Fox Diva Bike Shorts
April 29, 2010
I just got an email from a reader who felt that we had posted too many positive reviews lately. She said she missed my rants and was starting to wonder if I wasn’t getting paid to post postive reviews. Very flattering, but I don’t get paid for reviews, really I don’t. It’s not as if I can’t be bought; it’s just that no one has tried yet. I had just turned over a new, less prickly leaf, thinking that my gear experiences had mellowed me enough that I wasn’t taking the downside of each piece of gear personally. I was trying to focus on the positive and not be such a nitpicker. Turns out – people don’t like that! My public likes my hate-ons. Who woulda thunk?
So I cast about for some complete crap gear that I could write about. Luckily I had just gone bike shorts shopping so boy, do I have some commentary that will blister your computer screen. My wrath shall fall on the Fox Diva short, which after a day of bike short shopping stands out in my mind in large part due to its stupid name. My Gearguy even pointed it out in the shop and snickered, knowing that I would fly into an entertaining(for him) rage in the middle of the store about how manufacturers can’t figure out how to name women’s items anything but DIVA. I’ve already posted about this here and here. But it hasn’t gotten through to the industry so here we go again.
People, it is a red neon sign that you are not trying hard enough to develop your women’s market if DIVA is the only name you can come up with. A Diva is, in fact, a horrible person; a demanding, pushy, imperious bitch. Why do you name your gear after such a person? Is this what you think women are? For the record, I do know that the word “diva” has more than one connotation but I’m not buying that gear is named after a “female singer of outstanding talent” and nobody really thinks of a diva as a “goddess” any more. Even if they did, it’s an extremely over-used name. If I wanted to I could wear Diva ski boots and Diva bike shorts, carry Diva ski and hiking poles, hook a Diva wrench kit on my bike, put a Diva bike saddle on it too (it’s spelled Deva in that case but I am NOT FOOLED); wear Diva gloves, ride a Diva snowboard with Diva bindings, click into Diva skis, put on a Diva shirt and Diva socks; the list goes on and on. Stop it, industry! Put some thought into these things or just don’t bother.
So. Anyway. The shorts. Lately I’ve been envious of the cool baggy shorts the freeride girls are all wearing on the MTB trails. My staple spandex seems really quite lame at times and I feel like the odd woman out. I had the idea to go and buy some cool baggy shorts so I would feel more stylin’ on the mountain. This of course necessitated trips to various bike shops, which can be not nearly as fun as it sounds if you are female. I might save that discussion for another time (though I already have it written up but was waffling about posting it for fear of being too negative. Good thing my readers straightened me out – look for that one soon) but needless to say it was a frustrating day. Finally I gave up on the local places and headed to the big conglomorate which to its credit had a rather decent selection of women’s bike gear. I grabbed one of every style of baggy shorts and went to try them on only to find that not a single one fit remotely decently.
Is my body that weird? Is this really that hard? Is there a bike short conspiracy? I really don’t know but there has to be a reason. I tried on 6 pairs of shorts and NONE of them fit, but I’m picking on the Diva because not only does it have a sucky name, but it had by far the WORST fit of all. I’ll just come out and give you the stats; I’m a 5’5” size 6. This means I can buy a 6 or a small and I’m usually OK with the outcome. It also means I have size 4s in the closet that fit fine and size 8s that fit fine. That’s the way sizes are – inconsistent. So I’m OK with a little getting-to-know-you size surprize when trying a new brand. I am also over 35 so when the spandex comes into play I tend to bump things into the medium range just to be safe. Since women’s bike shorts only come in S, M, L it seems to be a no brainer that since I’m trying on baggies (which are supposed to fit loosely) and usually wear a size 6 bike short, the mediums will do. Well. To my horror I found that the medium Diva shorts were skin freaking tight in the hips and ass, as in, not remotely baggy AT ALL. Obscenely, ego-crushingly tight – and too big in the waist. Adding to the non-appeal of this look were the inner liner shorts, which basically fit fine but buttoned to the outer shorts in a spot that was just plain wrong, dragging the outer waistband down and creating a really non-cute fold/bulge thing unless I wanted to just tug the whole ensemble down and bust a sizeable crotch sag. A feeling of dread sunk in as I went back to the rack and grabbed a size L, knowing full well what I would find but needing to verify. Sure enough, the size L was WAY too big, falling-off too big, just ludicrously too big. I did a little web research and found that the women who were able to fit these shorts really liked them even though the comment that they run small was pretty common. I might – MIGHT – be OK with a line running small, but I am not OK with such a HUGE size disparity between the medium and the large. That is just ridiculous.
