Every outdoorsperson and athlete needs a good lightweight waterproof rain and wind shell that they can stuff away when not needed. The new Helly Hansen Odin Fastpack Jacket may be one of the best options out there. The company poured all its technical knowledge and experience into creating one of the lightest and high-performance rain shells [...]
I’m one of those typical Colorado folks who like to turn up our nose at sub-zero temps and howling winds by wearing one jacket for all weather from October to May and just grit my teeth when perhaps its not quite sufficient. The Moab Softshell from Merrell is just that type of piece. The Moab [...]
Obermeyer is another one of our local companies based here in Colorado. With a corporate headquarters located in the beautiful mountain town of Aspen, the family-run, privately held Obermeyer knows first hand what it takes to protect outdoor enthusiasts from the sometimes harsh conditions of the Colorado Rockies, while also staying comfortable and looking great. [...]
Norwegian brand Helly Hansen has been doing great things with its high-end Odin line in the past year (2011-2012) and the Odin Light Softshell is another winner from the company. In their (Helly Hansen’s) own words, “Odin expert series are designed, tested and developed by Helly Hansen technical experts and professional adventurers.” In my experience, [...]
This Spring, Columbia introduces the Compounder 2.5 layer shell. As we often get to test products before they hit the market, I was able to test this jacket out for a number of months in a number of activities. The Columbia Compounder Shell is 2.5 layers which can be a little hard to tell from [...]
Mammut clearly listened to feedback from skiers and riders when they made the Bristol Jacket, and it is an excellent choice for resort-goers. With high-end fabrics, strong attention to detail, and well-thought-out features, the Bristol jacket is a premium option in the lightly-insulated, free skiing/snowboarding jacket category. DRYtech fabric keeps the wetness out and [...]
Mammut is a Swiss brand that falls into the category of high-end performance wear, and caters to the needs of the extreme-use customers, such as mountain guides and other outdoor professionals. The Mammut Nordwand Jacket is exemplary of Mammut’s commitment to performance. The Nordwand is a hard shell featuring GORE-TEX’s top-of-the-line Pro Shell 3-Layer fabric. [...]
Sierra Designs has a fashion-forward hoody for female outdoor adventurists; the Instigator Hoody is a stylish-yet-technical piece that any woman would be happy to add to her wardrobe. With the weather this winter fluctuating from 60 degrees to 0 degrees (and back again), I have been able to test the Instigator Hoody in [...]
With the Odin line, Helly Hansen has taken its considerable experience in the technical outerwear industry, and created a collection of products that is perfect for the outdoor professional and demanding consumer. Featuring Helly’s highest-end fabric, Helly Tech Professional, the Odin Guiding Light jacket offers extreme weather protection in a very lightweight and breathable package. [...]
The Thermarator Fleece from Columbia Sportswear is a great, all-purpose jacket for most Spring and Fall days, and should work for most on milder winter days as well. Whether hitting the trail for a light hike or bike ride, or out running errands around town, this jacket will keep you comfortable and warm. It also [...]
The go anywhere, do anything ”hoodie” you’ve all been dreaming of. If you’re anything like me, you can’t stand having a closet full of coats for “every” occasion. I want one coat to wear rain or shine - end of Summer through end of Spring. I need it to be wind proof, water proof, and warm in cold [...]
Coming in as one of my favorite jackets for the spring/summer season, I introduce to you the Eddie Bauer First Ascent Sandstone Soft Shell Jacket. With a few years under its belt and a number of professional athletes and experts helping design the First Ascent product lines, Eddie Bauer has struck gold with the [...]
If you live in Colorado right now, you know how important a good outdoor hard shell can be! The Spring season has been a mix of snow in the mountains and lots of rain in the Denver metro area. And while the rain and snow keeps a lot of people inside, I was happy to [...]
With snow starting to turn to rain in many parts of the US, it’s nice to have a rain jacket that can handle the elements whether you’re hiking the Appalachian Trail or hiking up one of Colorado’s 14′ers. I’ve been testing out the Columbia Peak 2 Peak Jacket over the past few months to see how [...]
Patagonia thinks of everything. I didn’t know that I needed or even wanted a softshell vest until I started testing Patagonia’s Hooded Guide Vest. The vest is a spin-off from Patagonia’s most successful, aka popular, softshell the Guide Jacket. Since I received the vest, it has been easy to put the vest to good use: [...]
The Obsidian Jacket is Mountain Hardwear’s answer to the technical backcountry shell. The jacket is highly breathable and waterproof, making it a great outer piece in inclement weather. It is also cut with room for adding layers underneath, which is essential for any shell. I tested the jacket as both a ski shell and a [...]
The Mantra Jacket, by Sherpa Adventure Gear, is designed to keep you warm during all of your cold weather aerobic pursuits, without bothersome bulk. Cross country skiing, skinning and skiing, climbing and running, it’s meant to perform. The sleek, fun design looks like a wool hoodie under a puffy vest and functions equally well on [...]
Columbia’s new line of thermodynamic items looked a little, well… spacey. It looked as if it could be turned inside out and used as a halloween costume much more so than as any type of active wear. We are happy to report that we were ENTIRELY wrong. While the interior may just be a little [...]
The Miwa Down Jacket by Mammut is packed with 750 fill goose down. This translates into extreme warmth that is highly compressible. We have been wearing the jacket by itself in temps well below freezing and have been pleased thus far and are excited to see how the Miwa performs when winter really starts to [...]
When the temperatures drop below freezing and you have to get in your workout, it’s important to the have the proper gear to keep you warm while not impeding your movement. I’ve been testing out the Craft Storm Jacket which is a performance fleece jacket that works great in outdoor aerobic activities in colder temps. When [...]
If you haven’t been out to the stores yet this season, I have news for you, flannels are back! As I love to stay up with the trends, I’m finding the Patagonia Reversible Flannel Jacket to be one of my favorite pieces of the season. Although I’m not using it for trail running, skiing, hiking, [...]
If you loved your Mountain Hardwear Phantom jacket, you are going to love the Nitrous Jacket. The Nitrous Jacket, available for men and women, packs the same amount of great warmth as my ‘ole favorite, but weighs even less and packs down even smaller. Plus, the Nitrous has some style to it with a subtle [...]
I have been testing out Patagonia’s newly designed R3® Hi-Loft Hoody in the ever fashionable purple hue. The R3 Hi-Loft Hoody has quickly become a personal and family favorite. I say this because we now refer to the purple R3 as “Grimace”. For instance, one might say, “the weather may turn a bit chilly, why [...]
