I work outdoors in the wet Klamath Mountains and I bought this two years ago to be my all around workhorse piece. I use it mainly for backpacking, hiking and light mountaineering in the wet season. It's at it's best if I am expecting prolonged, heavy rain or if I will be climbing from the rain into the snow. Ideally I would have a lightweight summer piece as well, but for now I can only afford the one so it has seen some extra wear from riding around in my pack all the time.

It has held up pretty well with the heavy use and I love how adjustable it is. Without even taking off my pack it can go from a wide open flapping poncho when the clouds break up to a cinched down suit of armor when they close back in and the rain comes in sheets sideways on the wind. Breathability is great for a 3 Layer piece and it feels fine against the skin so in warmer rains I just wear it without any extra layers underneath.

I am about 5'9" and 175lbs with somewhat broader shoulders and chest. The medium is perfect with a t-shirt or a thin baselayer underneath, but tight in the chest and shoulders with anything else. The large is baggy, but can accomadate more layers.

In a prolonged downpour I always end up getting some water dripping down the front of my neck and up from my wrists, but shy of hiking in a dry top you're always going to get some of that. After two years of hard use I am just starting to notice some wet through in the higher abrasion areas (shoulders, back, lower wrists) but it's pretty minor. I expect another couple of years of similar use before it's really a problem (I treat with DWR at the beginning of each rainy season).

All around this is a great piece, I have recommended it to others who have then made the purchase. I think the versatility is really what makes the mentor shine. It's light enough to carry just in case, but burly enough to take out when you know things are going to be blowing up out there. 4 stars instead of 5 just cause I'm picky.

I use this jacket to ski on our local Colorado ski hill, Crested Butte Mountain Resort, as well as for excursions into the backcountry. At the resort, I wear it all the time and it's seen it all from mega cold (-15f) to warm, wet snow, and has been rock solid for everything. I stay warm and dry in the Mentor, regardless of what the weather is throwing at me. Great fabrics, zippers, fit and hood.

I consider this jacket to be substantial yet lightweight. It wears way warmer than it feels and It's very packable. When I'm in the backcountry, if I'm not wearing it, it's in my pack.

If you're an active user, you know how crucial ventilation is in your shell. Between the breathability of the fabric and the TorsoFlo system, the Mentor keeps me at just the right temp, regardless of what I'm doing.

Crested Butte has lots of terrain that you need to either hike or skate/hike to access. If you don't dress properly and have a shell that you can ventilate easily, you'll overheat and then freeze. The TorsoFlo system/pit zips are critical because you're back and forth from going as hard as you can and creating a ton of body heat and sweat, to standing in line and sitting on an ice cold chairlift.

Often the wind is honking and you need to keep the front zipper all the way up to protect your core but you still need to ventilate. These ventilation zippers are easy to use in both directions "no look" while skiing or hiking.

It's similar if you're doing laps in the backcountry: open up your pit zips at the bottom of the skin track, while you're climbing; then close them up at the top as you're dropping in. If you're trying to keep up with the bigger dogs, whether on the resort or in the backcountry, you'll get left behind If you have to stop to open and close your pit zips.

The zippers are all perfect as for function and everything I need to stow has a place. This jacket looks great and my kids say it looks "boss," which I think is good. I'll be logging countless hours in the Mentor for the rest of the winter and for years to come.

I purchased the Mentor in 2009 and have worn it almost every day in the 3 years since. This jacket is bomb proof. I will start with a bit about the fit, then explain why this has been a great jacket for me.

I am 6'2" and 175 lbs. OR gear has nice long sleeves which means in tighter fitting layers I get away with a medium with a bit of a tight chest, but with shells I go with a large. I purchased the Mentor in large so I could fit it over the rest of my clothing system. In the winter this could be a base layer, a tight fitting mid layer, a soft shell and a puffy down jacket. This means it is a bit baggy in the summer, but I have done summer climbing in this jacket and don't find it gets in my way and feel the large was the right choice for me.

I must admit, I don't treat my technical clothing with the same care as pieces of gear on which my life depends. Most of the time when I pack this jacket, I just crumple it up and jam it into my bag. Three years of continuous use and the zippers are all still great. There are no signs of wear on my jacket and considering I wear a backpack to work and on the trail, I am amazed the shoulders are intact. I currently live in Scotland, which I feel is a stress test for any waterproof shell. With winters hanging a few degrees on either side of freezing, it is essential to stay dry whether hiking, ice climbing, or just walking around town. The hood adjustment works great and I find it comfortable with or without a helmet.

I can honestly say I have never had any water make it through this jacket.I wore the Mentor in the jungle in Costa Rica, and the ability to zip up the sides and go "poncho mode" kept the downpour off without becoming a sort of warm weather vapor barrier.

My biggest complaints would be that this jacket can make a good bit of noise when the sleeves rub on the body and it does not pack down super small. Because I bought this jacket to be a rugged technical shell, these negatives are of small importance to me, but if you are into super-light and seek and silent, you might want to consider a different fabric.

Overall this has been my most reliable piece of gear to date. While the price of jackets like this bring tears to my eyes, I have always been happy with OR gear and this Jacket has more than earned back its worth in my eyes. I didn't give the jacket 5 stars because I am nit picky and while it's the best jacket I have ever, and probably will ever own, no jacket is actually perfect.

I just used the jacket for a 4 days of hiking and camping in the mountains of Arizona. The Mentor performed superbly in torrential downpours and in the evenings when the temperature dipped. My jacket was the only one that withstood the moisture and became the "community" jacket after the others failed. I really liked the adjustability of the hood because it allows for excellent peripheral vision. Temperature control was also a great plus when hiking in rainstorms because of the torso zippers. I will never buy another jacket again with just pit zips because the torso zips are truly a game changer (IMO). I also liked the plentiful amount of pockets (2 hand pockets, 1 chest and 2 internal chest pockets.

I live in Seattle and ski mainly NW areas and Whistler. I bought this jacket last winter (2012), looking to replace a 3 layer gortex Mtn HW shell that had given me 10 years good service, but was beginning to wet through, even after a washing and treatment. It came down to the Mentor and Furio. I went with the Mentor because it fit a little better and was lighter, but a bit more expensive. I've not been disappointed. My first day was a midweek day at Baker. It was puking snow, around 35-38, so very wet. At lunch, my inner layers were dry, not a drop. Most everyone else was literally dripping wet.

I love the Mentor's weight and looks. I'm 5' 11" and 160-ish and the medium fits me well. My only comments, and these are nits, are I was used to a internal bellows pocket in my previous shell that easily carried a water bottle or goggles and the Mentor doesn't have one, and the hood is big and, without a helmet, needs cinching down. These nits knock the jacket down from a 5 to a 4 1/2.

If I were looking this year, I'd take a close look at the Inertia jacket, which appears to be new, and appears to be the ultimate skiers jacket.