Black Diamond Sportswear (www.blackdiamondsportswear.com)
Men's Avalanche Softshell Coat with Hood (Item 3SS31)
MSRP: $84.95 (mail order; available at discount retailers and at the factory's annual winter sale for less)
Windproof, water resistant polyester and spandex material.
More information: http://blackdiamondsportswear.com/shopcatalog/ (Page 8 )
Available in S-XL (they run small)
As I mentioned in November, I learned from the Waterbury Weekly newspaper that Black Diamond Sportswear in Montpelier was having its annual Christmas sale. This six week sale is when they open the factory and sell their products directly to the public for discounted prices. This includes firsts, seconds, and closeouts.
Having seen this I decided that after skiing at Sugarbush I headed over to the factory to see what they had. That morning I had skied in my relatively new Marmot Trango Softshell I had gotten at TJ Maxx's annual Winter Sale. Surprisingly, the Marmot proved to be not as windproof as my North Face Apex Bionic or Patagonia Guide Softshell which was surprising. The cold winds cut through the softshell and my EMS Windbloc shell underneath.
My mission to Black Diamond was to find a softshell for my wife. Found that, check (maybe another review later). Also found some of their great fleece coats that I use for layering.
But though I did not need one, I was drawn to the Men's Avalanche Jacket. I tried it on and it looked sharp. For the price, which was about half of retail, I could not resist. It was a good decision.
Since then I have used it for skiing and general wear. How does it compare? Well, you cannot get a better softshell for skiing or winterwear than this for a fraction of the price of the bigger names. It has the nicest and softest silver fleece lining of any of my softshells.
On Sunday the winds at Sugarbush were once again howling and this shell was by far the warmest and best one I have. Wind does not cut through it. The hood, with its one-hand adjustment in the back as well as two cords in the front, slides over my helmet and is warm. The pockets are easy to open and generous.
I bought an XL with the intent of layering underneath it. I have had no problems as I knew it ran small so I went up one size. Though not articulated, the sleeves are roomy and the coat allows for unrestricted movement. The zipper has a windcuff shield to prevent wind from coming in through the zipper and the soft fleece feels good when you have to zip it up to your chin on those cold days.
As expected, the coat has drawstrings on the hem which are easy to adjust and keep snow and drafts out. They are one-hand adjustable if needed.
Interestingly enough were some of the other bells and whistles that one would not expect for a softshell retailed by a small Vermont company for less than $100. Other than the unexpected warmth and versatility (wear this alone on a cool day and you will be fine) there is a loop to hold a headset cord as well as a small hole to allow for one to pull the cord through the Napoleon Pocket to plug into an MP3 player or other device. Very nifty. The same Napoleon Pocket is mesh to allow for some venting if needed.
The color (red trim and black) is very nice and the detail work is well done:
There are no bad stitchings and the water resistant coating holds up well in snow, but like most softshells don't expect it to be waterproof (that is what a hardshell is for).
There are a few drawbacks. First, this is a coat for skiing and winter use. If it gets above 45 degrees and you are active this will be too warm. This coat, however, is designed though to be bombproof in the mountains in cold winter weather and it is. I have yet to shiver in it or feel any cold drafts. With a fleece coat underneath I have been warm to 0 F and with the Patagonia R4 I am plenty toasty. Another related downside is that it is not as breathable as other softshells. There are no pit zips. Most of the time this has not been an issue. Third, the black nylon has a sheen to it that can make it look more brown than black under certain lights. So if it does not match your black ski pants you know why. This is minor though and from the distance the difference is negligable. And last, the hood has the same fleece liner as the rest of the coat which can cause it to slide off your helmet or to become wet in snowy conditions. This can be remedied by pulling it tight.
As a sidenote, I got my wife the Cascade Softshell, which is identical to mine (Page 16, Item # 4SS31). Though she :roll: at another coat from me as a gift, she has liked hers a lot and like me she naturally reaches for it. Hers does have ripstop on the shoulders and a beefier nylon in those areas. She loves the liner and her hood and I notice that she does not shiver in it as she does when she layers with the Mountain Hardwear Softshell I bought her last year.
In the three months I have owned and used mine (well, rotated it into my outdoor gear) I have really liked how it has functioned and looked. For those wondering about durability I will leave you with this fact: I still wear my Black Diamond Wasatch winter coat to work and around town in the winter. It is a 3 in 1 coat (zip in puff liner). It was made by Black Diamond in 1995 and though I needed to fix the zipper it still looks like new!
Overall:
* A great winter softshell for skiing and cold weather activities;
* Very good value and pricepoint for the quality and features;
* Looks and fits like more expensive branded softshells;
* Buy one size larger than you need for layering because they run small.
