Merrell Morph Jacket
Review by Arnie P
The Morph jacket was provided by Merrell for the purpose of this review.
Merrell
I had always associated Merrell with very comfortable shoes and boots and I have 3 pairs to prove it. When I put the Merrell Morph jacket on, I was not surprised to find it very comfortable. I expect to be using this jacket mostly for local day hikes in the fall and spring, due to the jacket being a bit heavy.
Reversible Parts
Reversible jackets have been around for a long time, but being able to reverse the hood, sleeves and jacket independently providers for a greater comfort range. When it’s windy and very sunny, it will be nice to match the warmer parts of my body with the lighter colors. The weather in New England changes fast and often. The hood with snaps and hook and latch is very quick to attach or remove. Normally a hood is worn on top of the head or pushed back so it hangs between the shoulders. I found I can store the hood inside the jacket and zip the front all the way up, the hood fills the space in back of the neck and keeps it warm. I think this will be very useful on cold windy days, when I wished I had a small scarf. I then detached only the snaps and then put the hood over my head and let it rest on my chest. I like to carry my camera over my neck on a loop. I then placed the camera inside the hood affording it some protection. It could also be zipped inside the jacket keeping the camera even warmer. When it is cold and the gloves come off they can be placed inside the hood while taking a picture. I prefer having my camera warm. The hood will not support a lot of weight, but could probably support items like a cell phone, snacks or compass. I am sure I will think of other items to put in the hood as I use the Morph more. The hood can be stored in one of the zippered pockets. The zip off sleeves are almost as easy to attach and detach. The cuffs at the end of the sleeves are very comfortable and wide enough to be effective. One of the minor problems I have is trying to tell time while hiking and not wanting to stop. The sleeve is snug enough so it does slide over the watch making it difficult to tell time. I carry hiking Leki poles in each hand and being able to tell time without the use of my hands is very useful for me.
Ventilation
Ventilation keeps my body warm and dry. The zip off sleeves provide an excellent way to ventilate the armpits. When the sleeves are on there is a small space that can’t be zipped at the bottom end of the sleeve where it joins the main part of the jacket. This small hole provides for ventilation. In the closed position the zipper can be easily accessed by the opposite arm and adjusted for adequate ventilation.
What at first appears to be a classy looking jacket is also well designed with several useful features. I am looking forward to using this jacket on most all of my local and some not so local hikes. I will be updating this report in about a month.
Merrell Morph Jacket (continued)
By Arnie P
The weather soon turned cold and there was frost on my windshield when I was going to the gym in the morning. I started using the jacket when the temperature was below 60 F. One morning it was 30 F. I also walked on most of these days and was very comfortable in the jacket. I have been using the full jacket with hood attached. I have the dark colors showing for the main body and hood, while I reverse the sleeves.
In the rain
On the day of the flu clinic it was raining and I decided to try the Morph jacket. I had a short sleeve t-shirt under the jacket. With the zippered sleeves I could unzip the sleeve and could receive the shot without having to take the jacket off. I waited and no one was coming. I got out of the car and walked all around the building in the rain. It was a moderate rain and I thought this would be a good test. After a half hour I went back to my house. I took the jacket off and the rain had beaded on the jacket, a little shaking and the water was gone. I had expected the jacket to be wet but it was only slightly damp. A few phone calls later I found out the clinic had been cancelled. On three other occasions I was out for a hike in light to moderate rain. I was adequately protected from the rain.
I have been on several hikes on dry sunny days with temperatures down to 30 F and have been comfortable. I have been warm and comfortable in light winds.
A week in Franconia Notch
Twice a year we spend a week at our time share at Mittersill in Franconia NH. This trip was a post peak foliage trip. The leaves have mostly fallen and the views are unobstructed. During our stay I hiked 5 times with an average time of about 2 hours each time.
