Columbia Canal Street Pant
November 16, 2009
A girl who lives in the Arctic can’t have too many pairs of insulated snow pants. This is a fact corroborated by my gear closet, in which resides about a dozen pair of snow pants, all of which get a fair bit of action throughout the winter. This means that when new pants show up, not only do I not have any room for them, but I measure them against all the other snow pants that I have. My snow pants are like a clique of high school girls, eyeing every newcomer to discern whether it will fit in, be a troublemaker, or end up ousting the top mean girl and leading the pack. While the Canal Street Pants probably won’t be the Homecoming Queen (too sporty), they might end up being one of the Heathers, as they really are quite a nice addition to the snow pant army.
Columbia cunningly sent the brown twill version, and I’m a real sucker for brown pants so I automatically reached for these for our sub zero dog walk last night. I like the low-waist style, and even though they’re not perfectly tailored and therefore gapped a bit in the back, they were decently comfortable without a belt. I was really enamored by the length; they are long enough to go over poofy snow boots without looking like I’m waiting for the snow to melt suddenly and create a flood.
Lightly insulated, the pants were warm enough for a 0 degree brisk walk, although I suspect they’re not warm enough to stand around in those temperatures. It has been a strangely precipitation-less week so I can’t fill you in on their water repellent properties, but from the feel of the fabric, they’d perform decently in the snow. They ARE snow pants, after all. They seem to run true to size as well. Although I like to report more on the functionality of the gear I test, I have to mention that I was going to hand these off to another tester who was hovering around my office door looking for gear, but once I tried them on and saw how cute they were I kept them for myself and she was out of luck. Sometimes it’s good to be the boss.
Patagonia Nano Puff Pullover
November 10, 2009
Oh, Patagonia. You do this every time. I think I’ve got your stuff all figured out – and then you send me something else surprising. I didn’t expect much from the Nano Puff other than, well, a puffy insulated layer, but it’s so much more. If it doesn’t fool you, too, I’ll be impressed with your ninja gear skills, because the Nano Puff feels so inconsequential at first blush. How could this mini layer provide more than just a token bit of warmth? I have so many ultra lightweight puffy coats, what’s so great about this one?
Well first off, it’s not a coat. It’s more of a sweater. It’s unburdened by frills like side pockets, and features only a 1/4 zip and a small chest pocket. Some might not like the absence of pockets, but hey, use one of your other 300 ultra lightweight puffy jackets if you need pockets. If you need a barely-there, compressible, versatile and unobtrusive piece, reach for the Nano Puff. It’s perfect as an outer layer even in snowfall and light precip, holding in the warmth in a way full-length zippers just can’t emulate. It’s the thinnest insulating layer I’ve tried, and I’m a big fan of the whole puffy synthetic jacket thing – I wear one while skinning up and then throw on a shell for the trip down. The Nano Puff’s thin profile allows even more comfort and range of motion when added to this tried-and-true ensemble. Under a shell, it’s warm and toasty but not suffocatingly so. It’s exactly what I want for active endeavors for which I want to do a minimum of thermoregulating via layer removal. It’s an excellent moderately warm layer, and provides such great insulating properties that I wouldn’t hesitate to wear it in very cold weather as long as I had some additional warm layers. It’s a great substitute for a soft shell layer if you ever go that route. My poorly-articulated point is that the Nano Puff is extremely versatile and applicable to a wide range of conditions.
The pullover style takes some getting used to. I like my clothes form-fitting and the Nano Puff fit great in my regular size, but its lack of stretchiness made getting it on and off a little tricky. I wouldn’t want to wrestle with it while wearing a helmet. Still, I’ll likely be using it for trips on which it goes on and stays on (in part because it’s hard to get on and off without going up a size) so I don’t expect that to be an issue. For climbing and other helmet-equipped sports, I’d probably pick a full-zip jacket anyway. Today’s 22 degree day was the perfect temp for the Nano Puff – on its own while moving, with a shell over while standing still. I didn’t get chilled or even slightly overheated a single time. The Nano Puff is going in my winter adventure kit for good.
Columbia Attaca Jumpsuit
November 3, 2009
The Attaca is on BIG TIME sale at Backcountry.com right now – $100 off! Click here!
This is one of those items that I asked to feature – it’s cute, different, and definitely women’s specific. One of the interesting things about being a gear reviewer is the fact that even when you’re thinking “hmmm, I AM 35, can I get away with this?” it doesn’t really matter, because you can always fall back on the “it’s my job” excuse. This super fun piece is one of the ones that reminded me of my age – it’s certainly a trendy item, made for the style mavens out there. I don’t pretend to be a style maven but I do like cute, body conscious designs and I am one of those people that always wants to be wearing something no one else is wearing. With today’s styles rooted in the “baggy pants, baggy jacket” silhouette, the Attaca brings something new to the table.
I like to put my ski outfits together in ways that, er, surprise other people. Last year while hanging around in the parking lot of a local backcountry spot waiting to lead a class on backcountry travel, I happened to be wearing blue pants with a blue jacket that made it look like I was wearing a one piece jumpsuit. As my group of students pulled their gear together, I noticed a carload of my regular ski partners pull up and prepare to deploy into the mountains. I saw with glee their looks of disdain and rather snobby, overly cool demeanors as they gave me side glances and discreet once-overs, no doubt wondering what was with the group of noobs and their jumpsuited leader. I sauntered over to say hello and got a big kick out of their sheepish faces once they realized it was me and that I was just wearing a matching jacket and pants. This experience made me realize that one piece ski suits haven’t gotten any love for a while – and I’ve wanted one ever since. I can’t wait to go shred the backcountry in something that looks like it belongs at apres ski in Aspen. There’s no way powder can sneak in at the waist in a one-piece, and I am tickled by the idea of skiing in something that kind of looks like an industrial uniform (in a CUTE way, really)!
Now, the Attaca might not be the best backcountry gear – there’s only so much temperature management you can do with a one piece. It also doesn’t have any insulation to speak of, so for really cold weather it might not be appropriate even with the extra warmth lent by the one-piece design. But for ski resort visits and mild temperature, close-in A/T trips, the Attaca would be really fun. It’s cut to be worn in low on the hips with a trim fit that gives a flattering, I’m-young-again look (unless you really are still young; in which case: carry on). I’ve checked out both colors and I really like the blue denim-ish look. The copper color is not bad either, and almost gives a Carhartt-ish look which I like, but I’m not crazy about the fuschia zippers and accents on that one – they seem out of place and a little mismatched. Sadly for me the blue sample wasn’t my size, but I like the copper color decently enough. One thing that some consumers will struggle with is the sizing; it comes in S-M-L so it’s hard to adjust for height and nuance of body type. The medium was WAY too big for my size 6 self, and it was obviously cut for a MUCH taller person. I looked like a kid in her dad’s overalls. Even the size S has a longish torso on me, but since I’ve got a short waist, I think the cut will work just fine on most body types. The slim cut of the legs and hips makes in-depth layering not a possibility, so plan on using this on those warmer days. It’s mostly designed for an eye-catching, fashionable look while enjoying a nice day at the resort, and I for one would like to see this style really catch on. I think the shredder chicks currently rocking baggy pants and garbage-bag-style jackets could make a real splash in a more daring, body-conscious fit. There’s no need to dress like a dude just because you can shred better than a dude – embrace the look and give the new Attaca a try. Aren’t you tired of having your pants crotch down by your knees anyway?
