Michael Lanza

Last Day to Win a Ribz Front Pack

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My giveaway of a Ribz Front Pack ends at midnight tonight. The Ribz has become a standard piece of gear on my backpacking trips because it keeps my DSLR, a second lens, and small items like a map, snacks, and gloves in a readily accessible place: right in front of me. Now you have a chance to get one of these …

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Gear Review: Black Diamond Coefficient Jacket

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Black Diamond Coefficient Jacket
Black Diamond Coefficient Jacket

Fleece Jacket
Black Diamond Coefficient Jacket
$139, 11 oz. (men’s medium)
Sizes: men’s S-XL
blackdiamondequipment.com

Keeping your body from overheating or getting cold while active is a challenge in shoulder seasons, or anytime you encounter fast-changing weather and temperatures from the 20s to the 50s Fahrenheit. The key is clothing that provides just enough warmth without making you perspire too much, and that moves moisture out quickly when sweating becomes unavoidable. On numerous spring and fall days of hiking and rock climbing in Idaho’s City of Rocks National Reserve and Castle Rocks State Park, and dayhiking in July in Mount Rainier National Park, the Coefficient Jacket hit that ideal balance that kept me from cycling between hot and chilled.

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Ask Me: Expensive Waterproof-Breathable Jacket Vs. Inexpensive, Which Do You Recommend?

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Westcomb Focus LT Hoody
Westcomb Focus LT Hoody

Michael,

Westcomb Focus LT Hoody vs. Montbell Versalite for $150? Just wondering.

Tim
(submitted as a comment to my review of the Westcomb Focus LT Hoody rain jacket)

Hi Tim,

Good question. I have not tested the Versalite, though I have reviewed the MontBell Torrent Flier Jacket, which is basically a step up in quality from the Versalite because it uses Gore-Tex. MontBell and many other outdoor-apparel brands have their own proprietary waterproof-breathable technology; the Versalite uses “Super Hydro Breeze,” while other companies give their proprietary waterproof-breathable technology their own name. Basically, these are all simple coatings applied to the fabric. Coatings are less expensive than Gore-Tex or eVent (which are both membranes, not coatings), and frankly, less breathable and durable.

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Gear Review: Marmot Isotherm Hoody Puffy Jacket

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Marmot Isotherm Hoody
Marmot Isotherm Hoody

Breathable Insulated Jacket
Marmot Isotherm Hoody
$225, 13 oz. (men’s medium)
Sizes: men’s S-XL, women’s XS-XL
marmot.com

A puffy jacket that’s breathable? That holy grail of backcountry apparel seemed elusive until Polartec Alpha synthetic insulation entered the scene. Looking for a fairly lightweight, Alpha-filled jacket that would be versatile for year-round use—and that has a hood—I used Marmot’s Isotherm Hoody on spring and summer hiking trips. Although just 13 oz., this full-zip jacket kept me warm on mornings ranging from calm and 15° F. (with a warm top on underneath it) in southern Utah in late March, to the 40s with steady winds of 40 to 50 mph in Idaho’s White Cloud Mountains in July. Even more impressively, on a frosty morning in the teens and 20s in Utah’s Grand Staircase-Escalante National Monument, I could wear it hiking at a brisk pace without overheating.

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Gear Review: Westcomb Focus LT Hoody

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Westcomb Focus LT Hoody
Westcomb Focus LT Hoody

Ultralight Rain Jacket
Westcomb Focus LT Hoody
$280, 9 oz. (men’s medium)
Sizes: men’s XS-XXL
campsaver.com

Here’s the thing about a rain jacket: Other than a first-aid kit, it’s often the least-used item in my pack, whether backpacking, climbing, or dayhiking. But when I need it, of course, I sure wouldn’t want to be without one. Like a lot of people, I have contradictory desires for a rain shell—I want it to be functional and protective when the weather turns foul, but also super lightweight and compressible. On backpacking trips in Utah’s Capitol Reef National Park, California’s Sequoia National Park, and Washington’s Glacier Peak Wilderness, as well as a 28-mile dayhike in Idaho’s White Clouds Mountains, and a hut trek in New Hampshire’s White Mountains, the Focus LT was consistently my go-to shell. Why? It delivered protection when I needed it, and virtually disappeared inside my pack when unneeded.

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