Customer Reviews Outdoor Research Foray™ Jacket

Great jacket that exceeded my expectations. My only complaint is that I have to wrestle with the zipper each and every time I put the jacket on. It doesn't seem to 'engage' the teeth very well. This was true with every Foray jacket that I tried on.

Zipper is tough to close but hopefully will wear in. Wore it in all day rain in the Boundary Waters and it held up great. Pit vents are a great feature.

Love the fit and ease of adjustments

Was looking for a waterproof/windproof/breathable shell that could be worn as needed year round in conditions experienced in Eastern Canada. This fits the bill at a reasonable price. Only con in my opinion is hood seems over sized a casual shell (it does have a drawstring however. Overall very happy with the purchase!

The jacket fits well. I am yet to take it out for a spin. But I thought I had to add my disagreement over the hops color as represented online. The real jacket is of a much darker shade. Not as light as the website pictures show.

I really like the technical features - the full side zips offer a lot of options for venting (even if I, and most won't use them often). Great hand pockets for size/stashing. All my other OR jackets fit my Samsung Note phone fine, but this one is very tight (make it bigger!). Addition of inside mess pockets would make this more versatile for the "go everywhere" award. My only real disappointment with it is the cut/fit. For active people (read - athletic) it just doesn't look as good on as it should. It looks/feels like a poncho. (I'm 5'11" and 175 and although it is easy to layer 3 things underneath for any weather in a medium, it just looks square.) Can't you taper it in a bit/give it a waist? Maybe get a run of athletic fit cuts to see how they sell. If it was cut athletically, I'd rave and get anyone I know to buy one!

This is perfect for cool nights and long walks.

Great jacket well worth it compacts small for travel and sty dry on Oregon coast

Nice and stylist jacket, the only pain point is you are constantly struggling to use the zipper.

Please add some interior pockets. I often need to carry light weight cool weather gloves, keys and a small wallet.

Good quality jacket does what it is supposed to do. I wear it as a raincoat and for backcountry skiing in wet conditions. I am 6'3" and take large size. The arms could be a bit longer and also the body.

I haven't layer it up during winter yet but I feel I can predict the outcome, all good. If I could only have one jacket, the Foray would be it!

Bought this to replace a warranty replacement from another company. They changed the jacket, and it sucked. Got the jacket just before a personal trip to the big island of Hawaii. When we hit the wet side and the volcano, this jacket was perfect. I got a trim size (L for my 6' 3" trim frame) and when setting out for a 8 mile hike around the caldera the sky opened up. I was able to keep my lil pack with all the essentials and water under the jacket while still being comfortable and dry. True to the islands, it would periodically rain heavily then be hot and sunny. The full-open pit zips are the shiznet. Most of the time it was drizzling with patches of sun, and my gear, and me, stayed dry and ventilated. I'll also use this as my ski jacket when the temps turn. A friend has the dedicated ski jacket with the zip to hem pit zips and loves it. Good for the uppy when it is spitting, then seal it down for the descent.

The versatility if this jacket is amazing! The long side zips are something I wish all jackets did. Even with the zippers I will not recommend this jacket, it began wetting out immediately! The soft outer fabric is quiet and cozy but absorbed water really fast, making me feel wet even when I wasn't. The waterproof rubberized layer in the inside of the jacket is very delicate, if it gets scratched at all the waterproofing will be ruined

Awesome product, but just a horrible zipper. I'm a whale watching captain, and after 3 months the zipper is so corroded that I can't even zip it up without pliers. It's extremely waterproof, relatively light weight, but this is my second foray jacket and both of the zippers were so bad that I couldn't even use them after a few weeks. If they fixed the zipper, the product would be 5 star.

Served me well in a recent trip to Alaska - with the exception of the aforementioned comments. Was in some very harsh (wet, wind, driving rain) conditions. happy I had it.

I wore this jacket in Boston this year as my wife ran the marathon. As a spectator, this is a hard course to find your athlete to cheer so I wasn't moving around in the rain too much. I picked a point, stood out in the rain/wind and the jacket soaked through. I was only wearing a fleece underneath and could noticeably feel the wind coming through the jacket. I took a photo when the jacket dried in my hotel room and could see a noticeable line of saturation. The rain and winds were extreme this year and I am sure this would have been a great jacket for a milder day but given the circumstances, I had a lot of time just standing in the rain and it didn't keep me dry. My fleece underneath was moist to the touch. I would, however, recommend this jacket if you are in lighter/less windy conditions. I have always thought this jacket fits bigger than the Large size I ordered. The sleeve length is great because I'm 6'1" and have a 35" sleeve length. The torso feels long and the chest area is baggy.

