Posts Tagged jackets
Columbia Sportswear’s Fashion and Function for the “It Girl”
Columbia Sportswear didn’t get so popular without some clever marketing and equally clever design to back it up. After spending 16 hours surfing the manufacturer’s booths at the winter Outdoor Retailers show, it was easy for me to get a little cynical. Are there really major noticeable differences between 500 fleece jackets or 200 different pairs of hiking socks?
I capped the show off though with something that reminded me why there’s a lot to celebrate about the current crop of wonder apparel: a fashion show from Columbia. The company slid me into a VIP seat next to the runway where I could be dazzled by their form-meets-function collection for women that will be hitting the stores this coming fall.
I gotta say I like their attitude. They say this collection is for the “it girl” out there, who may be in her 20s but may be a 40-something mother. She bikes, she snowboards, she hikes, but she works, she pounds the city pavement, and she runs errands. What she wears needs to be comfortable and warm but look good. Her clothes need to do more than one thing. They need to do what they promise without a lot of fuss.
That’s my paraphrasing of a more finely-tuned marketing message, one you’ll surely have seen a lot of by this time next year. Based on what I saw, touched, and tried on, however, they back up the hype with great technology and design.
Enjoy the fashion show video above, especially if you thought that being warm in the outdoors and looking great had to be mutually exclusive.
For more on what’s out there now, visit Columbia.com or search for Columbia at your local retailer, REI.com or Backcountry.com.
Posted by Tim in Adventure Gear, General Gear, Travel Light on January 24th, 2010
North Face Mountain Light Jacket with Gore-tex
If you walked into a store and could choose whatever jacket you wanted, which one would you grab? That actually happened to me a few months back and I picked this Mountain Light shell with Gore-tex from North Face. Others were flashier or trendier, but this one lets me stomp out into the rain without an umbrella, so I went for the practical choice.
I don’t have a whole lot of North Face clothing in my wardrobe. I know this branch of the giant VF Corporation makes great products, but their jackets are kind of like iPods and Crocs—something everyone and their brother seems to have on them already. I do have one North Face windbreaker fleece though that I got years ago and I like it a lot. Sometimes you just have to suck it up and join the crowd.
This Mountain Light jacket is one finely tuned piece of technology. It is really and truly waterproof—a claim I’ve tried out a dozen times now—yet it is truly breathable too thanks to the Gore-tex liner. That alone doesn’t justify the $300 price tag, I’ll admit, so there’s a whole host of features that take this beyond your average shell. It’s got Velcro cuffs, a hood with cinch straps, covered pockets in and out, a place to put your music player, and armpit zips to let the sweaty heat out and regulate your temperature.
Then you’ve got a cinch strap adjustment at the waist, sealed zippers with a double flap, a zipper that will accommodate a zip-in liner, and an “internal stretch water bottle pocket.” (You say water bottle, I say flask…)
The jacket itself has a lifetime guarantee from North Face and then Gore-tex has a lifetime guarantee on top of that. So you can trust this thing will do what it’s supposed to do: keep you warm, dry, and comfortable. It’s listed as weighing 28 ounces, which is about half the weight of another shell I own from Marker. It would be a great choice for winter sports or just days of walking around in iffy weather. Proof I believe in this shell for travel: it’s the only coat I’m carrying to snowy Salt Lake City for the next few days.
Back to that nagging question you may have: How did I get to walk into a store and pick out any jacket? I could make up a story about winning a contest or my rich aunt coming to town, but really it’s because the Gore-tex people were feeling generous when I visited their offices and they made me feel like the Snoop Dogg of the travel gear world, just handing me clothes so I would try them out and talk about them. OK, I’m easy. Hey…nice jacket!
Click the picture to the left to check prices at Backcountry.com, where I saw the black version on sale for $209 as this post was going up.
Search for men’s and women’s versions of the Mountain Light at REI.com or at Rock/Creek!
Related post: 8 Things You Should Know About Gore-tex
Posted by Tim in Adventure Gear, Travel Light on January 20th, 2010
Marmot Leadville Jacket with Windstopper
In my 8 things you should know about Gore-tex post, I highlighted that the outdoor wear division of Gore has two basic categories: breathable waterproof and breathable windproof. This sleek Marmot Leadville jacket falls into the latter category, their Windstopper liner causing the wind to bounce off me like I’m a superhero flying through the air.
There are a lot of things I love about this Marmot jacket, but the main one is that it just plain looks good on me when I’m wearing it. (Yes, gear reviewers can be shallow too.) It’s designed for outdoor activities like rock climbing, cycling, and spring skiing, so it’s trim and form-fitting. With a good baselayer and this, you should be ready for moving around in chilly, windy weather.
The Windstopper membrane works surprisingly well, as I first found out when I visited the wind testing room at W.L. Gore and got blasted with gusts of frigid air. The testing has worked well in the real world too as I’ve taken it out biking and walking on cold, blustery days. Often the top half of my body will be perfectly comfortable while my bottom half is screaming at me to put on some more hi-tech pants.
The “block the wind and keep you warm” aspect is the main feature of the Marmot Leadville jacket, but there are a few other features in the mix. The outer fabric is water resistant, there’s a chest pocket with headphone port for your music player, and the fleece-lined zipper pockets keep your fingers toasty when they’re in there. Naturally the whole thing is very breathable, so if you start sweating during your outdoor activities you will still stay dry—especially with the help of the vented side panels.
