But my old Golite jacket is falling apart now and I see the technology has changed a lot in the last several years. My budget is around $200 and I'd like a jacket I can use from the 50s down to the 20s (with a layer underneath). Wind-resistance would be a plus but isn't super-essential. Last week and this week it's been 30F in the mornings and windy low 40s as the high. So I'd like something that can handle that (with a shirt and maybe a thin layer underneath if needed). Hand/Napoleon/inside pockets are a Good Thing. I started learning about active stretch synthetic jacket hoodies, which are a new development that might help me with dissipating heat and sweat when I go indoors/outdoors/indoors throughout the day. I was seriously looking at the Black Diamond First Light but the sizing chart puts me in a M for hips/waist and L for neck/chest, and BD's M/L sizing chart says sleeves supposedly only go to 34".Īm also looking at jackets like the Patagonia Nano-Air Hoodie (sizing puts me right into a L), the OutdoorResearch Cathode Hoodie, and OR Uberlayer, and the OR Winter Ferrosi, and the Rab Xenon X, and the Arcteryx Atom LT. Not a fan of Mountain Hardwear (had a REALLY bad customer service experience with them once). Ideas? Suggestions? Am I looking at the right type of jacket?įOLLOW UP: The Outdoor Research Ascendant in L arrived from Amazon today, and it seems to fit just about right. If I lift my hands above my head the sleeves end up a little short, but I'm not climbing with it. Took it out today - 39F, 15MPH winds, 'feels like' 30F - with a SS poly plus lightweight Capilene LS underneath, plus a neck gaiter and a Polartec cap - and I was fine. I'm glad I chose a jacket with an adjustble hood over one without (like the Patagonia Nano-Air) because a minute after I donned the unadjusted hood the wind just about took it off. Then I tightened it down and didn't have a problem again. Would have made me nuts to not have an adjustable hood. Temps are supposed to drop another 10F tonight and I'm going to try the jacket again but with gloves and maybe underneath a jean jacket, just to see if that can handle it. So far I'm impressed with its performance, and delighted with its lightness compared to the previous outerwear I've been using. I really wish the hand pockets had zippers, though. And time will tell how the interior holds up to regular use. I thought the OR Ascendant was supposed to replace the Uberlayer?Įither way I have the Ascendant. It breaths extremely well and is very comfortable. It has a pair of non zippered pockets and a Napoleon pocket. I don’t bother with carrying a fleece and a shell. If I want to burn that much weight I just carry the Ascendant. The insulation is just so soft and exposed it’s difficult to believe this is a jacket that will weather a decade of use. It’s just different than anything else I’ve ever owned. But that question aside it’s a really great jacket and I use it in those temps without issue. Though you will need an extra layer at 20F. For me I actually wear a hooded puffy over it. I had a hooded Ascendant at first, but I decided to exchange it for the hood less jacket version, use a down beanie, and if temps called for it, use my hooded puffy over it. It works well for me.Why? Everything you just said goes against the entirety of this thread. I run really hot, and sweat super easily once I get moving so having breathable stuff for me is imperative. So my go to for going uphill is thin base layer (almost zero insulation value), then the Ventrix over that. If it is windy/ cold enough for the wind to blow out the heat that I'm putting out then usually a softshell will go over that. Even a non bonded softshell (schoeller 400) for me doesn't breath as well as the Ventrix. I don't even use any sort of synthetic/ down insulation for lift skiing most times. Usually it's thicker base layer, a 100-150 weight fleece, then a 2L Gore Shell. For the real cold days the mid fleece will get switched out for insulation. The RAB even though it was really warm and light as hell would trap body moisture almost better than Goretex. So it'd have to be REALLY cold for me to want to use it while Touring (which was almost never). Climbing/ Lifts was kinda a different thing, but not enough for me to want to keep it.
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