Mountain Hardwear Sub Zero Hooded Jacket
November 11, 2008
I really do have the greatest job in the world. I get boxes of new outdoor stuff and I get to go outside and play with it all day. It’s pretty sweet. Except when it’s so cold outside that even new gear is not enough to tempt me out to play – then it kind of sucks, because it seems more like, well, a job. But, as one of the Geargals always says, “there is no bad weather, just bad clothes.” And with the Sub Zero jacket, there are no more “bad clothes” excuses. This jacket will keep you warm in all but the most inconceivably cold weather (and I don’t want to get a bunch of comments with Princess Bride quotes, now, people). It really fits well, too, which can’t have been easy to design when dealing with the big puffy insulation. I am telling you, whoever is doing the Mountain Hardwear jacket designing lately is really hitting the mark. The length is perfect and the proportions exact. Well, they are exactly like my own proportions, at least. Three cheers for “true to size” designs!
The two front pockets are cavernous and lined with soft fuzzy hand-soothing microfleece. The Sub Zero has a hood for those who like hoods, but the hood zips off for those who don’t. Yay! Something for everyone. The jacket also packs into one of its own pockets. It’s got one inside pouch-type pocket and one interior zip pocket as well. A chest pocket would be a good addition, and I think some of the other jackets from the Sub Zero line do have the chest pocket, but this particular jacket doesn’t have one. It’s fairly light for such a warm piece, but it seems reasonably tough as well. I wouldn’t want to poke it with sharp objects, but it’s not so delicate that I constantly worry that it will implode if touched. The elbows are lined with an extra abrasion guard fabric, just in case.
Now, it’s important to note the specifics of this particular jacket. This is the Sub Zero Hooded Jacket, as opposed to the Sub Zero Parka or the Sub Zero SL Hooded Jacket. The features of each are slightly different, but the warmth factor is the same, and the technique of non-sewed-through baffles eliminates cold spots and insulation compression. This is the version without the extra waterproofing of the fabric (SL), and WITH the zip-off hood, as opposed to the other Sub Zero Hooded Jacket which has a hood that doesn’t zip off. Confused yet? Me too. I’m not even sure if the picture above is exactly the jacket I’m testing, but it looks mostly like it and you can’t tell in the picture if the hood zips off. So, pretend that the hood in the picture zips off, and there you have this jacket.
So I’m back to happily playing outside with my gear all day, because I know that my good clothes are no match for the bad weather. If you think the mercury is too low to go outside, get yourself a MHW Sub Zero Jacket (or MHW Sub Zero SL Hooded Jacket, or a MHW Sub Zero Parka, take your pick) and go laugh at the cold.
