[iclim.brock]

I bought a men's Large Taku jacket at the Portland, OR REI a few weeks ago. On my first hike with it I pulled the zippers off of both pit-zips while trying to close them. I thought they were just stiff, but I guess they were stuck.

I returned the jacket to REI and had them order a new one for me. A couple of days later I went to the member's used gear sale and saw no less than 6 Taku jackets with the same problem (blown pit-zips).

When I picked up my replacement I expressed my concern about what appears to be a design defect.  I was told that the Taku jacket was being redesigned and has been pulled from the online and retail stores due to these problems. They did not have an ETA on the next version.

I'm looking at other options (Patagonia Stretch Element), but overall I really like the color, fit and function of the Taku. I may just be super-gentle with the pit-zips until the new version comes out. Hopefully they will fix what appears to be a rampant problem. Frankly, I'm surprised they (or a reveiwer) didn't catch it sooner.

[OregonCajun]

I had not planned on hitting the Portland used gear sale last Saturday, but ended up going late (noonish) and my wife and girls came with me, which made things great fun, but I think sort of put me off my game.  At least, that's my excuse for not noticing the blown pit zip (in my defense, there was no mention on the tag).  I did get an almost brand-new soft shell for $42, though (the last few sales have been pricier than before, but I still think I got a great deal).

I'm going to find a place that can repair the zipper; if anyone has a PDX suggestion, I'd appreciate it.