Outdoor Research Micro Sweater

This jacket is WARM. When you insulate your house you try to have 6 in. of insulation. Well this jacket comes pretty close to that. It lofts so fat and so fast. You can really cram it into your pack when you're moving, and as soon as you stop to set up camp or rest, you just pull it out and it puffs right up. The pouch pocket is nice because it's a great way to have easy access to items you still want to keep warm next to your body.

The styling and fit are excellent. I got a size larger than I usually wear because I wear this over all my other layers and sometimes even a daypack. The front zip is pretty deep so you can vent or get in and out quite easily. It packs into the front pocket which is a nice feature, but if you have a stuff sack you can get it even smaller. The fabric is lightweight but not flimsy. So far I've had no issues with wear. The front pocket closes with a velcro dot on each side which works well but creates my only complaint with this jacket. The velcro snags the lycra cuff around the pocket and is starting to pull that apart. Also having velcro at the entry to a pocket catches when I'm wearing wool mittens or something like that.

Apart from that small detail I'm very impressed. You can trust this jacket to be your primary insulator in any cold conditions.