Really, Fox? REALLY? This is the best you can do for women; falling back on a stupid, hackneyed, overused and rather insulting name while not paying any remote bit of attention to how the item should fit? I mean, I try not to take it personally when an item doesn’t go with my body type; that’s just life. But for a size six person to go from a SKIN TIGHT size medium to completely drowning in size large; that is just not right. That’s just plain lazy on your end. Now, if you were flooding the men’s market with men’s shorts called the D-Bag, that would be just funny. But you’re not. You’re calling men’s shorts the Baseline, the Sergeant, the Ranger, the High Voltage, the Titan, the Altitude – and women get the DIVA. Again.
So I can’t tell you how the Fox Diva Shorts feel when you’re riding. I can’t tell you how tough they are or how long they last, or what you can expect when you launder them. I can’t tell you these things because the shorts are just unwearable. Adding insult to other insult AND injury is the fact that Fox clothing isn’t made for women at all, it’s made for “Girls”. They make clothes for “Guys”, “Boys,” and “Girls”. Not women, just girls. That’s all we are…just girls. All of us. From age 9 to age 90. Girls. Men can be either “guys” or “boys” but not us – no, we’re all just girls. I’ve seen this from other companies too and I don’t like it at all. I can’t be the only woman annoyed by this type of marketing. I’m not a girl and I don’t want to wear girls’ clothes! I am a woman and I want to look like one.
Fox does make a damn good front fork but I kind of feel like putting duct tape over that logo right now.
Chaco Paradox Sandal
April 28, 2010
Our readers know that I do not approve of stupid footwear, and by stupid footwear I mean anything ridiculously uncomfortable that does not serve a specific purpose, say, to look great at a party on New Year’s Eve. Such specific purposes do not apply to looking good in an airport while hiking 1/2 mile to the gate, making your legs look longer while hiking up a mountain, or evoking the pirate look for walking on the beach. All of those are honest-to-pete, seen-it-with-my-own-eyes examples, people. Stilettos in the airport. Platform flip flops on the mountain. Thigh high PIRATE BOOTS for walking on a beach trail in the Pacific Northwest. Pirate boots! The leather ones that come up to mid-thigh. With heels! I wish to go on record as saying that NO ONE looks good in this pirate boot trend (Halloween costumes excepted). You don’t look good, pirate-boot wearers. Just stop. It’s a dumb trend and you know it.
In all seriousness, though, there’s no reason that comfortable shoes can’t also look great. For evidence, I present the Chaco Paradox. I was skeptical at first, I admit, of these shoes. Why wear a shoe that is really a sandal? Or a sandal that is really a shoe? Well, I will tell you why – when you want to wear sandals but your feet are really beat up from being stuffed into rock climbing shoes at the crag or into cleats for playing Ultimate but you still want to wear your capris, or when you can’t find your socks and are late for work. Or when you finally get the chance to go kayaking on water that isn’t 33 degree instant death, or when you want to wander around on sharp rocks looking at tide pools without the accompanying trip to the emergency room. I greatly appreciate the Paradox for hiding my beat-up and unpainted toenails, but also for fitting and feeling like an ordinary shoe. I’m not saying I want to take it out running on the trail, but for kicking around at the crag or around town it’s great. Where the Paradox really shines, though, is the water environment. For kayaking, rafting, or even beachcombing, you’d be hard pressed to find anything that sheds water as well, stays put as firmly, and dries as quickly. True to Chaco form, the Paradox doesn’t get all stinky either. It’s a great full coverage sandal that is a bit more streamlined and sophisticated.
Wenger Matterhorn Hiking Shoe
April 10, 2010
I’m not afraid of wearing orange shoes and you shouldn’t be either. It’s a great way to get attention, make sure people remember you, and ensure you have a nice matchy matchy look with your snazzy orange down jacket. The latter actually gave me pause while testing these shoes because I got so many compliments on my cute jacket/shoe combo that I didn’t want to get the shoes dirty and ruin my look. Interestingly enough I had been supposed to be testing the orange jacket too, but I was similarly reluctant to get it dirty. A job is a job, though, so I had to sacrifice my look for the greater good.
I hadn’t done much breaking-in of the Matterhorns before finding myself wearing them while sprinting through the SeaTac airport from the far end of terminal C, out the door, down the street, up the stairs, and all the way back again (yes, through security AGAIN). When the dog has to pee, the dog has to pee, and thankyouverymuch Seattle airport for not providing anything other than a urine-soaked concrete room as a “pet relief area” within the security boundaries. Luckily I had a little extra time to stop by the restroom myself, and was treated to the sight of a TSA officer leaving a bathroom stall and just walking straight out of the door and back to work without washing her hands. Yes, this is one of the people who pats you down and shoves her hands through your belongings. Ew. Air travel, such a treat these days.
