Best Ski jacket & Pants?… (For the price)

I am new to the sport this year and have had some luck finding a nice Columbia jacket and ski pants with venting and waterproof however, I am finding difficulty in finding anything quality that isn’t ridiculously priced in my area or at local ski shops. I wanted to get everyones opinions on here. I see the Spyder and Marker jackets and such out there but I don’t want to spend the money if its not worth it.

What is the best ski jacket(s) and pants brand/type for the price?

Whats a good place to buy or stalk for sales/pricing? Sorry to invade peoples trade secrets

Thanks for any input and let the thoughts begin.

As a bonus question what gloves are you wearing and why are they the best for the money?

I've worn Columbia for the past 10 years without issue. Their Titanium line is better than some of their other stuff. Paid $120 for the jacked, $80 for the pants. Jacket lacking venting is my only complaint.

I use Level gloves that are again fairly decent. I paid full retail as I needed something quickly. $80 or so. Most would say that Hestra is the best brand of glove out there right now.

Arcteryx is supposedly incredible stuff. Too rich for my pay grade. Hear good things about Cloudveil, Marmot and Mountain Hardware as well.

I'm in the market for new pants and I'm having a hard time finding what I'm looking for.

Shell pants
Zip venting with mesh
Cargo pockets that can hold beer bottles
20/20 breath-ability/waterproof rating

My new spring jacket is Mountain Hardware, pretty nice stuff.

Check out http://www.sierratradingpost.com/ for clothing. Sign up for their emails for coupons.

Buy your stuff in july.. online

steveo

vinnyv11 said:

II see the Spyder and Marker jackets and such out there but I don’t want to spend the money if its not worth it.

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OK, here it goes. I skied with middle of the road jackets and pants for the last 35 years. I drooled for years over the higher end jackets, not so much because of styling, but because of features I always wished I had. Like lightweight but very warm, like a hood that fits over a helmet, about a collar that really wraps around your neck without choking you, like pockets in the right places, like a powder skirt, like strategically place cinch cords, like thumb holes on sleeve liners to keep things snug, zippers that work a certain way, well, the list goes on.

But I always said, hey, too much, how can I justify this, it can't be that much better, we have baby food to buy etc. I always bought Columbia or similar. I used to say that about skis too - hey, they are all the same, one size fits all, why pay more. I have learned.

So just this month I went out and bought a Marker jacket, largely because the budget allowed and also because i said, "dammit, I'm not getting any younger!" Easily twice the price of of Columbia. These are serious jackets for serious skiers. Wow, I should have done this years ago. It's durable, warm, waterproof, adaptable to all the crap I want to carry, it fits much better without choking or making me feel like the Stay-Puff Marshmallow man. It has snaps to attach pants to it also.

I draw the line well below Bogner. Bogner can be 2-3x the price of Marker/Spider, but that is all about fashion.

There is no reason this Marker Jacket won't last me ten years. So pick a color that is going to carry over and not go "out of style" if you plan to hang onto it for a while. I wore the jacket earlier this week when the temps went down to single digits - it was soooo warm, yet so light and easy to move around in.

So you'll hear both sides of the argument here, and whatever your wallet lets you do, and whatever you are comfortable in you'll do. The best part of waiting 35 years is that I knew exactly what I wanted in a jacket.

Just be careful, many name brands carry differing quality - For example, there is some pretty poor North Face out there, and some really great North Face.

Good Luck!

My advice is to go with a soft shell jacket instead of a true waterproof jacket. Unless you are frequently skiing in the rain, a soft shell with one or two layering fleeces underneath will offer much greater comfort than a hard shell in the vast majority of skiing conditions. I actually have two soft shells, one with a fleece lining for colder days and a unlined one for warmer days. The unlined soft shell is perfect for days when the high temp will be 25F or higher. The fleece lined soft shell is good for for high temps to about 15F. If it's going to be colder than that, I typically wear a lightweight coat that has some Primaloft insulation.

My base layers are always a lightweight EMS Techwick long sleeve crew next to skin (anything similar will be fine). On cold days (25F or less), I wear a Powerstretch top (this layer is fantastic for warmth). Then I have two fleece vests, a lightweight one and a heavyweight one, which I'll slot in depending on the weather. Sometimes I'll skip the vest and just wear the Powerstretch, sometimes the reverse. Between all these layers, I can dress for just about anyting.

When it really is raining, I have an REI ultralight waterproof shell that I can layer over a light fleece, but I'm rarely skiing while it's pouring, and a softshell is fine in light rain.

As for where to get them, I like EMS, REI, Cabellas, and LL Bean, and have found that the store-branded garments are an excellent value, especially late in the season when they are on sale. Another plus is that you can frequently get free shipping and return them to a nearby store if they don't fit. Brands like Marmot, Cloudviel, TNF, etc, aslo make great stuff if you can find them on sale, but there is a premium for the brand. www.sierratradingpost.com has great prices and customer service, but if you are having trouble finding a fit, shipping can add up.

