User Review: Mountain Hardwear Synchro Jacket
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Rating: 
Fabric: Conduit Softshell
For on-piste skiing, The Mountain Hardwear Synchro jacket is the best shell that I have ever used. I also own the North Face Mountain Light (2-layer Gore-Tex, circa '90s) and Paclite (Gore-Tex Paclite) shell jackets, and a few DWR-coated "water-repellent" shell jackets.
Aesthetically, the MH Synchro is a very good-looking jacket and flatters the wearer. One part of this is the fact that the stretchy softshell material allows the jacket to be cut to a more fitted profile without restricting range-of-motion. Another part of this is the matte and somewhat neoprene-ish nature of the "sharkskin" fabric, which isn't anywhere as crinkly on the wearer as the nylon-faced Gore-Tex. (The look of hardshell "crinklyness" is inherent due to the motion-permissive cut of the non-stretch fabric, and sometimes exacerbated by shiny nylon face fabrics.)
Waterwise, the MH Synchro's Conduit membrane is indeed windproof and waterproof. That said, the matte "sharkskin" face fabric seems less water-repellent than the shiny nylon face fabrics of Gore-Tex shells, so treatment with water-repellent (Nikwax TX.Direct) is more important. I personally treat mine upon every washing.
The MH Synchro's Conduit membrane does not seem to be quite as breathable overall as Gore-Tex, but that works quite fine for the cold and dry environments that the Synchro was designed for. (FYI, the Synchro jacket and pants were conceived as an ice-climbing outfit, hence the lack of a hood in the original jacket. Ice climbers wear helmets, making a hood much less critical.) Even when aerobic exertion (uphill skiing) produced overheating, any dampness was quickly dispersed from the interior. The Synchro Jacket is also equipped with two front-facing vent pockets that are very easy to use single-handedly, even with a pack on. That said, large items (like a balaclava) in the vent pockets will defeat the venting.
Performance-wise (on-piste skiing), the more fitted profile cuts cleaner through the wind with less fabric movement (flapping, waving). This fitted profile also keeps me warmer than the looser-cut hardshells, since there is less "pumping" of the trapped air between the shell and the insulating layer as I move. That said, your mileage may vary on this, since I'm a regular rock climber (pretty close to the Synchro's target audience/physique) and use fitted/semi-fitted layers. The Synchro is warm for me because it fits me perfectly.
Aside from the large vent pockets, the MH Synchro jacket has a small Napolean pocket that's perfect for a cellphone, and a smaller bicep pocket that's difficult to access, for which I store cash and a few cards (won't fit anything but the most minimal of wallets).
The MH Synchro jacket has a non-elastic collar-cinch and a thin, elastic hem-cinch. I can understand the non-elastic collar-cinch from an ice-climbing perspective (a just-right fit at the expense of comfort for maximal shielding from the constant fall of ice chips), but if there was anything I would improve on this jacket, it'd be a burlier elastic hem-cinch.
I positively love my MH Synchro Jacket for skiing (and it probably works very well for ice climbing, not that I’ve done that yet). Whether you might love a Synchro Jacket will probably depend upon how close you are to Mountain Hardwear’s original conceived usage and target audience. For more aerobic activities and/or in more humid conditions and/or in temperatures that might vary away from cold/snowy/icy, I would probably opt to use one of my Gore-Tex hardshells.
Where to Buy
Buy Online We found the Synchro Jacket at 12 online stores:
| Store | Product Description | Price |
 Moosejaw 2 purchase options: | Women's Synchro Jacket (Fall 2008) | $161.50 | Buy Now |
| Men's Synchro Jacket (Fall 2008) | $190.00 | Buy Now |
 Campmor 2 purchase options: | Synchro Jacket (For Women) | $89.96 | Buy Now |
| Mountain Hardwear Men's Synchro Jacket | $139.98 | Buy Now |
 Backcountry.com 2 purchase options: | Synchro Jacket - Women's | $147.96 | Buy Now |
| Synchro Softshell Jacket - Men's | $170.96 | Buy Now |
 Altrec Outdoors 2 purchase options: | Women's Synchro Jacket | $93.97 | Buy Now |
| Men's Synchro Jacket | $167.36 | Buy Now |
 Backcountry Outlet 2 purchase options: | Synchro Jacket - Women's | $94.98 | Buy Now |
| Synchro Softshell Jacket - Men's | $132.96 | Buy Now |
 CampSaver.com | Mountain Hardwear Synchro Jacket | $190.00 | Buy Now |
 REI 2 purchase options: | Synchro Jacket - Women's | $129.83 | Buy Now |
| Synchro Jacket - Men's | $190.00 | Buy Now |
 RockCreek | Synchro Jacket (Men's) | $189.95 | Buy Now |
 Oregon Mountain Community 2 purchase options: | Synchro Jacket - Women's | $107.95 | Buy Now |
| Synchro Jacket - Men's | $138.95 | Buy Now |
 Massey's | Mens Mountain Hardwear Synchro Jacket | $152.00 | Buy Now |
 EMS | Synchro Jacket, Women's | $190.00 | Buy Now |
 US Outdoor Store 2 purchase options: | Synchro Jacket | $190.00 | Buy Now |
| Synchro Jacket - Women's | $190.00 | Buy Now |
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