Anyhow, the Matterhorns. Despite their intended purpose as a light hiker, I found that they are actually a passable airport running shoe, if you are into that kind of thing. In their natural habitat, though, they are much happier. They are nicely supportive and feature a tough sole providing protection against rough trail surfaces and a stable platform for climbing and descending. I found the fit to be adequate, yet I suspect they would fit a slender foot a bit better. They seemed to have a little extra room in the toe but didn’t seem too big; just a little better suited to a skinnier foot. I wear a regular width, by the way, before you get thinking I am some sort of mutant hobbit. If you don’t have a slender foot, you might need a little extra break in time for these shoes, but in general they fit pretty well. Most importantly, they have a nice snug heel to prevent slippage which is a nice and much appreciated nod to women’s specific fit.
I like the burly sole and the extra thick heel. Descending is my enemy so I like to have lots of shoe on my side for making my way down an incline. While not exactly padded, the Matterhorn is sturdy and reliable, with a nice grippy sole for traction on varying terrain. They even worked well on snow and were water resistant enough to be a reasonable choice for winterish conditions.
Their one downside is the lacing system. Instead of lace holes all the way up, what would be the most upper hole is replaced by those hooks typically found on hiking boots. This adds an extra step to slipping the shoes on and isn’t very stable or reliable. The hooks are also set too high or something, making the laces tend to work their way upward and under the tongue, loosening up the rest of the lace and requiring a stop to retie. This lacing choice is a surprise from the ultraengineered Wenger line, so I’d expect they’ll be seeing the error of their ways soon and replacing the hook with a regular lace hole. Once they do that, the Matterhorns are gold. Well, goldish orange. But they come in black too so if you’re more into stealth than spotlight, you’re all set.
La Sportiva Wildcat Trail Running Shoe
March 9, 2010
Every time I think La Sportiva has created the ultimate shoe, they go and create something even better. I replaced my precious Imogenes with the Wildcats this year, and although I still love the Imogenes, I think I love the Wildcats even better (”love them better” – sounds dirty, but I’m going with it). This might be because they have a big more padding and cush, which is very noticeable in the heel. Somehow, though, they retain an impressive amount of feel for the trail beneath, and are so wonderfully neutral that it’s hard to put a foot wrong.
In my Imogene review, I mentioned that I’ve never before worn a truly neutral shoe, but now I have TWO neutral runners in my arsenal. This is unprecedented. Most of the time I have zero good shoes, and now I have TWO pairs. I really must have done something right! The running goddesses are pleased with me and have blessed me with shoes.
Most running shoe manufacturers seem to be aiming towards those with inward-rolling feet (pronators) so us high arched runners are left with “cushioned” shoes which are better than nothing, but still leave us prone to twisting ankles and having to awkwardly adjust our strides to compensate for unbalanced shoes. So I’m not sure how La Sportiva does it but they really get it right. The Wildcats are so nicely neutral that it’s easy to place one’s feet on the trail.
The Wildcats are nice and light, yet strong enough for those burly, rugged trails. They are incredibly well-ventilated; I can actually feel the breeze through the mesh. Even so, they stay put and don’t let my foot slide around. They haven’t stretched or compressed yet, though I expect with that much mesh they probably will end up stretching. One thing I’ve found about La Sportiva is that when their running shoes are done, you really feel it. You can’t tell by looking at them, because they don’t seem to ever visibly wear out, but when the sole is compressed, you can tell. Which is a good thing because it will remind you to replace your shoes when appropriate, which is also recommended by orthopedic surgeons everywhere.
The Wildcats are here to stay, in my esteemed Closet of Favorite Shoes. I don’t wear them for ANYTHING but running because I want them to last. You can ask the Gearguy; once he put a pair of shoes ON TOP of my Wildcats in the closet. Oh, let me tell ye, hell hath no fury like a Geargal whose favorite runners had some stinky old boy shoes dumped on top of them. I protect them like a mama bear, because they are equally at home pounding the pavement and climbing steep terrain, and the cushy heel makes descending at speed almost feasible for this creaky getting-older runner. As a matter of fact, the Wildcats are my favorite shoe for speed work and sprinting, because I can let it out without feeling the sting in my feet. This is a good thing because my (imaginary) competition gets younger every year and I keep getting older. But you know, that’s OK, because I keep getting faster – and I hand a portion of the credit to La Sportiva for making shoes that don’t make my feet fall asleep or make me twist my ankle all the time. I know I am supposed to be neutral, myself – I’m a gear tester and I’ll test shoes no matter who makes them – but just a warning: the bar is set high, now, indeed.
