Berghaus Sella Windstopper Jacket - Men's - 2011 BCS

Use this jacket for hiking and casual wear and it fits perfect. Completely windproof and with the vents open it's breathable, if a little warm. My only problem is the inside stitching for the vent zips really digs into my arms and took some work to fix. Otherwise a nice jacket.

If you've been hitting the gym and pumping up be careful with the sizing on this number. I guess most Brits or Euro men are rail-thin because the arm-pits are extremely high and the sleeves themselves are extra slim. I own several Arcteryx jackets and this fits tighter and more awkwardly than any of them. The material, however, is 1st class. I'll be trimming down over the next few months so the fit should improve. For the time being, however, I can't fit a baselayer under this.

I probably perspire more than many, so I was looking for a light,breathable, vented jacket that I could wear when cross-country skiing. I found the Sella to be very windproof, which was good. Unfortunately it didn't breathe very well (this criticism may apply to all jackets with a Windstopper-type menbrane?). Even with the pit zips fully open, and appropriate moisture-wicking layers, I found that I couldn't disapate enough moisture when skiing in cool (32 to 15F) or colder conditions. I think it is a well designed jacket which would work very well in dry, windy conditions at more moderate levels of activity as suggested by Backcountry. I reluctantly returned the jacket (thanks to BC's great guaranteed return policy).