made the original so great, and adds to the recipe DuraPrint, a printed, flexible texture to a couple key wear areas: the elbows and the tops of the shoulders. The pattern of the DuraPrint is a well-spaced grid of rectangular print-outs, and that’s important, because the DuraPrint material is neither stretchy nor breathable. With the spacing of the print though, the Jacket retains these qualities of stretchiness and breathability. In my experience testing it over the past few months, it’s still top notch in both categories.

Is it notably more durable though? Well, It’s a bit difficult to say. I tend to test gear pretty hard. For instance, the first day out with the new jacket put it grinding up a granite dihedral in British Columbia, and that didn’t do the fabric any favors, leaving it pilling in spots on the sides of the shoulders. That increased over time as I climbed with it more, taking it on a variety of alpine climbing trips in the North Cascades and Canadian Coastal Range.

What I’ve learned is this: The DuraPrint itself doesn’t wear much, but the spacing between those dots of printed material certainly does, and that’s most noticeable at the elbows on my jacket. I believe that DuraPrint has potential to improve overall durability, especially from the constant rubbing that the tops of the shoulders get from backpack straps, but I don’t think it does much to stop the slow grinding wear that comes from rock climbing. My jacket is decidedly fuzzier than it once was.

Still, the jacket has held up to a lot of abuse over its testing period. Throughout it all, it’s remained a go-to for alpine missions of various types. Rock climbing, of course, gets it in the pack, but Spring splitboarding has a place for it as well. On a particularly pleasant Spring day, some friends and I headed up Mt. Shuksan’s Sulphide glacier for a romp. It was the kind of day where you head out in shorts, a sun shirt, and boots, then pack a layer and a hardshell for the way down. The Ferrosi jacket was the perfect addition – just warm enough and just enough protection for the breeze coming off the ice and the light sprinkle that caught us mid-day.

On another recent outing, a partner and I teamed up to climb Mt. Slesse’s NE Buttress, a grade V route which we attempted to do in fast and light style. The Ferrosi made the cut, and it came in handy when “fast and light” turned into “sleep sitting up on a tiny ledge and wait until it’s light enough to climb again”. I was cold, certainly, but the Ferrosi jacket is exactly what I would choose if I were put into that situation again: light and compact, but enough to cut the cold and cover a light insulation layer. No regrets on the jacket; definite regrets on some elements of that particular climb… a story for another time.

Ultimately, my favorite things about the Ferrosi DuraPrint Jacket are the stretchiness and breathability, which are sublime. But then, there are also many other positive features of the piece. The hood, for instance, fits naturally over a head, stretches perfectly over a helmet, articulates with movement exactly as it should, and cinches down well. It is a perfect hood, and that assessment comes from a very picky person. Storage is perfect for a light softshell, with two zippered hand pockets and a zipped chest pocket. Each zipper has quality zippers and pulls that are easy to use when wearing gloves.

If there are any oddities about the jacket, I’d say that the hand pockets could be positioned a tad higher to be more harness-friendly. I’d also note that the roll-up hood lock makes no sense to me. Is it usable at all? Am I stupid? I’ve wondered both, but no amount of tinkering and fiddling has gotten me closer to a securely rolled up and locked hood. The inscrutable description on OR’s website prompted only more questions. Alas, I’m in the realm of nit-picking. Do I need a roll-up and lock hood? Decidedly no. And harness-friendly pockets on a jacket like this? Well, I’d call them a nice-to-have. It feels good to romp around in a jacket which requires this kind of reaching to pull up cons…

Overall though, I’d call the newly refined Ferrosi DuraPrint Jacket a boon. It’s highly versatile for the gamut of mountain adventures, and it all comes at a price that isn’t too outlandish. Maybe it isn’t the greatest bargain out there at the MSRP, but it’s within the realm of reason, and can justify itself pretty well when you end up needing it, and if you’re like me, you’ll end up needing it more often than you realize. When you do, you’ll be stoked that you crammed it into the bottom of your pack.

Fit: At 5’11” and a lean 170lbs, I typically wear a size Large, but I tested a size Medium here, hoping for the tighter fit I prefer with light softshells. The Medium worked perfectly for me, and both sleeve length and waistline fit just right.

Buy Now: Available at Backcountry.com