The Handful Sports Bra
March 9, 2010
I’ve been wearing the same style of sports bra for years. OK, I admit, I’ve been wearing the same few sports bras for years. Somehow they just don’t wear out; perhaps because I put very little stress up on them, if you catch my meaning. Still, I was getting a tad bored with the same old look and the same old choices, so I was stoked to try the new kid on the block – the Handful.
One of the few sports bras made for smaller-breasted women, the Handful is designed to eliminate the uni-boob look while lending excellent support, which it most definitely does. I am really excited to be spending the next year in a warmer climate that might result in the possibility of recreating with more exposed skin than is typically permitted by Alaskan weather and Alaskan mosquitoes. I’m extra excited to have the Handful to sport when the time comes, because it is super cute as well as functional. I love the criss-cross spaghetti straps; they are bound to result in better tan lines than the racerback style I’ve been wearing for years. I understand that well-endowed women might find such thin straps too damaging to tender shoulders tasked with holding the girls up, but the Handful is really for smaller women anyway, so there ya go. I took it running today and it tamed any perceivable bounce while remaining comfortable, sweat-wickingly dry, and presumably attractive (though it might have been hard to discern under my late-winter-temperature layers. I love the full-coverage look which ensures no weird bulging or slipping, while still allowing the cute factor to come through via the spaghetti straps. The ruching gives a bit of separation for those concerned about that, but additionally it seems to help keep everything contained and in place, without that annoying gap left by compression bras. Personally I don’t mind showing off my bod, but I do mind the massive cleavage show when I do my deadlifts. This won’t happen with the Handful, which conforms to your chest to keep the peeping to a minimum.
I almost hate to post the picture above because the bra is really much more attractive than one would think from looking at the picture. So hop on over to the Handful web site and see pics of it on real bodies – you’ll see what I mean. It comes in a variety of basic colors though, sadly, not red, which for some reason is my favorite sports bra color. It does come in pink though, which I like, so I suppose there is something for everyone.
Now the one complaint, which, let me point out, is really negligible when it comes to how the bra performs, because this feature is optional. Inexplicably (to me) the Handful comes with fully, and I do mean fully, padded cups that are thankfully removable. Call me crazy but I’m not interested in sweat-soaked sponges lining my sports bra, nor do I feel any compunction to artificially enhance my already quite lovely natural shape. It is my theory [Theory 5.2(b)] that if women stopped faking big tits, other people, even perhaps the Neanderthal/troglodyte types, would stop finding small tits abnormal or strange looking on athletic bodies. Nothing is more illustrative of this point than the fitness industry, for which athletes are continually stuffing their chest skin with chemical balloons to achieve that “balanced look” after dieting away their body fat. I personally do not find anything “balanced” looking about slitting one’s skin open and installing bubbles of gel. If these athletes – and the judges – would accept that a fit woman with A or B cup breasts is NORMAL, perhaps fewer people would feel the need to surgically enhance their natural assets. And perhaps this wonderful sports bra company would not feel the need to include goofy pads with their lovely and perfect sports bras. Wow, soapbox.
In short, this bra is perfect without the pads. And so are your breasts. Embrace them both.
WTB Devo Bike Saddle
February 21, 2010
“What is the deal with all these ‘women’s specific’ bike saddles?? I mean, men and women can’t be THAT different down there, can they?”
Yes, that is a direct quote from one of the Geargals. In her defense, beer was heavily involved in this particular testing session. Her point, if I may translate from drunkenese, is that none of us has had particular luck with women’s specific saddles. Personally I have only been able to put in 10-12 miles on my regular women’s saddle before having to take frequent stand-up breaks to ease the pain. So, in desperation, I went to the Vancouver locals, who spend all their time on the North Shore and ride bikes so big my trusty XC rig looks like a toy. I figured if these girls could spend that much time grinding up logging roads for the 30-second trip back down the storied North Shore trails, they would know a thing or two about saddles. They lent me a Devo and I’ve never looked back.
[Speaking of looking back, there may be some TMI coming up. Do not proceed if such things offend you.]
It was love at first pedal as my collective down-there girl parts, still a bit chafed from their extended struggle with my old “women’s” saddle, breathed a sigh of relief and stopped complaining. Even with recent hurts still fresh, I was able to ride all day without constantly thinking “I can’t wait to get off this saddle.” I’ve ridden the Devo ever since, and never had a complaint. No banging, no chafing, no tenderness, no “I need a day off because I’m, er, sore,” no problems. Truly a brilliant piece of engineering. WTB actually makes a women’s version called the Deva (argh! that stupid name rises again. Stop already. Please. Stop. The word “diva” is dead. No one likes it, it’s dumb, there are other great names for women’s gear. Let it go) but as good as the Devo feels, I’ve not yet bothered to try the Deva.
