Your Ideal Ski Jacket Shell

[Nick]

Looking for a new shell this year. Preferably, something just the shell, insulation is a non-issue as I will layer a thermal + midweight if necessary. Looking for something a bit more form fitting, my current eight year old north face fits me like a parachute. Was going to get something last year but ended up getting new pants and boots instead, so this year my purchase will be a nice new jacket

What do you guys like? I know I've seen stuff here for Patagonia, Cloudveil ..... I'm not tied to North face but I've always liked the fit of their clothes. Arctery'x is another brand out there but they are a bit more pricey (some are upwards of $5 bills!) but if it's a good jacket that will last me several years then I'm likely OK with it.

Wants:
-Good fit
-Waterproof
-Shell only, no insulation
-Pit zips
-Front pockets
-Probably some form of tightener at the waist, doesn't necessarily need to be a powder skirt but some cinch
-Hood and tall neck zip to keep my chin warm

 

[Puck it]

Mammut Ultimate Hoody!

 

[gmcunni]

just front pockets?

i prefer a shell unless it is very cold. i had until last season (when some yoyo @ magic stopped short without proper signaling, long story, won't go into it here) a great NorthFace shell. when searching for a replacement this year i wanted one with not only front pockets but secure (zipped) inside + zippered chest pocket. its not that like to carry a lot of stuff, the opposite actually, but i want multi pockets so i can distribute what i do carry.

sadly i didn't find what i wanted, got a deal on a new TNF that didn't have the pockets i wanted but was great price so i compromised.

 

[ScottySkis]

Sent from my ADR6410LVW using Tapatalk 2

I loved my Helly Hansen, good pockets and warm just a little small for my fat ass but everything else is great.

 

[PWDR8S]

Soft shell or hard shell? Over teh past few years, I've become partial to the Arctery'x Gamma SV when it's not snowing but it is lacking in the pockets to spread out the goodies. Not using the Arctery'x, I resort to my TNF with loads of pockets and I do pull in the drawstrings tight. Been using TNF shells for years(they last years!) and still keep me warm and dry when it's puking out... Gotta keep up on re-treating the shell to make the most of it.

 

[deadheadskier]

Absolutely love the Flylow Shell Benwhiteskis hooked me up with for $100 last season.

It has all the features you are looking for. You should have hopped on the deal back then! :smash:

:lol:

 

[PWDR8S]

Absolutely love the Flylow Shell Benwhiteskis hooked me up with for $100 last season.

It has all the features you are looking for. You should have hopped on the deal back then! :smash:

:lol:

That's a steal! Ben did you right. I'ld be getting one if I needed a new one.

 

[Nick]

I actually checked out the flylow site ... I think its a bit baggier than I'm looking for ...and yeah actually chest pocket is important too and helmet hood

Sent from my Galaxy Nexus using Tapatalk 2

 

[bigbog]

TNF and Marmot have always fit great....still have a TNF lightweight shell..but it's had no problems in shedding snow/rain.
EDIT: Am looking for 3 layers with great breathability...looking at Patagucci's PowderBowl Shell(2 layers) and Mountain HW's jacket with Dry-Q-Elite(3 layers) and Dakine's Clutch... among others....but at same time looking at the soft-snow ski along with a few repairs to the 2000 Xterra that I've put off...

 

[thetrailboss]

I have WAY too many Jackets... :lol: Mainly Patagonia, LL Bean, and Black Diamond (VT). During a month here I can wear a softshell with fleece underneath, a hard shell, my down-like jacket, or some other combo. With the, generally, warmer conditions out here I find the softshell option to be nice because it does fit tighter and gives some insulation.

I think you need to think about what weather you are going to be skiing in most...which is why I have so many options because I ski in it all. There is no one jacket for it all and with the economy still slow you can go to a discounter or go online and score some great deals on some nice technical stuff.

And with layering you have more options...as you mention you layer.

I'd look at getting a nice softshell with a hood for general use and a hardshell that is waterproof. Since you're like me and now a Dad, you don't have as much spare coin so you want to get something that will last and is versatile. General features for both would include pit zips, not pocket vents, a nice hood that will fit over your helmet, a good collar to zip up, cuffs with adjustable straps (last season Patagonia made coats without cuff or wrist adjustments and that was pretty dumb). I'm personally still wary of "waterproof zippers" and prefer a storm flap for the zipper. Good pockets are also a must. For both you want to have a good hem cord to pull tight to keep out snow and cold...and if you are going out west a powder skirt is also a good idea, but not always necessary.

You want to go try 'em on...see which ones you like best. Compare features online. Gore Tex is nice, but there are now many good options by other companies that do the same thing. You also want something that is going to be timeless if you're going to spend the coin...because nobody wants to look like a gaper after a couple years.

