What makes a great jacket?

[deadheadskier]

I put my gloves and balaclava in my helmet when in the lodge. Aside from the obvious life saving importance, gear bucket is the best feature of a helmet. Throw all your crap in it and clip it to the back of the barstool.

 

[freeski]

What the hell do you people need all these pockets for? I carry my wallet, keys, phone and the occasional left hand cigarette and that's it. I hate the feeling of too much crap in my pockets.

No wallet, cash, no cell phone, too heavy, no keys. I like to ski with the Huffingtons and when I do: small wooden pipe (with wooden swivel cover), wind proof lighter and accoutrements. A secret pocket in a pocket makes me feel more secure for some odd reason.

 

[mister moose]

I don't ski in the rain often enough to make it a top tier consideration. I'm a pocket junkie too, and others have described that well. So my two big design points are:

Give me zippers I can open with one hand, preferably with a glove on. These newer taped style zippers are so stiff you need one hand to hold the bottom while you pull it up, otherwise the coat just lifts.

Make the coat windproof, or at least as much as you can. 30 mph gusts on the chair going right through you is no fun.

 

[Edd]

Wallet, keys, phone, balaclava if I'm not wearing it in case it gets windy, hat and sunglasses in case I hang out on a deck somewhere without going into the lodge, trail map if I'm not familiar, Burts Beez, goggle case to wipe goggles off...maybe something I'd rather not mention on the interwebz, if I'm lucky.

 

[deadheadskier]

Wallet, keys, phone, balaclava if I'm not wearing it in case it gets windy, hat and sunglasses in case I hang out on a deck somewhere without going into the lodge, trail map if I'm not familiar, Burts Beez, goggle case to wipe goggles off...maybe something I'd rather not mention on the interwebz, if I'm lucky.

I'm counting 11 pocket items here. Impressive.

I go skiing with pretty much all those items myself. I just prefer leaving everything but the essentials in a bag in the lodge.

 

[steamboat1]

A secret pocket in a pocket makes me feel more secure for some odd reason.

Double secret secret pockets inside a secret secret pocket are even better.

 

[Terry]

Nobody mentioned a flask pocket. That is the first thing I check out on a new jacket. Detachable hood,long arms,lots of pockets and my new jacket has the thumb hole thingies witch are nice.

 

[Cannonball]

Yes to all the pockets! As mentioned, it's about speeding it out. I basically prefer to have one item per pocket. Otherwise you tend to drop item #2 when fishing item #1 out of the pocket. Also I like pockets to be small-ish. One of my jackets has 4-5 pockets but they are all huge so all the stuff feels like it's swimming around my waist. I've actually been checking out the "pack-vests" that companies have started making because it seems like an ideal way to distribute stuff.

Hoods: a lot of you mentioned detachable hoods. Do you actually detach them? I always like having my hood. Of course it's almost always windy at cannon. My top requirement for a hood is that it easily fit over my helmet and be comfortable to wear that way. A good hood might have the best warmth to weight ratio of any item you can carry.

 

[ScottySkis]

Lot's of stash pocket s. Good vent s and when you pull your arm s out a good strap that hook s to inner coat.

 

[Jersey Skier]

Lots of pockets is a must. Hood that fits over helmet. Collar must be able to zip all the way up with a few layers underneath. I've had jackets where I couldn't zip up with a gator and fleece underneath which makes the jacket useless on really cold days. Color becomes important if I'm paying a lot. If it's 50% off, not so important.

 

[Squire]

Thanks!

Thanks for the great suggestions!
Unfortunately some were a bit too crazy for us to put in our jacket ex. pumping warm water throughout the jacket to heat it. but we've got something better. We're putting NASA-grade insulation into our jackets. We're finalising our Facebook page but you should check back with Lukla and see what we've come up with!

 

[Jersey Skier]

Wouldn't buy a jacket with insulation.

 

[gmcunni]

at local ski shop this past weekend.. while picking up my skis after a tune i poked around the jackets a bit. found my ideal jacket.

a TNF shell. not super thin shell but no real insulation. 2 hands pocket, outside chest pocket, inside chest pocket and even a sleeve pocket. i didn't like the color but other than that i would have bought it on the spot except for 1 detail - the price.

regularly $585 on sale for $385 ish. TNF Summit Series.

so for now i keep wearing my $80 shell with fewer pockets.

 

[catskills]

I would recommend the Patagonia Nano-Air. There is nothing to this extremely light weight jacket but somehow it keeps me warm. I love it. Its my go to jacket for almost everything.

Do you still need an outer shell and additional layers under the Nano-Air for below zero cold days. Hell yeah.

A good jacket is only as good as what is underneath the jacket. But everyone knows that already.

 

[gmcunni]

Do you still need an outer shell .

what do you use for outer shell?

 

[ScottySkis]

Warmth!

 

[Grizzly Adams]

I've been snooping around shops for a new jacket recently and I can't believe some of the prices.. generally speaking, theyre awesome looking jackets with all the latest and greatest fabric technology, but I just cant bring myself to drop 400 on only a shell. Ive decided to hold out til the end of the season, hoping for some spring deals.

My biggest suggestion for kicking off a new brand is make it affordable, if you want to get your name out, people need to be wearing and flaunting your threads and telling their friends how great your product is, thats not gunna happen if youre charging an arm and a leg. Best of luck!!

 

[deadheadskier]

Affordable definitely helps.

I wear a Flylow prototype I got I think five years ago now for $100 off an AZ member. He had several that he unloaded. It's still going strong and I wear it all the time, not just for skiing.

This was before anyone had really heard of Flylow. Because I've had great success with the jacket, I'm likely to buy another Flylow at more likely in the $300 range. I'm not sure I would throw down the same money on a brand I haven't tried before.

 

[C-Rex]

A little off topic, but I'd love to find a pair of waterproof/breathable shell pants that come in short sizes. So sick of walking on my pant cuffs and having to tie them up. Some companies make short sizes but they're impossible to find.

I used have the same attitude that some here do. That I wouldn't spend big money on "just" a shell, but honestly insulation is the easy part. A couple of quality layers will do whatever you need. But getting a truly waterproof and breathable shell is worth it's weight in gold. Although, it'd be nice if companies selling $400+ Gore-Tex shells included a zip-in/out fleece or down liner. The cost to produce it would be minimal but it would make a much better bang-for-buck statement. I've always like 686's Smarty systems. I just wish they came in Gore-Tex or some variant.

 

[deadheadskier]

I've got an 18" inseam myself and would appreciate more short sizing. I have had success taking ski pants to a tailor.

My current North Face pants you can actually adjust the length at the heel where I often step on longer pants. There is a drawstring that runs from the heel up into the side cargo pockets where you can cinch up the heel to the proper length. Cool feature