meh

By johndiggity Ranked #560 - Men's Synthetic Insulation Jackets December 19, 2010

i was not familiar with peak performance, but did some research and found it was generally very well regarded. i was looking forward to receiving this jacket and seeing what all the hype was about. after having used the jacket in a variety of conditions for a month now, i'm not sure what all the hype is about.

i bought the night violet, which is pretty accurate as pictured here. it is indeed a very cool looking jacket. however it is very, very basic—to a fault—especially at this premium price. the primaloft one does a great job of insulating. i've worn this jacket in below freezing conditions with only a mid-weight layer beneath and have never been cold. the pertex at the shoulders is a good call to prevent chaffing with a pack or bag. however the material used in the main body is less than durable, as a run-in with a fir tree found needles penetrating the material with ease. though not waterproof, the jacket does repel a good deal of moisture.

and that's about it. as i said, this is a very basic jacket and there are some design flaws. the first of which is the main zipper, which is very difficult to engage and disengage. i thought it may just need to wear in, but sadly, that's not the case. also, the chest pocket zipper pull is exactly the same as the main zipper. the placement of the chest pocket zipper will often cause you to unzip the chest pocket instead of the main zipper when reaching blindly. this is minor, but really should have been though about at this price-point.

what's not minor is the lack of wrist closures and a drawcord at the hem. instead, both are terminated with cheap feeling elastic closure, which offers no way to minimize exposure when moving about. bending over you will definitely feel a draft as the hem rides up. and don't try to take this on the slopes as you will find yourself with a jacket full of snow after your first wipeout.

this jacket has no interior pockets either which i find crazy, and the hood adjustably is limited to a toggle in the rear that adjusts the overall hood height. there's no way to secure the hood in windy conditions.

other than this being a very cool looking jacket, there's really not much to justify the price. if you are looking for something cool to wear around town, you could do better for cheaper. as a belay jacket, there's definitely better options out there as well.

View Details: Peak Performance Heli Primaloft Jacket - Men's

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