While the company is perhaps most famous for their lines of footwear, Merrell also makes a full line of apparel and bags. We happened to get our hands on the Carbon and Siren jackets from the company to give them a try.
Carbon:
The Carbon is a super lightweight Men’s hard shell jacket make from Gore-Tex Paclite. The entire jacket is seam-sealed and taped to product a waterproof shell in a very lightweight package at 13.7 ounces. Two exterior and one interior pocket are included. The interior pocket also has a nice elastic pocket in it for your mp3 player and a spot to route your headphones.
The ubiquitous pit-zips are also included, as is a stow-able hood. The hood isn’t helmet compatible, so I can’t recommend the jacket for alpine climbs. For your average backpacking or hiking trip however, the carbon would be perfect. The adjustable brim stays in place and works well too shield you from the Seattle downpour we tested it in.
So how does this jacket compare to the competition? We had an Arc’teryx Alpha SL on hand that seemed to be the equivalent to the Carbon and took a look at them side by side. The Alpha SL is 1.7 ounces lighter than the Carbon, but does this by sacrificing an inner liner to the jacket which comes at the cost of a bit of comfort. Other than a helmet compatible hood, the Alpha SL doesn’t have much on this jacket (well, that and another $80 added to the price). Aside from making the Carbon’s hood helmet compatible, the only other wish I have is that Merrell would include zipper garages.It isn’t a huge change, but they’re a nice detail that tends to help keep the water out of a jacket.
The fit of the Carbon is spot on. I wear a medium jacket in nearly every other brand and the Carbon fit me just like the Alpha SL. While this isn’t a huge deal, it’s nice to know if you’re ordering over the Internet.
The Carbon retails for $229 and you can find it at your local outdoor store.
Siren:
The Siren is the women’s version of the Carbon. All the same features are present although the company swapped out the hexagon pattern on the back of the Carbon with a floral print on the Siren.
Our testers said that the Siren fit well and hits just below the hip. While the features are identical to the Carbon, the Siren is cut well for a woman’s shape. One of the testers especially liked the moleskin chin guard over the zipper.
The Siren also retails for $229 US.
