Jackets

Featured review by Micay

SO many pockets! Cozy, convenient zip pockets and inside drop pockets, easy to clean and versatile. My staple camping and hiking companion and an alternative to a hoodie. No need for a scarf because the zip goes all the way up to the collar and it doesn't scratch your chin. Great for any women's shape and honestly it's pretty flattering. I'm usually a Small but opted for the Medium to wear layers comfortably underneath.

Women tend to get the short end of the stick when it comes to outdoor clothing, thankfully this is slowly changing and companies can see we are a huge market.  I got the Better Sweater in Birch White. I fit perfectly into the women's small however, I ended up going home with the Medium. Here's why: the Patagonia staff weren't sure if it would shrink in the wash or dryer (it did just a little, I can tell when the zippers do the "bacon" curl). I washed on a tap cold normal cycle and medium/low heat in the dryer.

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Featured review by Daniel Oates

The Arc'teryx Atom SL Hoody is a lightly insulated, shoulder season jacket with hood to get you through those cooler fall or spring days. It is breathable and water resistant enough to be a part of your gear throughout the summer too. The Atom SL Hoody is a versatile outer layer which I’d recommend for a variety of activities during three-season use.

Background & Testing Conditions I am 5'9", 160 lbs, with an athletic frame with 40" chest and 31" sleeve length. I received a size medium spring 2016 Arc'teryx Atom SL Hoody for testing, in color genepi green (more like a yellow). I’ve tested it primarily in Florida, but also in North Carolina between mid-October through January. Temperatures varied between the 40s to low-70s F, with the majority of my usage being when temps were in the mid-50s to low-70s. Testing included multiple activities such as backpacking, day hikes, and running, as well as urban uses such as geocaching and casual wear.

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Reviewed by FromSagetoSnow

Toughness unheard of in a down jacket coupled with smart features and class-leading weight savings earn a place in my mountaineering kit for Black Diamond's Vision Down Parka. The Vision Down Parka can bring that extra degree of safety when Mother Nature attacks.

The Black Vision Down Parka was the winner of the 2020 Backcountry Magazine Editors’ Choice Award. According to Black Diamond: "the Black Diamond Vision Down Parka is our warmest insulated jacket for the coldest conditions and biggest objectives on your hit list." Ever been cold? I mean REALLY cold. Not just the cold that gets you saying, "Holy @#it, it's cold," but the cold that makes it hard to even make words with your lips. The cold that makes your chap-stick feel like hard plastic. The cold that makes you question your idiotic choices in hobbies.

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Reviewed by Jake W

The Norrøna Trollveggen Primaloft 100 Zip Hood is a synthetically insulated jacket which utilizes Primaloft's Gold Aerogel (more info on Aerogel below), mapped out to provide an incredible amount of warmth, especially compared to the weight. This jacket is an ideal belay/last line of defense for when the proverbial "stuff" hits the fan. As you can see below the amount of designs Norrøna has nailed in this product are, well, all of them. This is a jacket that has clearly been devised, used, tested, and perfected by spending days on the mountain in the winter.

FIT AND COMFORT For reference I am six foot tall, 175 pounds, and ordered the size large. I usually fall somewhere on the high end of a medium to the low end of a large, and that was exactly the case on the sizing chart provided by Norrøna. I wanted to use this jacket more as an outer layer and hence went with the larger size. The fit of the Trollveggen Primaloft100 Zip Hood is what I would describe as oversized. It is certainly not a restrictive fit, especially in comparison to the more traditional European sizing.

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Reviewed by Jake W

The Mountain Equipment Echo is an unlined soft shell jacket designed for active pursuits with specific designs for the climber, including articulated arms, a drop hem, helmet-compatible hood, and dual toggle hem. I have found this jacket highly useful for ranges far out of its intended uses—as a protective layer against the sun, a mid-layer in cold winter temps and, of course, as an outer layer in cool temps, especially against wind and abrasion.

I have been testing the Mountain Equipment Echo Hooded Jacket for almost six months now and it has been used from a frigid Canadian January winter to intense Jamaican sun-soaked beaches. It's been used for backpacking, ice climbing, rock climbing, and travelling for a total of who knows how many total days, I wear it so incredibly frequently. I would venture a guess of a least 50 days of activity as well as a bunch of casual uses. It's probably been through the wash six or seven times. FIT  The fit of the Echo is spot on, slim fitting without being restrictive.

