Posts Tagged women’s clothing
L.L. Bean Insulated Fleece Jacket
Sometimes fleece seems to be the right choice for cold weather, but the wind still seems to blow right through it. If you’re looking for more warmth with your fleece, try L.L. Bean’s Insulated Fleece Jacket, which combines wind- and weather-resistent fleece with a layer of insulation.
Stretch Thinsulate Flex insulation is sandwiched between two layers of Polartec Wind Pro Fleece, adding more warmth without the jacket becoming too bulky. On top of that, Polartec Power Shield fabric is pieced at wear areas for added weather protection, to resist wind and repel water. Toss the jacket in the washer and dryer, and you’re set to wear it over and over.
The Insulated Fleece Jacket is great for cooler-weather activities, like hiking and bicycling—but that doesn’t mean you can’t just wear it on your travels or at home to run errands. Two deep zippered pockets are useful for your hands, or items you want to carry with you. A smaller, zippered chest pocket is perfect for an MP3 player, because there’s a small hole through which you can string your earbuds.
Pull cords are at the bottom of the jacket, so you can tighten them as you wish, to avoid a draft. The collar can fit up around your neck for additional warmth, and the zipper doesn’t jab you in the chin.
The drawback for me was the extremely limited color choices: raspberry and teal. I get that it’s a jacket for women, but we all don’t love the girly colors. The men’s jacket, on the other hand, is available in a darker blue and deep red. Add a black or gray to each offering (like the image), and I’m sold. No, my clothing colors may not stand out in a crowd, but I like it that way.
The L.L. Bean Insulated Fleece Jacket lists for $149 from the L.L. Bean website. There’s also a men’s version for the same price.
Posted by Jill in Adventure Gear, General Gear on March 9th, 2012
Snow Angel Veluxe Graphic Zip T-Neck
Women’s thermal clothing often has a hard time striking the balance between pretty and performance. But the Snow Angel Veluxe Graphic Zip T-Neck is both powerful enough to wear as an insulating layer for long outdoor adventures and pretty enough to wear out to coffee.
Made of 88 percent antimicrobial polyester and 12 percent spandex, the shirt is breathable and wicks moisture—so it can easily handle that long hike or ski session without making you want to quit. The fabric is also lightly “peached” on both sides for a soft, cozy feel. Once you put it on, it’s difficult to want to take it off. But because the shirt has an antimicrobial finish to keep the athletic aroma away, you can keep it on for hours.
The long, raglan sleeves have thumbholes, so you can keep them in place under other long-sleeved garments, or just pull them down to keep your hands warm. In some clothing, the thumbholes aren’t optimally placed, and they end up making you feel as if your sleeves are about an inch too short. Not so with this shirt. Use the thumbholes or don’t use them, but you’re perfectly comfortable either way.
The graphic print and hourglass fit may make you want to wear this shirt on the outside, too. Nothing’s wrong with looking good while you’re on an adventure.
The Snow Angel Veluxe Graphic Zip T-Neck lists for $70 from www.snow-angel.com. You may be able to get it for less at Amazon.
See more reviews of travel clothing for women.
Posted by Jill in Adventure Gear, General Gear on March 2nd, 2012
Patagonia Women’s Adze Jacket
Lately, I’ve been wearing the Patagonia Adze jacket everywhere I go, and I won’t lie: I’ve enjoyed the many compliments. It’s tailored and stylish enough to look great with jeans, and yet warm enough to be my go-to spring ski jacket. It’s performed well during a weekend at Tahoe, an overnight snowshoe trek in Oregon’s Mt. Hood Wilderness, and every day in-between, on the commute to and from work.
For those of you (like me) who are suckers for all things shiny and pretty, the Adze comes in six great colors; the mango is bright and cheery, and more importantly, doesn’t show dirt (not even the usual smudges my downhill skis tend to leave on my jackets’ shoulders after carting them to and from the car).
The shell is made of Polartec Windbloc stretch polyester (with some spandex tossed in) and lined with color-coordinating fleece at the neck and wind flap. Two outer pockets plus one internal provide enough room to store ski or outdoor essentials such as keys, chapstick, sunscreen, and some cash, and the cuffs are tailored at the wrists so the sleeves don’t get in your way. (I also like that they’re adjustable with velcro, to better fit the cuffs of ski gloves underneath.)
The Adze blocks out the wind very well, and the DWR coating does a decent job keeping you dry even in heavy snow. (Note: it’s water resistant, not waterproof.) The lining is made of something called microgrid fleece, which is very soft without adding bulk. There’s a drawcord at the hem if you want it (I haven’t needed to use it). The wind flap at the neck doesn’t give full face coverage, but provides all you need in fair to moderate weather. The only time I don’t reach for the Adze is when I’ll need a hood.
