I bought the Backcountry shift welder and used it for the first time three weeks ago in Alaska. I hadn't really even looked at it carefully after getting it. It rained like crazy in Alaska and everything about the jacket performed well except the cuffs. There were no closures of any sort on the cuffs. Also, there is a weird black patch on the cuff. I don't know what it is supposed to do or why it's there. I also bought my daughter a women's stoic jacket and it has velcro cuff closures. How can you make a shell with no cuff closures on the shift welder? Further, the black patches soaked up water, which lead to the sleeve getting wet on the inside. In fact, because the wind blew rain sideways up the sleeves, my arms were wet to my elbows. I'd love for you to add velcro closures and get rid of the black patch, which doesn't seem to serve any useful purpose. Could you explain?

The Swobo is my first wool jersey, but it won't be my last. Riding in Argentina in both warm and cool mountain areas, the Swobo performed perfectly. The medium weight fabric protected my chest coming down hill, but breathed well on uphill climbs. At night I washed it and used it again the next day. I would like to have the same jersey in a full length version.

I wore this jersey on a cold morning with nothing underneath. On a steep uphill I was able to use the full zip to air out, while on the downhill the zip and windstopper fabric completely protected me. It breathes under the arms and on the back. I can't wait to try it as the temperatures warm up.