strange jacket

By Benjamin Refling Ranked #20 - Men's Softshell Jackets October 18, 2009

I feel a little ambivalent about the MHW Alchemy. In theory it ought to be a great jacket, but in practice it seems to have a number of problems, most of them superficial, but enough for me to return mine in favor of different softshells. As other reviewers have noted, the fit is shorter and tighter in the torso than a standard jacket. The fit doesn't bother me, although I wish the material were a little stretchier for mobility, but I don't like the execution of the shirttail hem - from the front, the bottom hem of the jacket appears to create a slight upside-down V shape that just looks ridiculous. I've not found this problem on any other shirttail hemmed jackets.

The inner fleece cuffs are a feature that people will either like or loathe - I happen to fall into the latter category. I tend to tuck my hands up inside the sleeves of a jacket when it is cool out and I'm just walking around, and put on gloves when it is actually cold. But the extra cuffs make both of these things difficult. I can't cinch the jacket cuff over my gloves like I can with comparable jackets, and since I don't have gauntlet-style gloves, they don't really cinch over the jacket either. The chance for skin exposure around my wrist is a deal-breaker for me because getting just a few chunks of snow between my glove and sleeve can really ruin the whole day.

The overall build and material are high quality. This jacket kept me warm in ~30 degrees with a lightweight baselayer on a breezy day, but on a truly windy day I got a lot more chilled. I found that the zipper area did let in a little bit of wind, but overall it blocked the elements pretty well. The sleeves felt a little cold compared to my other jackets, probably due to their comparative roominess.

Overall, I had hoped that the Alchemy would be a versatile jacket that I could use in many conditions. In practice, however, the jacket seems to be so tailored towards a single function as a climbing jacket that it's really fairly useless for anything else.

I don't want to knock this jacket too much. I am a big fan of my other MHW products. But the Alchemy just isn't for me. It's probably a strong climbing jacket but for general use there are cheaper alternatives that have more all-purpose features like velcro-closure cuffs and a longer torso to protect your gut/back from the elements when active.

View Details: Mountain Hardwear Alchemy Softshell Jacket - Men's

Helpful Votes: 1 Yes | 0 No