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Search for the perfect fleece jacket begins

I am a bit of a gear nerd; specifically I like backpacks and fleeces.

With winter sales in full swing I am searchingfor the perfect replacement to my old Marmot Reactor (see previous rant).  My requirements are:

  • Solid color (or, at worst, two tone)
  • Lightweight feel, no (or little) wind-stopping*
  • All pockets must be zippered
  • Waist cinch strap or adjustment (preferably adjustable through the hand pockets)
  • Breast pocket (preferably internal)
  • Left arm shoulder pocket
  • Elastic/adjustable wrists
  • Headphone access to breast pocket

To meet these requirements might require some out of the box thinking.  I have traditionally stuck to “outdoor” companies (Marmot, North Face, Patagonia, REI, etc) for most of my clothing.  A quick check at my local REI and Patagonia store revealed nothing that fit the bill.  Perhaps they were out of stock or perhaps I need to cast a wider net.  One of my favorite backpacks is actually a police-grade Camelback which got me thinking about other sources for the jacket: police and military suppliers.  These guys tend to like pockets, adjustability, and ruggedness.  Food for thought.

Possible Candidates:

* Wind-stopping material has evolved into one of three fabrics: rubberized fleece, micro-neoprene, or a nylon shell.  For fleece jackets I dislike the two former materials as they make the jacket more rigid. The garment is then often difficult to pack tightly in a backpack.  The jacket (however light in weight) feels bulkier to wear and often does not breathe as well as a traditional fleece.  Regarding a nylon shell: I already own a fine outer shell, so there is no need to have one integrated into the fleece jacket.

2011 01 26 trevor Gear Comments (0) Permalink

Marmot Reactor feature changes

I have a Marmot Reactor fleece jacket that has been my personal favorite for years. The Reactor is a lightweight jacket, suitable for layering or daily wear. It has no wind-stopping capability, is one solid color (black in my case), elastic wrists, and has a zippered internal breast pocket as well as two zippered hand pockets.

Most importantly the fleece has an adjustable elastic waist cinch cord accessible in each of the hand pockets. This feature is critical in the cold and allows me to keep the fleece snug at my waist. When wearing a backpack or (more critically) when used as a layer, nothing is worse than constantly having the need to pull the fleece back down around my waist.

Sadly, for the last few years Marmot updated the Reactor design and have eliminated the cinch cord (while at the same time adding that the jacket “doesn’t ride up” in their marketing material – LIES!). Marmot did add a zippered pocket on the left arm but this new addition hasn’t made up for the cinch strap removal.

I have three of the newer Reactors (seemingly great eBay find – serves me right for not doing my research) and I keeping going back to the old one despite the fact that the fleece is matted and there are a few friction holes beginning to form.  Of course now I own an army of fleece jackets – so I am unlikely to waste the money to buy new ones.  Perhaps I can somehow modify the new ones to add back the cinch cord?

/rant

2011 01 26 trevor Gear Comments (0) Permalink