So, I ordered up some items from Mountain Warehouse recently. Their shipping, by the way, is most excellent. They got it out speedy quick and in my post box in a couple of days.
One item was the Brisk Extreme Waterproof Jacket. Even though I get my t-shirts in medium and my button-up shirts in large, I get my jackets in extra-large. I find they are otherwise too small in the shoulders. So, this guy was in XL and fit as expected. Sleeves a little long, but I am used to that. I am about 5'7" and 187 lbs. Big shoulders for my size.
I took it for a test drive about a week ago as it was raining nasty. The conditions throughout the hike: moderate to heavy rain, 14℃ (57℉), 100% humidity, light wind. The jacket repelled the water as promised. As I expected, I started to get warm. That was between 1 and 1½ km in (approx. ⅔-1mi.). This is normal, what was not, was that my glasses did not fog up as usual. They first fogged up at 3 km (just shy 2 mi.), and that was because I stopped to check something out. Soon as I started hiking again, they cleared up. They did not start really fogging up until over 4 km (2½ mi.) and not much really. Usually, I am wiping my glasses off constantly. So, it vents quite well while moving.
Now, as I warmed up, it was much less than expected. I did open the jacket wide when I entered the treeline. I would have done the same with any other jacket, unless the weather was super cold or really, really wet. I had the pit-zips opened wide too before I started. I generally leave those vents open all the time when my jackets have them.
I could feel myself getting damp under the jacket. I knew it would happen, the question is, how wet was I? Well, when I finished off 5 k (3 mi.), I got in the truck and turned the jacket inside-out. What surprised me was, other than the micro-fleece collar, the body of the jacket was dry. Also, only the lower portion of the sleeves were damp. Damp, not wet. Leaving it inside-out, the sleeves dried out in a few minutes without any heat and the collar took maybe fifteen minutes.
Now, my shirts were wet. I was wearing two layers of cotton. Yes, I know, not the best choice. However, I am testing my gear. So, I have a long sleeve cotton t-shirt with a short sleeve jobbie on top. The short sleeve was somewhat damp and the long sleeve was definitely wet, especially the lower part of the sleeves. Yet, I was far less internally wet than I would have been with my North Face jacket. The NF jacket would also have been soaked on the inside. I cannot even wear it once I get back to the truck, I have to take it off, it is so wet and uncomfortable. The NF is great in breezy conditions, light rain, and lower exertion activities. Or where I expect it may get trashed in the process of what I am doing.
Today, I went out with the jacket again, but this time I replaced cotton with synthetic t-shirts in the two layer format as above. These shirts are Mountain Warehouse's version of active wear t-shirts. I had a short sleeve Endurance T over a long sleeve Endurance T.
I really like these types of shirts now and am just grinding my cotton t-shirts in to the ground with hard wear and hard use. The Mountain Warehouse Ts are really quite good. After whatever activity, I may be sweating, but they dry out quickly and help regulate body temperature. I have worn them on hot and cold days and wet and dry days, in all the possible combinations and have not been let down. Spring is great for testing gear, you get so many different conditions to test out gear in a short period of time. I even wore them at the Can-Am Camp two weekends ago. In fact, I wore the same two-shirt-combo for two days and they had no real stink to them. I was even lazy on the first night and did not even take them off to sleep. I pretty much wore them for 36 hours straight.
So, today's hike results for the jacket while wearing synthetic under-layers:
The conditions when I started: moderate to heavy rain, 11℃ (52℉), 100% humidity, light wind. These conditions did not change throughout the hike. The jacket again repelled the water as promised. It took longer to get warm though. Between 2 and 2½ km (approx. 1¼-1½ mi.) in to the hike. This was much better than normal and better than expected. Also, my glasses did not fog up at all. That was most terrific. Also, I did not need to open my jacket up more than a few inches this time.
I was damp under the jacket again, but much less so. When I got back to my truck, I took the jacket off, shook most of the water off and hung it on the seat. After about a 10 minute drive, it was mostly dry on the outside. Within a few minutes of bringing it in to the house, dry on the outside.