I hiked twice to Bald Mt and Artist Bluff. On the first occasion it was sunny and about 55 F with winds gusting to 50 MPH on the summit. When I reached the summit, I did not stay long as the wind was pushing me around almost like a leaf. I descended enough to stop being pushed around and had the only other person around take my picture. There were some dark clouds coming from Mt Lafayette. I find it weird to look in one direction and see sunny skies and then look in the opposite direction and see large dark clouds and of course this is coupled by strong winds to make things more dramatic. The Morph jacket did protect me from the winds, even around my head. I really like the feel of a soft shell wind proof jacket over a stiffer wind proof jacket. I returned the next day to repeat this hike without the high winds but with a lower temperature of 45 F.
On another day we walked on the streets near Mittersill the temperature was about 50 F, light wind and partially sunny. This small development is built on a hillside and the streets are mostly steep with very few flat areas. The views are great and all chalets are built with a Swiss motif. I am finding the zippered pockets are very handy to carry my camera and gloves when needed. I like the idea that my camera is secure in the zippered pocket.
On an overcast day we hiked around Echo Lake. The temperature was much colder at 32 F and wind up to 35 MPH. This hike was relatively flat. This place can feel quite cold as the lake is at the bottom of Franconia Notch, which is bordered by Mt Lafayette and Mt Cannon. On days like these the cold from the mountain tops flows down and combined with the moisture it produces a cold high humidity condition. I was still very comfortable in my Morph jacket. I did have to wear gloves to protect my hands from the cold.
On the last day we walked the temperature was 35 F, sunny and very little wind. This location was south of Echo Lake and on the bike trail that runs parallel to the Pemigewasset trail and route 3. This bike trail is mostly flat with a few steep inclines. At some point I saw something interesting and I bushwhacked off the bike trail for about half an hour. I had no trouble from getting caught in branches. This is a common problem with a lot of hooded jackets as they do not fit as snugly as this one does. I was very comfortable during this hike.
Wearing a daypack
I found that the belt strap on the day pack was interfering with the jacket pockets. To fix this I would adjust the jacket slightly upward so the belt was below the pocket opening. The belt strap worked best for me when it was over the waist band of the jacket. I have carried a daypack with weights up to 15 lb and a child in a Kelty Kids carrier with a combined weight of almost 50 lb. I was comfortable under both conditions. I did limit my walks with the child carrier to about an hour.
This concludes my report, check back in about a month for last addition to this series.
Merrell Morph Jacket (continued)
by Arnie P
Now that the weather is below freezing more often, I have started wearing a middle layer for warmth. Most of the time I use a wool sweater for this middle layer. This has worked well down to 20 F. During this period I have gone on several hikes, taken the great grandchildren out for a walk and I use the jacket everyday for all my outdoor activities. I have gone out for walks after dark in the neighborhood. During these walks I wear the light color on the outside to be visible to motor vehicles. The lighter side also has a reflective area on the front of the jacket. I would feel better if there were some of this reflective material on the back of the jacket also.
During the last snow storm which gave us 8 in of snow before turning to rain. I was raining quite hard when I got outside to shovel. I was out in heavy rain for over an hour and I was expecting to get soaked. I did not get cold, but I did begin to get damp after an hour of being in the rain. I was surprised I did not get wetter. When I came into the house I put the coat over the back of a wooden chair to dry. It seemed to dry form the inside, so in a few hours I could have worn it again. Now that it is colder I have been using the hood, and I have never used a hood much before this one. It adjusts so it is close enough to my face to keep out the wind effectively. It seems most other hoods I have used seem to gather the wind for an unpleasant experience. The pockets are ample without looking strange on the jacket. I use zippers a lot and I found these zippers worked well all the time and that made me feel good. There is nothing I detest more than a zipper that gets stuck and the more you try to fix the problem the worse the problem gets. I fortunately did not have any zipper problems with the Merrell Morph jacket. As mentioned earlier I am very fond of Merrell shoes and boots and I am this jacket is quickly becoming my favorite. I intend to continue using this jacket during the cold weather for my daily outdoor activities as well as hiking and snowshoeing.
Arnold with youngest great grandson
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