My lined soft shell is from LL Bean and I love it. It's few years old, but it looks a lot like this:

http://www.llbean.com/llb/shop/61245?from=SR&feat=sr#BVRRWidgetID

This looks similar, too.

http://www.ems.com/product/index.jsp?productId=11291790&cp=3707807.10756439.10756444

My Primaloft jacket is from EMS, but it's a lot like this:

http://www.llbean.com/llb/shop/60878?from=SR&feat=sr

or

http://www.rei.com/product/807677

or

http://www.ems.com/product/index.jsp?productId=3960758

The power stretch top will be something like this:

http://www.backcountry.com/marmot-p...-41D1-DF11-A880-001B2163195C&mr:referralID=NA

But I've been able to get them for about $40 or so from EMS, etc.

I almost always get my fleece at EMS.

The lightweight is like this:

http://www.ems.com/product/index.jsp?productId=3979640

The heavyweight is like this:

http://www.ems.com/product/index.jsp?productId=3979640


My next-to-skin crew is this, but there are lots of options:

http://www.ems.com/product/index.jsp?productId=4032097&cp=3707807.3737267.3693383


I would start with the lined soft shell jacket, a lightweight fleece vest, and a heavyweight fleece vest. This should set you back about $100 for the jacket and about $35 for each vest and would be extremely versitile. Obviously, if you already have some of these layers, it will cost even less. Then I would add the Power stretch top, and if I thought I'd be skiing if very cold weather, the Primaloft top. The Primaloft top will cost around $100, but is also great for general wear on cold days.

As for gloves, I have REI guantlet mittens with a fleece liner and Primaloft insulation. Much, much warmer than gloves and much more comfortable.

I wear hard shell pants. Too much sitting in the snow for something that's not waterproof.

I know that this is really long, but I started typing and got on a roll . . .

sankaty said:

My advice is to go with a soft shell jacket instead of a true waterproof jacket. Unless you are frequently skiing in the rain, a soft shell with one or two layering fleeces underneath will offer much greater comfort than a hard shell in the vast majority of skiing conditions.

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To each his own. I have a softshell and it's comfortable around town and on a good day at the mountain. But I have the exact opposite opinion. A waterproof/breathable shell may be the absolutely most essential piece of ski clothing. Don't scrimp here. Go GoreTex. Missing out on any part of a puking pow day because you are wet and cold is absolutely unacceptable.

Shell pants ---> med/short = Good Night and Good Luck!
I wanted a more comfortable pair...TNF/GoreTex would've been ok....nadda, not a single pair online that I could locate. Go with powhunter(Summer) or next Fall...
My Marmot (in-between hard and softshell) shell jacket has been great since I picked it up at little shop near Okemo in August 03' and my light TNF shell, although not nearly as nice as my slightly too small, burnt red Patagucci softshell was, has been more windproof.

Bottomline line, after skiing for over 30+ years, is you get what you pay for! There is a BIG difference between that expensive full Gore-tex XCR jacket/pants with fully tape seams and pockets/features where they should be (because the designer of the coat/pant is a hardcore skier/rider and would want that pocket/feature themself) and a "ski" coat/pant that you find mass produced for a big box store. Billski's description about not realizing what a difference it can be until you experience it yourself is dead on! On many days you won't find that much of a difference, but on the fringe days, real cold, real windy, heavy snow, wet, or even warm, "sweaty" days, a coat/pant that's designed with those fringe conditions in mind, and not just everyday conditions makes a big difference

+1 DrJeff....after almost 2 years of looking for what i wanted in a jacket i found it...Mammut Chalten Jacket, everything I needed, nothing i didnt....expensive, yes, but to me it is worth the money for quality, durability, functionality...nothing worse than being cold, wet on the mountain....

SKIQUATTRO said:

+1 DrJeff....after almost 2 years of looking for what i wanted in a jacket i found it...Mammut Chalten Jacket, everything I needed, nothing i didnt....expensive, yes, but to me it is worth the money for quality, durability, functionality...nothing worse than being cold, wet on the mountain....

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Damn. I don't think my ski pants have 2 years left in them.

C'mon AZ! Help me find some quality pants that effectively have cargo pockets that want to accept beer bottles! :beer:

The highest end technical fabric that Gore Tex has is the Pro Shell, which is very light, breathable yet waterproof. It is very expensive though. The cheapest Pro Shell jacket and bib shell that I have found are sold by LL Bean. If you're going to splurge on technical gear, consider this.

RootDKJ said:

C'mon AZ! Help me find some quality pants that effectively have cargo pockets that want to accept beer bottles! :beer:

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i grabbed some new pants with cargo pockets off WhiskeyMilitia.com. haven't tried them yet tho. i've seen a bunch of pants up lately.