Men's Avalanche Softshell Coat with Hood (Item 3SS31)
MSRP: $84.95 (mail order; available at discount retailers and at the factory's annual winter sale for less)
Windproof, water resistant polyester and spandex material.
More information: http://blackdiamondsportswear.com/shopcatalog/ (Page 8 )
Available in S-XL (they run small)
As I mentioned in November, I learned from the Waterbury Weekly newspaper that Black Diamond Sportswear in Montpelier was having its annual Christmas sale. This six week sale is when they open the factory and sell their products directly to the public for discounted prices. This includes firsts, seconds, and closeouts.
Having seen this I decided that after skiing at Sugarbush I headed over to the factory to see what they had. That morning I had skied in my relatively new Marmot Trango Softshell I had gotten at TJ Maxx's annual Winter Sale. Surprisingly, the Marmot proved to be not as windproof as my North Face Apex Bionic or Patagonia Guide Softshell which was surprising. The cold winds cut through the softshell and my EMS Windbloc shell underneath.
My mission to Black Diamond was to find a softshell for my wife. Found that, check (maybe another review later). Also found some of their great fleece coats that I use for layering.
But though I did not need one, I was drawn to the Men's Avalanche Jacket. I tried it on and it looked sharp. For the price, which was about half of retail, I could not resist. It was a good decision.
Since then I have used it for skiing and general wear. How does it compare? Well, you cannot get a better softshell for skiing or winterwear than this for a fraction of the price of the bigger names. It has the nicest and softest silver fleece lining of any of my softshells.
On Sunday the winds at Sugarbush were once again howling and this shell was by far the warmest and best one I have. Wind does not cut through it. The hood, with its one-hand adjustment in the back as well as two cords in the front, slides over my helmet and is warm. The pockets are easy to open and generous.
I bought an XL with the intent of layering underneath it. I have had no problems as I knew it ran small so I went up one size. Though not articulated, the sleeves are roomy and the coat allows for unrestricted movement. The zipper has a windcuff shield to prevent wind from coming in through the zipper and the soft fleece feels good when you have to zip it up to your chin on those cold days.
As expected, the coat has drawstrings on the hem which are easy to adjust and keep snow and drafts out. They are one-hand adjustable if needed.
Interestingly enough were some of the other bells and whistles that one would not expect for a softshell retailed by a small Vermont company for less than $100. Other than the unexpected warmth and versatility (wear this alone on a cool day and you will be fine) there is a loop to hold a headset cord as well as a small hole to allow for one to pull the cord through the Napoleon Pocket to plug into an MP3 player or other device. Very nifty. The same Napoleon Pocket is mesh to allow for some venting if needed.
The color (red trim and black) is very nice and the detail work is well done:
There are no bad stitchings and the water resistant coating holds up well in snow, but like most softshells don't expect it to be waterproof (that is what a hardshell is for).
There are a few drawbacks. First, this is a coat for skiing and winter use. If it gets above 45 degrees and you are active this will be too warm. This coat, however, is designed though to be bombproof in the mountains in cold winter weather and it is. I have yet to shiver in it or feel any cold drafts. With a fleece coat underneath I have been warm to 0 F and with the Patagonia R4 I am plenty toasty. Another related downside is that it is not as breathable as other softshells. There are no pit zips. Most of the time this has not been an issue. Third, the black nylon has a sheen to it that can make it look more brown than black under certain lights. So if it does not match your black ski pants you know why. This is minor though and from the distance the difference is negligable. And last, the hood has the same fleece liner as the rest of the coat which can cause it to slide off your helmet or to become wet in snowy conditions. This can be remedied by pulling it tight.
As a sidenote, I got my wife the Cascade Softshell, which is identical to mine (Page 16, Item # 4SS31). Though she :roll: at another coat from me as a gift, she has liked hers a lot and like me she naturally reaches for it. Hers does have ripstop on the shoulders and a beefier nylon in those areas. She loves the liner and her hood and I notice that she does not shiver in it as she does when she layers with the Mountain Hardwear Softshell I bought her last year.
In the three months I have owned and used mine (well, rotated it into my outdoor gear) I have really liked how it has functioned and looked. For those wondering about durability I will leave you with this fact: I still wear my Black Diamond Wasatch winter coat to work and around town in the winter. It is a 3 in 1 coat (zip in puff liner). It was made by Black Diamond in 1995 and though I needed to fix the zipper it still looks like new!
Overall:
* A great winter softshell for skiing and cold weather activities;
* Very good value and pricepoint for the quality and features;
* Looks and fits like more expensive branded softshells;
* Buy one size larger than you need for layering because they run small.
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