This jacket is soft, quiet, and stretchy, and I swear it makes me look like I’ve been working out more than I really have. It comes in five colors, including the black one I have (the orange one pictured here shows off the styling better). At $150 it’s not cheap, but both Gore-tex and Marmot back up the Leadville with a full lifetime warranty and there are lots of subtle but expensive-feeling touches, like Velcro adjustable cuffs and a heavy-duty zipper. Plus the whole thing weighs barely over a pound.
I spend a lot of time in different jackets over the course of a year but this is the one I keep reaching for whenever I’m doing anything active in cool weather.
See the full specs on the Marmot Leadville jacket with Windstopper at Marmot.com
Posted by Tim in Adventure Gear, Travel Light on December 31st, 2009
Alpental Fleece Jacket From ExOfficio
When it gets chilly out or you’re heading to a cool place, packing for traveling gets tougher. You can’t just throw some shorts and t-shirts into a bag, knowing it’ll be warm the whole time. So then comes the question of what jacket to pack, one that will work for whatever situation you’ll be layered up for. In the fall or spring, a heavy fleece jacket will do it—maybe.
My problem with a lot of fleece jackets I’ve used is that they’re barely one step up from a sweater, not really fit for traveling with gadgets and accessories. This Alpental jacket is loaded with pockets though, as in two breast pockets, one at the bottom, two where your hands go (with zippers when your hands aren’t in there), and a zippered one on the outside for your sunglasses or music player. It’s also got Spandex binding at the sleeve cuffs and bottom of the jacket to keep the wind out.
The ExOfficio Alpental is thick enough to keep you warm, but at just 22 ounces, not much of a burden for packing away until arrival. And though it feels soft and warm, it’s 100% Polyester like most of them out there, so it dries quickly after you wash it. No bells and whistles in terms of high-tech waterproofing or wind barriers, but this jacket only requires two figures at the cash register—-it lists for $75. Sizes run from M to XXL and the Alpental comes in three colors.
There’s a women’s version too, with the proper slimmer fit, but in either a pullover zip version or a hoodie.
ExOfficio’s hot weather clothing is close to indestructible, but for some reason when the cold weather rolls around, their care instructions get all wimpy on us. The care tag on a soy fibers sweater I tried out last year might as well have said, “treat me like the silk robes of royalty.” This jacket seems pretty sturdy, but the care instructions say otherwise. “Machine wash cold; Gentle cycle; Wash inside out; Wash with like colors; No bleach; Tumble dry low, remove promptly; Do not iron.” Well, hopefully you won’t have to wash it too often.
This is one warm, comfortable jacket though, which is what really matters the other 99% of the time. I’ve taken it on two weekend trips this fall and out for a few walks as the leaves were falling and it performed as expected. Like a favorite cozy blanket, once you have it it’s the one to grab.
Posted by Tim in Travel Light on November 11th, 2009
Fanatic Lightweight Jacket from Outdoor Research
There are times you need a heavy-duty rain jacket, like in climates where you know you’re going to get dumped on regularly. For other destinations you may need something “just in case,” with the rest of the time being better suited to a lightweight jacket that’s easy to pack.
That’s where the Fanatic jacket from Outdoor Research comes in. You can jam it down into the corner of your bag and it will still look decent five minutes after you unpack it. It’s got windbreaking properties and good water resistance, but isn’t heavy enough to weigh you down. If you want to really pack it in tight, the whole thing can stuff into one of the pockets.
This was the only jacket I took this with me on a two-week trip to Ecuador in October and it was fine for chilly nights in Quito and days of light drizzle hiking and boating around the Galapagos. The hood kept my head dry and the rest kept my body dry, yet at only 11 ounces (313 grams), it didn’t add much to my pack weight.
The Fanatic is breathable yet waterproof, thanks to its Pertex Shield DS technology, which makes it cost a good bit more than mere “water repellent” coated jackets without any high-tech breathable membrane ($145 list). But with this you won’t get soaked from the outside or be doused in sweat on the inside.
It’s got two waterproof zippered pockets on the sides and one more at chest level for sunglasses or a music player. There is a drawstring for the waist that comes into the side pockets, which means you can tighten up the bottom of it while still keeping your hands dry. There is a cinch strap system on the hood as well, elastic cuffs on the sleeves, an internal storm flap inside the main zipper, and there is seam taping on all the seams. With the hood pulled up, the top half of your body will stay good and dry.
I feel like this jacket will be with me for the long haul, but I did find the zippers to be a bit grabby and I felt like I needed to treat them gingerly. As with most similar jackets, to keep the weight down and strengthen the waterproofing properties, the zippers are not metal. Time will tell if they’re more durable than they feel. If not, I’m not worried: Outdoor Research stands behind its products with an “Infinite Guarantee. If the jacket fails, you’ll get a new one.
The men’s version of the Fanatic comes in four colors and a variety of sizes. The women’s version comes in black plus three different colors in five sizes.
See the jackets page at OutdoorResearch.com
Get the Men’s Outdoor Research Fanatic Jacket at Backcountry.com
Related review: the slightly heavier Revel jacket from OR
Posted by Tim in Adventure Gear, Travel Light on November 4th, 2009
