- Reviews
- Q & A
Difficult sizing
- Familiarity: I returned this product before using it
- Size Bought: Large
The Minimus 777 is not sized as an American garment. I usually wear a medium (41" chest, 32-33" waist) I was told by cusomter service to order a large---it fit in the chest but the rest of the jacket was much too large. In addition, the elastic around the bottom was very annoying---when moving I was very conscious of the closure.
Very light and breathable
- Familiarity: I've put it through the wringer
- Fit: True to size
- Size Bought: Large
The Minimus 777 is a first of it's kind style of rain shell, in that it is very waterproof and even more breathable (20k/45k for those who pay attention to water column ratings). The 777 stands for a 7 denier face, a 7 micron waterproof laminate, and a 7 denier inner, that are all bonded together in a 3-layer construction. What you get from this is a jacket that weighs 5oz (with the full zip), that packs down to smaller than an orange. Check out the Gear Institute's review of running rain shells, where this jacket wins best in class.
Light & breathable rain/wind protection
- Familiarity: I've put it through the wringer
- Fit: True to size
- Size Bought: large
I picked this up as an assurance against bad weather on my backpacking trips and its earned a permanent place in my forever-optimizing ultralight kit.
The material is light enough that it pulls double duty as a wind jacket as well. The inner liner of the three layer material is soft and doesn't have that sticky feeling to it when on wet or sweaty skin. Breathability is adequate, it will wet-out eventually as will every other rain shell ever made. This piece does allow more airflow than my other jackets except perhaps the Gore-Tex Pro.
The size Large weighs 5.19oz and the fit is enough around my 5'10 175lb frame to add a fleece and down jacket, its tight but manageable. Without any layers and used as a wind jacket its fit is clean and without excessive material.
The hood is ok, it does its job keeping rain from pouring into and down my neck but the brim could use more stiffening to help keep rain out of my face. I use a hat underneath it generally anyways. It has an elastic band on the back to help with wind billowing and to keep the hood tight on the head.
Quality wise, impeccable. Taped seams, elastic hem and cuffs, longer tail to cover the butt, waterproofed zippers, a decent sized chest pocket and overall cut all add to this well thought out and executed shell.
I have zero concerns with durability at this point having worn, stuffed and re-stuffed it into my pack with no signs of wear.... UL gear in general requires a gentle touch anyways.
The price is ridiculous honestly, however, so is most quality UL technical gear and it does exactly what it is designed to do. Is it worth it? Absolutely!