Beyond Fleece Cold Play review

[CantDog]

Oh yes, it finally arrived today. I'll put pictures up this evening.

Initial impressions: Very nice. Fits is fantastic, save for a few minor things that I will fix by sending it back for alterations. On the walk back from class I wore the jacket and a midlayer capilene. Blowing about 15mph, and a bit chilly(20-25 degrees), but I stayed warm and toasty. The inside is very soft, so you could wear it as your only top layer.(I specified a close fit for this reason, and the fact I never wear more than two capilene layers under).

Attention to detail appears very nice, pockets are roomy and well placed. I'll be giving it the full rundown this weekend, with one day in bounds and possibly two days of touring/hiking.

[mildbill.]

Originally posted by CantDog
. On the walk back from class I wore the jacket and a midlayer capilene.

you wear your capilene to class? glad i don't sit near you.

[CaddyDaddy77]

Originally posted by mildbill.
you wear your capilene to class? glad i don't sit near you.

You obviously didn't attend a "liberal" college such as mine, it was worn like a fucking uniform for the trust-a-farians here.

Interested to hear info on the jacket.

[cj001f]

Originally posted by CaddyDaddy77
You obviously didn't attend a "liberal" college such as mine, it was worn like a fucking uniform for the trust-a-farians here.

Which was stronger, patchouli, weed, or napilene funk?

[CaddyDaddy77]

Originally posted by cj001f
Which was stronger, patchouli, weed, or napilene funk?

Mostly hippie-stank, it was a combo of all the things above mixed in with a vegan diet to really set it off.

Sorry for the hijack, Cant-dog.

[Spats]

Nothing ranker than vegan farts.

Yak all you want about how bad it is for you to eat meat or eggs; they're 100% digestible by humans, and beans are not.

[CantDog]

Ok, so I've had a week of use, two days of skiing, two days of hiking, and general wearing around.

The jacket is damn nice, so nice you just forget about it. I wore it at Jay on saturday, gusty winds and highs in the mid twenties I'm guessing. Snowing a bit also. Wind didnt cut through at all, and didnt get sweaty skiing trees. Sunday was a bit warmer, and skied with the pitzips down. The jacket breathes really really well. Was pretty windy, but I was confident that the jacket would do the job, so I didnt even bother bringing a shell.

Hiking it worked admirably. I dont have to worry about stopping to shed layers and putting layers back on when I get above treeline. It breathes so well and is very windproof, it cuts down on packing gear. Its also incredibly light, about half the weight of my fleece.

I got the fit to be pretty close, I wouldnt wear more than a light fleece/heavy baselayer(expedition weight capilene thickness) underneath it, but I wanted it that way. It fits more like a shirt than a jacket. Went back to wearing my fleece yesterday, and th damn thing feels like a moo moo.

The only problem I'm having is the front zipper is a royal pain to zip up. I got the waterproof zipper and beyond fleece warned that it would be harder to zip up, but its pretty ridiculous. Definately not on par with arcteryxs waterproof zippers. Also, the top of the zipper is a bit sharp, sometimes it will irritate my neck if i have it zipped all the way up. The gear pockets are right over the hand warmer pockets so you really cant load both of them up with lots of stuff, but there is quite a bit of room. The internal chest pocket is the perfect place for a wallet.

Overall I'm extremely happy. Its really a pleasure to ski/hike in, lightweight, blocks the elements, allows you to keep your mind on things that matter, not about how cold or windy it is. And the new slate blue color is really nice.

[Steven S. Dallas]

Originally posted by CaddyDaddy77
You obviously didn't attend a "liberal" college such as mine, it was worn like a fucking uniform for the trust-a-farians here.

Yeah, it's a real bunch of right-wing oil money types up at Dartmouth.

[laseranimal]

sounds like you really like it, one question, how is it in the really cold windy days when you're just standing around or not working up a sweat?

[Dr. Crash]

$230 with nice options, this is definitely competitive with name brands, though still twice a last-year model.

I'm very interested in the wind protection. I like the shell I got at REI (a Marmot made with their own fabric, AMP NP-940, which prevents me from finding info on it on the Web) but feel like the wind goes through a lot; maybe I'm not tough enough . And it's pretty heavy (26 ounces I think). How much does yours weight?

Regarding fabrics, I found this from http://www.outdoors.org/publications...ll-gear.shtml:

"Schoeller Dryskin Extreme is very stretchy, breathable, and durable, and has a treatment called 3XDry that improves internal wicking as well as water resistance — it really sheds rain pretty well." [That would be the Cold Play fabric.]

"Marmot constructs its Photon Jacket ($200, 25 oz.) from Amp NP-940; it’s a fairly breathable and warm cold-weather, moderate-exertion piece." [That would be for mine.]

I'm looking for great breathability and wind resistance w/o a laminate like Windstopper. I have Power Shield pants that I like a lot, but Power Shield may be a bit warm for non-winter skinning.

drC

[CantDog]

I'll take my jacket down to the lab this afternoon and weight it for ya. It sheds water real well, I get a kick out of pouring water on it and watching it bead up. I havent gotten wet in it yet. Shit, it sheds better than my crappy marmot precip.

[CantDog]

675 grams

[Dr. Crash]

24 ounces then (I am ashamed to use ounces but hey, it's the local currency). Not a big difference.

drC

[CantDog]

Ok, today I got to test the water resistance of it ice climbing. Was a warm day(high 30s/low 40s) and the ice was real wet, to the point where it would run down the toprope and righ down your legs. When belaying it would soak your cuffs and bottom of the jacket.

The thing worked fantastic, stayed dry until the very end of the day when the bottom of my jacket started to soak through. Even then, the otuside was wet but inside it stayed dry. The cuffs also stayed dry, and are tight enough around my wrists that water doesnt run down your arm(I fackin hate that.) The only wet part on the inside of the jacket is the bottom half inch were the drawstring is(that part isnt the softshell material), but this was next to my bibs so i didnt fell wet. The guys I were climbing with also pointed out how well water was beading up on the jacket.

So yeah, I love this jacket. Still have to test it in really cold/ 60mph wind days, but I'll get that chance soon enough.