So just an update. My local ski shop (Buckmans) is running a 2 for 1 sale on clothing for the end of the season. I have always thought in my head that there is no way I could spend the $250 or $300 for a quality pair of ski pants but with this sale I could imagine spending $300 on a quality pair of ski pants and jacket (maybe a little more). So now the quesiton comes down to what should I buy. Anyone have any suggesstions. Is Spyder just priced high because of the brand name or is it quality? Anybody have any specific pants or jackets I should look for. I'm going tonight to look at what they have.

Obviously, everyone experiences weather differently, so I can't say what will work for everyone. This has been my experience:

I have a North Face Ama Dablam Gore-Tex XCR hard shell that I purchased before transitioning to soft shells. For something that is truly waterproof, it's extrememly comfortable and breathable. Construction-wise, it's a work of art. Number of days I've worn it sking over the past seven years: zero.

I've found some combination of soft shell, powerstretch top, and fleece vest to be ideal for the vast majority of ski days, even in intense snowstorms. Except when its raining, I find moisture is generated from the inside, not outside, so the superior breathability of a soft shell leads to greater comfort.

There are two scenarios where I have found that soft shells are not the best choice:

1) Sustained rain. The DWR finish of my soft shells sheds snow fine in the many snowstorms I've skied in. In steady rain, some kind of hard shell is a much better choice.

2) Extreme cold and wind. The soft shell combiniation is great for temps down to about 10F, even in gusty winds. Colder than that (on windy days), and the slight wind permeability of a soft shell becomes a liability, and I'm better served by a lightweight Primaloft puff jacket. Many folks have great success layering a hard shell over the puff jacket. Down to about 0F, I've found the hard shell layer unecessary.

I agree that there are some horrendous hard shells out there, especially from a breathability perspective, so it makes sense to get something quality. And a hard shell is a great garment to own, not just for skiing. However, I personally could not justify spending lots of money on a shell that I will use a tiny fraction of the time on the slopes. I have an ultralight hardshell from REI (got it on sale for less than $100). It packs so small and gets so little use, that I typically pack that instead my TNR shell to save space.

There are bad soft shells, too, but places like REI, EMS, and LL Bean make very good ones at relatively low cost. I have a Polartec PowerShield soft shell by Marker, a Schoeller soft shell by EMS, and a soft shell by L.L. Bean made of fabric of unknown origin, but seems functionally similar to PowerShield. All are great. The EMS and L.L. Bean jackets were sub $100.

Again, this has just been my experience (well, my wife's, too). The majority of folks on the moutain are still wearing hard shells most of the time, so I'm in the minority.

By the way, that Mammut Chalten Jacket looks amazing.

RootDKJ said:

Damn. I don't think my ski pants have 2 years left in them.

C'mon AZ! Help me find some quality pants that effectively have cargo pockets that want to accept beer bottles! :beer:

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Let me know if you find them! I've been casually looking for some cargo snow pants with suspenders, but haven't been able to find any except online, and I'd like to try them on first. My current pants are 15 years old, have worked great, but now consist mostly of Gore-Tex patches.

You need to include into this discussion the type of skier - hard charger, easy rider, slacker, bark eater, bumps, etc. Depending how hard you work your cardio, you may require different levels of protection.

vinnyv11 said:

So just an update. My local ski shop (Buckmans) is running a 2 for 1 sale on clothing for the end of the season. I have always thought in my head that there is no way I could spend the $250 or $300 for a quality pair of ski pants but with this sale I could imagine spending $300 on a quality pair of ski pants and jacket (maybe a little more). So now the quesiton comes down to what should I buy. Anyone have any suggesstions. Is Spyder just priced high because of the brand name or is it quality? Anybody have any specific pants or jackets I should look for. I'm going tonight to look at what they have.

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Spyder worth the price?? Depends on what line of theirs your buying? If you're buying their "good" stuff, the lines that they produce and sell pretty much just at actual ski shops, well then you are looking at a true higher end garment and worth the price. If you're looking at their lines that they produce for big box chain stores, well then you're getting a decent garment, but not one that woul be worth the true high end price - look at Spyder's website, if the jacket/pant you see on the rack of your ski shop, is on the website, hen you know it's their good stuff

Boils down to what your budget is and what you are looking for in your technical wear.....lots of options out there

billski said:

So just this month I went out and bought a Marker jacket, largely because the budget allowed and also because i said, "dammit, I'm not getting any younger!" Easily twice the price of of Columbia. These are serious jackets for serious skiers. Wow, I should have done this years ago. It's durable, warm, waterproof, adaptable to all the crap I want to carry, it fits much better without choking or making me feel like the Stay-Puff Marshmallow man. It has snaps to attach pants to it also.

I draw the line well below Bogner. Bogner can be 2-3x the price of Marker/Spider, but that is all about fashion.

There is no reason this Marker Jacket won't last me ten years. So pick a color that is going to carry over and not go "out of style" if you plan to hang onto it for a while. I wore the jacket earlier this week when the temps went down to single digits - it was soooo warm, yet so light and easy to move around in.

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Billski, which Marker jacket did you get?