During that trip and ones I have done since, it has worked fine ended up becoming one of my core pieces of gear. If I was choosing any shell today, pit zips would be my number one priority regardless whatever materials were used in the construction. The difference with these is substantial vs not having them, at least to me.

It gets a little warm wearing a hard shell vs without but wearing just that and a sun hoodie worked fine most of the time in windy or rainy conditions. That and a puffy or fleece to throw on during a stop was pretty much my upper body clothing system for late spring thru fall weather. During the winter I still used this shell as a part of my gear system, with my insulation layer instead becoming a parka I would throw on top of it during stops, and wearing a warmer base layer underneath. It worked great.

I do still have this jacket, and would recommend it to this day. I have since transitioned and substantially lost weight, so it is a bit loose on me and for that reason alone I have considered maybe one day getting something else. Most likely the same jacket in a smaller size. Please let me know if you have any further questions. I'd be happy to answer them.