I turned it inside out and only the lower sleeve lining was damp. My t-shirts dried in minutes as well. The micro-fleece collar, though, was again damp. To be expected when the jacket is open and it is raining. Again, the sleeves dried in short order. The micro-fleece collar takes longer, but it is fleece, like a sponge. I think I prefer a fleece collar to rough nylon though. And the cuffs were damper this time due to the greater intensity of the rain, but not soaking.
The jacket definitely performs better with synthetic under-layers. It would most likely perform just as well with wool, but that is for testing in much colder weather. I would say this jacket is not the best for summer use. Then again, I have never found any rain gear that prevents perspiring in heat. Nothing breaths that fast. So, no real rain gear is great in extreme heat.
Features of the jacket: five pockets, three outside and two inside; not bad. Adjustable cuffs; the usual. Stowable hood; just like most. Lining: sleeves and lower body are taffeta nylon-like and the upper body was mesh. Main body zip and upper outside pocket allegedly storm proof; time will tell. There is also a storm flap behind the main zipper, smart. Two more zip-up slash pockets outside. Inside are two pockets, one is a zip pocket and the other is open with a little bit of velcro to secure it, that pocket also supposedly is for maps.
Criticisms of the jacket. Five pockets, close to my dream; I would ideally like six to eight. Yet, some intelligence is lacking in that three of the pockets are stacked on top of each other: the upper outside zip pocket, the inner zip pocket, and the "map" pocket. I know why, easier to stitch it all up at the factory, but it will look like a tumour growing out of your heart if you load up your pockets. They should have put two upper zip pockets on the outside and another inner zip pocket, that way you could spread your bits and bobs out. The map pocket will fit very few maps without some magic or extra folding. It should have been bigger and lower. Better yet, put two of them in, lower down where I suggest. The lining should be mesh all over: the full body and sleeves, it would breath better that way. Honestly, make the hood detachable; you could put it in one of your two bigger map pockets. The only time I use the hood? When I see a really big boat go by with doubles of animals being transported on it. That is why God invented hats.
Mountain Warehouse gear the boy has experience with includes their light hikers for youth. The boy still has a pair of ankle cut hikers from a couple of years ago that he uses as a backup or mud-bombing pair. His current pair are well made for a youth model and he likes them. He has one low-cut pair he uses as everyday school shoes; again happy and satisfied. His only beef? The laces are very slick and untie themselves with some frequency. I need to change his laces for him. He has now for several years been wearing their cotton socks and some hiker models with wool. These are great in that they are often on sale in some format: ½ off, 2-for-1, buy one get one half off, etc. The socks also last. Winter gloves, great deals. Rain coat with floppy hood, excellent, three pockets. We are a going to check out fleece full-zip jackets for him soon.
All in all, their clothing and footwear are, in general, well made. Would I take them on a mountain expedition or to the back-beyond of Mongolia. No, as a general blanket statement for critical gear, t-shirts notwithstanding. Their gizmos and gadgets are pretty crappy, I tend to stay away from them as a rule. Except I did buy a couple of travel sewing kits as they are hard to find and it was a "bogo" sale. I also picked up a couple of crank-flashlights, ½ price. More for backup in case I am camping and forget spare batteries, but I doubt I would stake my life on them.
Back to clothing and footwear. Even though the boy and I are satisfied with what we already have and use, I would rarely pay full price for any of it. Then again, I am a cheapskate. That, and a lot of their stuff is on sale very often. For the urban hiker and car camper, all the clothing, gear, and gadgets will satisfy the great majority of the herd. For more extreme users: do your research. Also, great for everyday use for youth.
The jacket I got for half off at ninety bones (no way would I have paid full-boat for it) and the t-shirts at half off too for $10-12. I will most likely get more t-shirts, but I will wear these ones for a little longer first.
For jeep trekking in the back-of-beyond somewhere, I would most likely not hesitate using their gear. Then again, If I am travelling by jeep, land rover, truck, I will have spares of most everything. The spares would also most likely be some of my old military gear or surplus items I have picked up over the years.
Hope the boy's and my experience with the gear helps out with your future endeavours outdoors or just sending your kids to school. blbbl
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