A 5" x 5" square on the shoulder didn't receive the waterproofing during manufacturing so I had to return it. Clumsy customer return process and I still don't have a replacement two weeks after notifying them and returning.I am expecting them to tell me it is back ordered.

Had to return the item and then OR prices went up

I hate the zipper so much. Like so so much!

I bought the jacket 2 weeks ago in Valdivia and it was a rainy week, but didn't thow up all the southern winter has to throw, it rained only about 15 mm on the evening (that's a normal to light rain for southern standards) but the jacket soaked up completly, it leaked all the back, the shoulders and the arms, only the belly left dry. At first I thought it was sweat because I used it while cycling and when the rains comes the temperature rise up by the greenhouse effect of the clouds above, but it seems extrange to me because I often don't sweat and I'm used to wear rubber shells that don't breath at all. So, in the next morning I walk slowly to the university, that morning rained even less, only 7 mm (acording to the Teja Island weather station) and even so, jacket leaked just like the evening before, lucky this time in didn't end up all soaked. Finally I decided to come back to my trusty rubber shell, maybe it isn't breathable, but it keeps me drier than Gore-Tex. The jacket was astonishing comfortable, considering I'm a tall and skinny man, but the torso was too short, although the arms fit perfectly, being that my biggest problem when I buy clothes. But after all I wouldn't use this jacket for an excursion to the southern Andes, where it rains double or triple than Valdivia (in Valdivia rains 2.000 mm compared to the Andes where rains from 5.000 mm to 8.000 mm per year according to experimental climate stations and the Weather Direction of Chile) besides, my work field requires a lot of journeys to these regions and the need to stay dry and move a lot for a couple of weeks while we retrieve data of ecosystems and measure trees and plants, so if the jacket couldn't endure a windless city light rains, hardly will endure a mountain heavy rain with north wind or puelche (typical fast winds on the mountains), or even a common southern heavy rain in cities like Valdivia or Puerto Montt.

Had to return this due to a VERY poor fit. I bought the jacket in size large because I needed the arm length - I'm 6'3" - and figured that a little extra in the chest wouldn't be the end of the world as I usually layer anyway. I was not impressed with the cut of this jacket as it felt quite "boxy" and stuck way out at the back and sides, the draw strings at the bottom only adding to the ridiculous look. In addition, the collar of this jacket would absolutely NOT lay down and remained stuck in front of my face no matter what configuration I tried to use. It was very frustrating and looked weird and uncomfortable - which it was. I guess if the only time you wear this is during a complete downpour requiring the hood up and zipper fully closed then it would be fine. All that said, the picture on the site was VERY accurate as it clearly showed the collar stuck straight up where the face would be so maybe I should have expected it... I don't know how the jacket performs as I had to return before using it. I will be going to a local dealer to try on other models so I don't waste too much time ordering and returning product.

I REALLY wanted to love this jacket but I can't. The design is incredible but it's just NOT WATERPROOF! PROS: The torso-flo zippers are a super feature and if I buy a different jacket to replace this one I will miss them. The combo of the 2-way front zipper and full pit zips means you can get tons of airflow and also fit it over a daypack! That's cool. CONS: after 15 minutes walking to a bus stop in a persistent Seattle drizzle it seemed like it was wetting through at the shoulders. After a transfer and another 20 minutes in the rain it was fully wet through all around the shoulders, arms, and hood. It wasn't localized to one area- the fabric just isn't waterproof. I was walking leisurely and there was no wind- the rain just seeps through. Great design is meaningless without waterproofing that works. Also, it's kinda heavy- it packs down like a Marmot PreCip but weights a pound. I really want this jacket to work so I'm hoping it's just a lemon. About me/fit: I bought this for hiking/backpacking/casual/a little mountaineering (I would not recommend it for any of these activities). I'm 5'11" and slim (130lbs) so most jackets are a little loose on me- this one is no exception (size medium), but it works just fine and I can layer in it.

Got this jacket about a month ago now and thought it would be perfect for wearing while hunting, camping, fishing, hiking etc just in case it started to rain. And well first time I used it it didn't keep any water out at all got soaked almost immediately in a light down poor. Wouldn't recommend buying this if your looking for a waterproof jacket.

Wetted out in less than 20 minutes in a normal rain. This jacket sucks.