I'm a value shopper. If the coat is well made and has good features, I will pay more for it. If I have a use for it, I will get it. But I've learned my lesson about buying the "wicked awesome" $400+ dollar hard shell coat only to see it fall apart after two years, get stolen, or to snag it on a tree and be SOL. I'm skeptical, and always have been, of the Arctery'x stuff for those reasons. I think their stuff looks nice, but is way overpriced. The only folks I see wearing it are the guys who drive Hummers, work in the city, and ski maybe 10 days a year. The guys who rip wear gloves with duct tape on them and stuff they got at ski swaps or on super sale. So what I'm saying is who cares...get what works and is at a good price. Marmot, Cloudveil, and Patagonia make some awesome stuff. Mammut is also nice, but way overpriced. I think it is more durable than the Arctery'x stuff I've seen, but when you start talking about $600 coats that pros wear (because they are sponsored or get a pro deal) then it gets a bit much.

 

[A.J.]

I just picked up a Mountain Hardware shell with everything you're looking for. I can't speak to the warmth of it yet but from what I've read and based on discussions I've had with others it's supposed to be a pretty sweet jacket.

 

[thetrailboss]

Mountain Hardwear makes some good coats and EMS had some on sale. I like mine. Good value.

 

[Cannonball]

I just picked up a Mountain Hardware shell with everything you're looking for. I can't speak to the warmth of it yet but from what I've read and based on discussions I've had with others it's supposed to be a pretty sweet jacket.

I'm on my 2nd Mountain Hardware shell. I like them a lot. And to get to Nick's point in the OP, MH jackets are cut really slim. No parachutes here. I'm a pretty lean guy but I find the fit MH to be a little slimmer than ideal.

 

[Nick]

Yeah I like that then> it's a huge pet peeve of mine to have a huge parachute jacket. THat's actulaly one of the reaons I'm kind of past my North Face, it fits literally like a chute.

 

[billski]

Really love my Bogner Softshell Jacket Race

 

[SkiFanE]

I love my Cloudveil shell. It probably has 5 years into it, good amount of use. It's at the tailors getting the zipper fixed...they said it would cost $40-50...wasn't sure if I should do it. But decided I love it so much, it's perfect except for zipper and I hate shopping so I decided to do it. Fits nice, decent warmth and fits under my wind/rain shell if needed. For cold days, I use down.

 

[jrmagic]

Can't go wrong with a TNF shell but you could also look for a Cloudveil RPK. It has all the technical features you could want. TJMaxx had them last year for as low as 150. pretty awesome for a technical shell. Its light weight enough to wear on warm days and thee is room for layers.

 

[mlctvt]

Yeah I like that then> it's a huge pet peeve of mine to have a huge parachute jacket. THat's actulaly one of the reaons I'm kind of past my North Face, it fits literally like a chute.

you'll like Arc'teryx then, most are more fitted . I've got a Sidewinder SV that I really like but I think the one my wife has , the Sidewinder AR might be the better choice. My SV has a softshell flexible back. I think the construction has changed though since I bought mine a few years ago. Also the manufactuering moved from Canada to China. I've seen the Chinese made product and the seams are still perfect so they probably do have tight Chinese quality control. The only negative is the pockets are on the small side, but that's why it's more fitted. These jackets list for $650 but we both paid around $300 on sale at Altrec and Backcountry. They were the previous year's models.

Sorry- Correction mine is the regular Sindwinder which is softshell. Both the SV and AR are hardshell.

 

[drjeff]

Couple of things that I've found over the years that I like in a jacket and now make it my starting point when I look for a new one.

Obviously, wind and waterproofness goes without saying.

Pockets, and often not just in the typical places. I've come to find over the years that I really love a jacket that has a large pocket that goes across the small of my back (lumbar spine region). It's a great place for me to put a baseball hat for when I take my helmet off in whatever lodge i'm at, and not have the hat be in my way and/or taking up any of the other pockets which I use for my phone/camera/energy bars, etc. I also really love the small pocket that I have in the sleeve of my current jacket near my left wrist. This was a new one for me with my most recent coat that I got prior to last season. It's the perfect size for me to put basically a money clip in so that I can have my ID, credit card, and some cash on me, without all the added bulk of my wallet. Also since those items are in their own seperate pocket from other items I don't have to worry about if I inadverantly had those items fall out of a pocket as I was trying to get something else out of there

I'm also a big fan of a powder skirt in my jacket. Not only do I find that it does it's job keeping powder out on a powder day, but I also find that even on just a cold day, it does a great job of keeping my coat in place over my lower back when I sit on the chair.

Brandwise, I'm not particularly loyal to 1 company over another, although I will say that over the years I tend to find that some of the lesser known brands that you see available just in some smaller ski shops vs. a major retailer tend to produce coats with more technical fabrics and well thought out features. Or if I'm thinking about buying a coat from say The Northface or Spyder, I'm going to get something from their more specialized lines that you don't find available at a big box retailer (for example, Spyder's race stuff is worldclass, the garments that you see from them at say Dick's Sporting goods is just average. A more fair weather skier/rider won't notice the difference, but if you're someone who will ski/ride reguardless of the weather, there often is a HUGE difference, and it's not something that one can realize until they've experienced it 1st hand)

 

[SKIQUATTRO]

+1 on Mammut

if not skiing trees or its now snowing/raining i'm in my Marmot Zeus (teens and up temp wise)