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Reviewed by Wade In The Water

The Danvers is an ultralight pullover that can be use by anyone as either a mid or top layer. It's minimalist, highly packable, and its 850 FP DownTek water-repellent down will help keep you warm without any added bulk or restriction of movement.

  Preface I received this Big Agnes Danvers Pullover for the purpose of this review.  It arrived with minimal packaging, which I like. We all need to do what we can to reduce our impact on the environment.   About Big Agnes Big Agnes has been around for about twenty years. Should you require it, their outstanding customer service could not possibly be improved upon. Their stated goal is to produce the best gear possible to help folks get outside and chase their dreams. I think they stand true to that goal.

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Reviewed by Bentbrook

The Odin 9 Worlds 2.0 is a superbly water-resistant, windproof, and breathable men's jacket that allows one to forget about the weather and focus on one's activities in the outdoors. Excellent features, a practical design, and a trim fit come at a high-end price that is ultimately reasonable given the jacket's superior performance. Excellent for a wide range of year-round outdoor activities such as hiking, mountaineering, trekking, or skiing.

Helly Hansen Odin 9 Worlds 2.0   The Odin 9 Worlds 2.0 is a three-layer men's shell jacket featuring Helly Hansen’s Helly Tech Professional 3L fabric made of 100% polyamide (nylon). The jacket comes in four colors: Royal Blue, Patrol Oran, Alert Red, and Black, and it is designed for year-round activities such as camping, hiking, trekking, skiing, or mountaineering.  The Odin 9 Worlds weighs in at 19.5 oz/ 554 g (my XXL weighed 22.8 oz/646 g) and has an MSRP of $400. Helly Hansen boasts that it is waterproof, windproof, and breathable, citing a 20,000gm WP and 15,000gm moisture vapor permeability.

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Featured review by Kyle

This jacket is truly a study in craftsmanship by the designers at Patagonia. First of of all, it is INCREDIBLY LIGHTWEIGHT. Every time I go to pick it up, this fact strikes me. I also own the Men's Phantom Jacket by Mountain Hardwear in large, which is also VERY lightweight and 800-fill down, however, this jacket (although the same size i.e. large), is much longer and has a down hood as well, and somehow the Fitz Roy Hoody amazes me more. It's GREAT as a raincoat, as water and snow just bead and slide right off it.

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Featured review by Alicia MacLeay

The Patagonia Houdini Jacket is a classic. An excellent, all-around, windproof, water-resistant, lightweight shell, it performs in a wide range of outdoor scenarios. I've had mine for more than six years and use it primarily running, hiking, and skiing, but have also taken it biking, paddling, traveling, and more. It conveniently stuffs into its own pocket as a just-in-case layer, and at less than 4 ounces there's no excuse not to bring it along.

  hiking in the Houdini Use I've had my Patagonia Houdini Jacket for six years and regularly wear it running in the rain or snow, hiking, cross-country skiing, and more. It's a basic, lightweight, nylon windbreaker with full-length zipper and hood and is extremely versatile and well made and durable. It fits and moves well, whatever your outdoor activity. My husband, Dave, also has a Houdini and uses his regularly as well. Both stay in rotation in our mudroom year-round. Materials & Weather Resistance Current versions of the Houdini are made with 1.2-oz 100-percent recycled nylon ripstop with a DWR (durable water repellent) finish and are Fair Trade Certified sewn.

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Featured review by Peter1955

Gore-Tex works! Great design in the best OR tradition, and an excellent fabric.

Outdoor Research Foray Jacket, Berg Lake Trail, Mt. Robson, Canadian Rockies.  Technical Specs: Lightweight, waterproof/breathable 3-layer 40D Gore-Tex Paclite fabric Fully seam-taped Water-resistant pockets and TorsoFlo zippers Hem to bicep pit zips 15 oz (L) weight I love this jacket. It's been fine for dayhikes and I've been very comfortable in it, but I wanted to give it a real test before posting a review. In my opinion, a jacket is such an important piece of gear (second only to boots!) that I wanted to be sure I wasn't giving out the wrong information.

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