Product Review – Marmot WarmCube Featherless Hoody
Imagine a puffy jacket, but instead of standard fluff, the interior has 3-inch fluffy cubes to trap air and keep you warm. That’s the premise of the Marmot WarmCube Featherless Hoody! And whew, it is toasty!
In this post, I’ll break down my experience with the Marmot WarmCube Featherless Hoody – why I got it, where I used it, my favorite features, and discuss the possible downsides. Overall, it’ll keep you warm with fun cube shapes, a flattering cut, and comfy wear. But you’ll be sacrificing the ability to compress the jacket and rain resistance.
End of 2023 Update:
I’m wearing the jacket far more, now that I’m living in Oregon – yay! It’s been holding up well, but I am still frustrated by the lack of rain resistance. However, I wore the jacket in a constant drizzle while on a hike in a Canadian National Park – it got soaked, but also didn’t seep in to reach me. Then it dried quickly.
Unfortunately, it looks like the exact model I tested and will continue to wear is slowly becoming unavailable. Here’s what I’m seeing:
- New version: Marmot Warmcube Active Novus Hoody (The new version looks to be less bulky with the cubes visible from the outside. I’m still not seeing anything about water resistance.)
- The new version is also available on Backcountry, Moosejaw, and Zappos
- My version is still available in a few sizes on Moosejaw (blue color still available!) and Backcountry (as of 12/11/2023)
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Why Did I Get the Marmot Warmcube Featherless Hoody
To everyone surprise (including mine), I won the jacket in a Marmot giveaway!! I entered the contest in November 2020 and didn’t think about it again until I got an email letting me know I had won a jacket in mid-December. Wonderful! Most of my extra income goes to travel, so a new, extra-warm jacket was a treat. I wrote back immediately to tell them what size and color to send, and I got radio silence. In January 2021, still no jacket and no word from Marmot. I began to wonder if I had hallucinated the whole thing.
In mid-January, my boyfriend encouraged me to call Marmot. After sorting a few things out, I received the jacket a week later and was able to bring it with me on a weekend trip to Joshua Tree! Since I don’t buy new things that often, I thought it would be a great product to review. Keep in mind that I didn’t pay for it, which may impact my thoughts.
TL;DR: I won the jacket in a giveaway, and Marmot has no idea that I’m reviewing it.
At a Glance:
- Brand: Marmot
- Direct Website: Marmot Warmcube Featherless Hoody
- Tested Version Websites: REI.com (on sale as of 2/3/22), Backcountry.com, and Moosjaw.com (also on sale as of 2/3/22 and has the most color options)
- Price at the time of writing: $399.95
- Color: Navy blue with pink accents
New Version (this tested version is mostly unavailable):
- New Version: Marmot WarmCube Active Novus Hoody
- The new version is also available on Backcountry, Moosejaw, and Zappos
Benefits:
- Warm! Toaster oven for your core.
- Very comfortable and soft.
- The jacket’s cut is flattering, and I think it looks good.
Drawbacks:
- It does not compress much, making it difficult to pack and layer.
- It is not water-resistant, so it is best utilized in dry conditions. However, the tags promise that you will remain warm while being wet.
Where I’ve Taken It
So far, I’ve taken the Marmot WarmCube featherless hoody on three little weekend trips:
- Joshua Tree National Park: 3-nights car camping in frigid weather – this is where it saw the most use and came in VERY handy. I think I also slept in it because I was so cold.
- Mammoth Mountain Weekend: I took this jacket on a ski and xc-ski weekend but didn’t wear it on the slopes. It was great for all of my around-town errands.
- Snow Hiking in Yosemite National Park: It was finally cold enough to break out this jacket again on Christmas day when my family and I took a drive up to Yosemite and walked around in the snow.
Major takeaway: It’s super warm and comfortable while wearing! However, it doesn’t pack down very much, so it can be difficult to wear under a raincoat or squeeze into a weekend bag.
My Favorite Features: Warm, Comfy, and Looks Good
Warmth: The fun thing about this jacket is that the inside is made of little fluffy cubes. This allows air to be trapped between the cubes for added warmth. The cubes also prevent the filling from shifting and settling. WarmCube technology in action! I like that the jacket doesn’t use bird-down from an eco-friendly perspective. And yes, it’s warm. And I noticed that it was instantly warmer when I zipped it up. I suppose that is the same for all jackets, but this was like night and day.
