Not for sport or heavy wear - Rab Zenith Jacket - Men's

I was stoked to see all of the features of this jacket and interested in checking out the Rab brand. As I live in the Pacific Northwest in the U.S. I am always looking for new brands and good outdoor gear. I read about the company and appreciated the roots so I decided to give it a try. Upon opening the package I was excited. The color was great, it had pit zips, Velcro on the cuffs, awesome good wire to keep the hood off the face and a zip string around the waist.
I live in Portland, Or where it rains an average of 252 days a year and I spend most of my time in the mountains or on the river so a good rain jacket is essential. I nabbed this advertised $180 Zenith jacket for $90 and thought I got a steal but even with all its features after the first heavy rain I knew it wasn't going to hold up to the wear that I would put it through. The material is very thin and the water was soaking into it after an hour out in the rain. I have had the jacket for 3 months now (missed the 60 day return, unfortunately) and the shoulder, where it sits under my PFD is rubbing through already. I'll be lucky if I get a year out of the jacket.
This is a light jacket for light rain on a day hike. I wouldn't wear this with a heavy pack or on a heavy rain day. I will be going back to REI E1, which is what I had before and it held up beautifully for three years under the heavy use I put it through.

This review was written in the old system and had content requirements that are different than reviews written today.