I'm fairly certain the noobs will be asking about this product between now and Whitney Prime Time.

I've owned PreCip stuff for the better part of a decade. My feeling is the stuff is waterproof, marginally breathable and highly ventable.

Case in point was a recent outing where it rain and snowed the previous night, I started the trip with my PreCip jacket on because I expected a lot of fall out from the tree, both rain and snow depending on elevation. I had the jacket fully vented at all times. When I stopped for lunch, the interior of the jacket was soaked with perspiration and the back of my pack was soaked from the same. The stuff did what it was supposed to do.

My biggest use my jacket and pants are for wind protection. Three of the times I have summit Mt. Whitney I had either PreCip or Gore-Tex pants on for wind...not rain. And, I should have had the pants on for a fourth.

I bought a Marmot Precip Jacket and some full side-zip precip pants last year on ebay. They were my reaction to poncho-failure the summer before (July 12, 2008 storm...) that was scary dangerous in terms of possible hypothermia.

It only rained a few times last summer, but the precip gear worked very well for those days. Pants went on in no time and the jacket was very well vented. In spiteof rather warm temps when it rained, even sun peaking out on and off, I was able to keep moving up to Whitney (west side) without too much sweat.

In the past I carried GoreTex from Schoeffel, a German brand. A totally bulletproof jacket I bought in 1986 and have worn almost daily in Wisconsin Winters and on climbing trips. I think for summer Sierra use, the prcip beats this Jacket, mostly because it weighs half as much and does what it is intended for. I also used it in late September last year, when it was rather cold (10 degrees Trail Camp morning) and combined with my trusty North Face Denali Fleece, it was still plenty warm.

Can't beat the $40 I paid for each on ebay either...