Comfort: The little cubes are soft and squishy, making this jacket incredibly comfortable. I got a medium and never felt constricted while hiking, walking, and scrambling at sunrise/sunset around Joshua Tree. And thank goodness it was comfortable because I ended up wearing it to bed in Joshua Tree. I could feel the cold seeping into my hips/legs, but my torso was toasty warm. The only time it was less comfortable was when I was wearing it under a size-small Patagonia raincoat (skip down to the Water Resistance section for another story).
Style and color: Am I making it up, or do I look great in this jacket? You would think that a jacket made of little cubes would be boxy, but just the opposite! It’s not hugging every curve, but I feel very woman/human-shaped and this jacket. There are a few more colors on the Marmot website, but I picked navy to go with everything else in my winter wardrobe. The dark pink accents are a nice touch.
Additional Features
Featherlessness: Down is great, but as a vegetarian, I am always looking to reduce my animal product intake because it’s so hard to determine if the animals are treated ethically. I don’t mind having a few things with down or leather (see my Parsec 20 review), but I appreciate it when my products are just as good without it! I love the development of featherless tech and think it suits this jacket well.
Chest Pocket: There is a large chest pocket inside the jacket on the left side. The pocket is deep, where I could fit my iPhone 12 vertically without any issue. The side pockets are zippered.
Bungee Hood and Wrists: There is a bungee cord around the hood to enclose your face as needed. The hood bungee and lock is subtly encased in the fabric. It was so subtle, in fact, that I just discovered it when writing this review. I guess I didn’t need to use it during the last year. The wrists also have elastic, which I am assuming reduces the flow of air and snow. Both are nice touches in windy situations.
Downsides of the Marmot WarmCube Featherless Hoody
Weight and Compression: The jacket is 17.2 oz, lightweight for a jacket, but not the lightest. As a comparison, the Patagonia Nano puff Hoody is 10.8 oz. However, I feel that the downfall is that it does not compress as well as my other jackets. I found this to affect two areas – when packing and when layering. When packing, it takes up slightly more space. And when I needed to layer a waterproof jacket on the outside, I turned into an overstuffed marshmallow girl, which leads me to my next point.
Weather Resistance: I wish this jacket were waterproof. The website states that the fill should stay warm, even while wet. I have not tried this out! Instead, when it was rain-snowing (sleeting?) in Yosemite, I thought it would be great to layer my rain jacket on top of my WarmCube jacket. This kept the rain out, but it was a tight squeeze. Hello marshmallow girl! Sure, a larger rain jacket would work better. The WarmCube’s outer layer is supposed to help prevent wind chill but is not waterproof. The lack of weatherproof makes for quieter and more comfortable wear, but since it doesn’t function as well as a mid-layer, I will need to double-check the weather before heading out.
Who’s this Jacket For?
Upon re-reading through my own review, I can see the Marmot Warmcube Featherless Hoody would be great in dry, snowy destinations. The slick outer layer would allow snowflakes to slide right off while keeping you warm and toasty inside. The Warmcube Hoody could be your comfortable go-to daily jacket if you live in a freezing area that primarily sees snow over rain. In navy blue or black, it will go with anything.
Living in Santa Barbara, I am not wearing it all that much and am put in a tough spot while traveling to a cold place with limited packing space – do I bring this jacket or my ski jacket? A cold environment would be ideal for getting more use out of the jacket. I’m hopeful the jacket will last me many years to take to colder places.
Overall Thoughts: Marmot Warmcube Featherless Hoody
Overall, I like the jacket – the cubes make this jacket unique, comfortable, and functional. Honestly, every time I open the jacket, it is a shock of cubes. You simply don’t see cubes in ANY jacket. It also looks good, matches everything, and keeps you super warm. The Marmot WarmCube comes at a somewhat hefty price tag of $399, which isn’t so crazy compared to Patagonia or Arcteryx. Ideally, you can win this jacket in a contest as I did! However, the one I’m reviewing is at least one season old now, and I saw a sale price at REI and Moosejaw.
Unfortunately, it looks like the exact model I tested and will continue to wear is slowly becoming unavailable. Here’s what I’m seeing:
- New version: Marmot Warmcube Active Novus Hoody (The new version looks to be less bulky with the cubes visible from the outside. I’m still not seeing anything about water resistance.)
- The new version is also available on Backcountry, Moosejaw, and Zappos
- My version is still available in a few sizes on Moosejaw (blue color still available!) and Backcountry (as of 12/11/2023)
Would you give the Marmot WarmCube Featherless Hoody a try? Or maybe you already have it? Let me know what your thoughts are in the comments below!
Happy Travels,
Hanna