For travelers, this jacket would work well for non-summer travel in varying conditions. With windblocking technology and enough water resistance to get you through drizzly, misty days, it can take you from Seattle to the Azores to Ireland.
My only complaint is that the Adze isn’t as fitted as most women’s jackets on the market today. (It’s a bit boxy.) At 5’4″, the sleeves of an Adze medium fall a bit long on me, so if you want a more tailored fit, size down. If I weren’t wearing this over several layers of ski clothes, I’d have opted for a small.
The Adze retails for $139, making it reasonably priced in the realm of performance jackets. Find it at Amazon, Altrec, REI, MooseJaw, and other outdoor retailers. And yes guys, there’s also a men’s version.
Posted by Amy in Adventure Gear, General Gear on February 21st, 2012
Icebreaker Women’s Quantum Hood
Keeping warm isn’t too hard if you want to stay inside. But that gets boring pretty quickly. When you want to venture out, wearing an Icebreaker Women’s Quantum Hood can definitely help keep you toasty.
Sometimes the itchiness of wool clothing can cause outdoor fans to conveniently forget their wool garments when it’s time to get dressed. If you’ve given up on wool, consider another try with this hoody. Made of the company’s GT fabric (merino wool and 3 percent Lycra), the mid-weight jacket is cozy and soft—but lacks the itch factor.
Plus, the Quantum Hood can be worn on multiple times before washing without smelling funky. Just think about all that quality hotel sink time you’d be avoiding!
The sleeves come with thumb loops, so you can secure them lower on your hands when the weather’s cool. The reflective front zipper comes in handy for wearing at night, and eyelet gussets in the sleeves aid in ventilation. There’s also a small, zippered stash pocket for cash, keys, or cell phone.
Take a look at the Quantum Hood’s “Baacode”; enter the number in a box on the company website to see where your wool came from.
The Icebreaker Women’s Quantum Hood lists for $135 to $180 on Amazon (depending on size and color). It’s also available on Backcountry.com or Altrec.com for about the same price range.
See more Icebreaker for Women items
Posted by Jill in Adventure Gear, General Gear on February 3rd, 2012
Adidas Outdoor Terrex Feather Shell and Windstopper Hybrid Jacket
As a family of soccer players, we thought we were quite familiar with the Adidas brand; I’ve been buying their cleats, shorts, and athletic warm-ups for years. But as skiers and winter outdoor enthusiasts, we had no idea Adidas also offers a high quality, high tech line of outdoor apparel.
The women’s GORE-TEX Terrex Feather Shell weighs in at the absolute lightest full-coverage, full-duty outer layer jacket I’ve ever tried. It features a helmet-compatible hood with built-in visor and drawstring adjustment, full-zip closure, zip-ventilation on the sides and under the arms, adjustable cuffs (perfect for fitting over winter gloves), and an adjustable, removable storm skirt. All this, and it folds up to next to nothing for packing.
I’ll admit, I was skeptical before I tried this shell. With a retail price of $495, I figured it had better be lined with gold. But what actually makes the Terrex Feather Shell stand apart is what Adidas calls ‘formotion technology’: the jacket’s design is such that it follows your natural movement. In other words, this jacket will move with you, not against you. I wore it downhill skiing, hiking, and while walking the dog (trust me, that’s an aerobic activity!) and could feel the difference from other shells.
Underneath, I paired the shell with Adidas’ Windstopper Hybrid-Jacket, which, unlike my initial skepticism of the shell, I fell in love with immediately. The Windstopper is roomy without being bulky, thick without being suffocating, and truly such a windbreaker that on all but the most frigid of days, it could pull solo duty as an outer layer. Where does the ‘hybrid’ factor in? The Windstopper is designed with different performance fabrics placed in different (strategic) locations, all targeted to work with the human body in movement. This jacket will definitely be in my luggage for every type of cold-weather travel (and in the meantime, it’s the one I reach for every day at home).
As aforementioned, the Terrex Feather Shell lists for $495, but you’ll probably find it for less at Amazon and REI. The Windstopper Hybrid lists for $200 and is also at Amazon. You’ll find both at some outdoor physical retail stores too, but Adidas just launched this whole outdoor line a year ago so the items aren’t totally widespread yet.
Bottom line: can you outfit yourself for winter travel and outdoor sports for less? Of course. But if you’re truly looking for the best of the best when it comes to performance and comfort, this may be it.
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Posted by Amy in Adventure Gear on January 24th, 2012