So yeah. My fellow Geargal has a point. If the Devo – a men’s saddle – works so well for so many women, how different can we be? Try pondering THAT during your next beer-induced philosophy session. Believe me, though, it’s not all men’s saddles that have this kind of crossover appeal. My Gearguy lent me his race saddle and we didn’t make it down the trail more than 100 yards before I was yipping in pain and turning around to get a different saddle. So to sum up: some men’s saddles = OUCH. Some women’s saddles = YEOW. The Devo = ahhhhhh. So give it a shot.
I’m interested to see how it all plays out. So if you’re a chick, and you try the Devo and like it or don’t like it, let me know. Seriously – I’m interested. Is this really the one-size-fits-all saddle of the century?
Get it by clicking here.
Columbia Jammin’ Journey Fleece
February 6, 2010
Could the name for this fleece be any dorkier? Here we go on a jammin’ journey! Good thing I love this top so much or I might not be able to get past the name. Ironically I wore this fleece every day on my own jammin’ journey to Canada – it was my trip staple because of its comfort, warmth, and, yes, cute looks. Wrinkle free and comfy, it didn’t even get too stinky on the five day trip, which I’m so sure is more due to the miracle nonstink fabric than the fact that I was basically just sitting still in a car for hours upon end. Plus, I don’t stink. Right?
Every few years I come across a half-zip fleece that sparks a sort of obsession. When I find a fleece that I like, I have been known to buy several of varying colors just to make sure that I’m never without. I still have a stockpile of past favorites in the closet that I just can’t let go of. What’s more versatile than a good fleece? The “Jammin’ Journey” (yeesh, do I have to keep typing that over and over?) is more versatile than most, with a superlong zipper that fits over a helmet or opens to allow airflow in those in-between temperatures. Best of all, this fleece has a really great cut. It’s longish but not ridiculously so and trim without being supertight. To my endless delight, it also has perfectly cut sleeves that accommodate actual muscles, and are long enough to actually cover my wrists and stay put when my arms are bent. Best of all, NO THUMBHOLES. I used to love thumbholes, but recently it seems that every single top out there has thumbholes and the accompanying superlong sleeves. Agh! Enough! I feel an editorial coming on.
So, no thumbholes on the JJ. Excellent! How many colors does it come in?
Buy ‘em all up before I clean them out.
Columbia G41 Parka
December 25, 2009
Take a gander at that jacket shown above. It’s awesome looking isn’t it? I guarantee you that when you pull out this jacket, it will be greeted by “oooooooooohhhhhh that is COOL!” This is one of the sharpest looking jackets to pass the Geargals’ door. The unique and striking color scheme is sure to garner attention wherever you wear. From what I can tell, there are two options available, the brown/white and a pink/purple/white. For whatever reason (which could probably say a lot about me if one were interested enough to psychoanalyze this little fact) I really prefer earthy colors like grey and brown, so I am really in love with the brown and white version. I think my G41 parka and brown ski pants are my second coolest ski outfit. In the interest of full disclosure, my very coolest ski outfit is my blue pants and red jacket, so you may want to take my color preferences with a grain of salt.
Performance-wise, this jacket seems pretty clearly designed for warm-ish winter conditions and mostly for lift-served skiing. I wore it in single digits (without the liner, see below) and was a tad chilly, but when skiing in wet conditions, the Omni-Tech fabric will keep you warm and dry (and very stylish, natch). The copious pockets are meant for your snacks and gadgets (there is the required iPod pocket, after all) and the styling walks the line between baggy and body-conscious. That’s right – you can rock the slouch vibe while not looking like Charlie Brown in a jacket 5 times too large.
My sample jacket also came with a removable inner liner which I admit to taking out to wear on its own and never putting back in the jacket. It’s a cute little well-cut hooded, thumbholed fleece that provides a little extra insulation while wearing the waterproof outer layer and translates well to apres ski or even a chilly morning run. The fleece even has the iPod pocket so you never have to go without your tunes.
Usually we traditionally hand off tested gear to other wearers, or donate it to a good cause, but all of us are having a hard time letting go of the G41 simply for the fashion factor. There is something for everyone whether you like the flashy pink and purple option or the more stately brown. You even get the bonus fleece liner which in itself is a nice addition to the gear closet, so if you want to stand out in the lift line or in while shredding that always-showoffy run right under the lift, the G41 is a good bet.
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.
