Stay Warm and Dry On the Move with the Lightweight Lifaloft Insulator Jacket by Helly Hansen

Call me seriously impressed with a new offering by Helly Hansen.

For about the last month, I’ve been trying out the Lifaloft Insulator Jacket, and it’s been a bit of a revelation.

This jacket is amazingly light and thin, … Continue reading

Helly Hansen Icefall Jacket

The Helly Hansen Icefall down jacket is one well-designed coat, but it might not be quite what it seems. Most people think of a down jacket as synonymous with a great deal of warmth, and that’s something the Icefall delivers … Continue reading

Review: Canada Goose Montebello Parka

Snowshoe Magazine

I didn’t know it was possible to be warm in -40 degrees celsius (-40° F) weather. Apparently it is. All thanks to the Montebello Parka from Canada Goose. Wow is this jacket ever warm! It has been a dream of … Continue reading

Review: Cotopaxi Pacaya Insulated Jacket

The Pacaya from Cotopaxi is a mid layer jacket, lightweight and water resistant jacket made from woven nylon. The insulation in the jacket was actually first used for special forces, designed to be warm when sitting still and breathable when … Continue reading

Icebreaker Stratus Jacket Review

Icebreaker wasn’t exactly wool-gathering when some smart design person conceived the new Stratus long-sleeved hooded jacket.With a few tweaks, this coat could become an ideal equipment addition to any snowshoer’s or cold-weather hiker’s list of must-have items.
The jacket, which … Continue reading

Refrigiwear Puffer Jacket and Hood Base Layer Review

It’s not often that a company downplays its products, but Refrigiwear is the exception to that rule. I’ve been testing out its horizontal puffer jacket and hooded base layer pullover, and they’ve been impressive so far.

The jacket is a … Continue reading

Review: Stio Women’s Hometown Down Hooded Jacket

It’s hard to find a jacket more versatile than the Stio Women’s Hometown Down Hooded Jacket. I was in search of a jacket that could double as the perfect jacket for snowshoeing and for one I could wear out and … Continue reading

Outdoor Research Floodlight jacket review

The new Outdoor Research Floodlight jacket just might be my current favorite piece of winter attire.
The down-filled jacket has a rating of 800+ fill power (goose down) is also fully waterproof. That makes it akin to one of the … Continue reading

Gear Review: Helios Hooded Jacket

Feathered Friends Helios Hooded Jacket in Arctic

Puffy is back … at least that’s what I decided as soon as I slid my arms through the feather-light sleeves of the Helios Hooded Jacket and zipped up a wall of fluff over my torso.

This jacket from Feathered Continue reading

Gear Review (and Interview): Gyde Battery-Heated Women’s Calor Jacket and S4 Gloves

Gyde Gear

This gear review starts with a warning. Once you have a battery in your jacket and gloves, there may be no going back.

I’ll admit to being skeptical when I first heard about battery-heated clothing. Is it really comfortable to … Continue reading

A new way to look at warmth: NuDown

Gear and apparel companies are constantly in pursuit of creating products worthy of being deemed with the industry’s most coveted superlatives: warmest, lightest, thinnest, most innovative.

NuDown, a small company out of Reno, Nevada is seeking to define a new … Continue reading

Gear Review: Brooks Adapt Jacket

Layer, layer, layer is the advice cold-weather runners often hear. And now, deciding what to wear for your outermost layer is a no-brainer, thanks to the Brooks Adapt Jacket. With polyfill insulation and a water-resistant (not waterproof—you will get … Continue reading