Almost perfect.

By D.Chu Ranked #285 - Men's Synthetic Insulation Jackets December 20, 2010

This jacket is fantastic. It has a somewhat loose fit, but not baggy. If you have tried last year's version, this one is longer in the arms and the body and wider across the torso. I know some said last year that they needed to size up, but this year's is very true-to-size. It is aesthetically really striking. I got the black/deep/deep colorway and the "deep" color is not nearly as bright as it looks in the photo. It's a more subdued color, I'd call it a dark-ish blue turquoise. It's a very great looking color, but not one that screams "Pay attention to me!" If I had known what the deep looked like, I might gotten the deep/black/metal colorway. It's very light and packable, however the warmth-to-weight ratio is pretty incredible. I've worn this down to -12 degree F with windchill (0 degree F base temp) in Minneapolis with a midweight merino baselayer underneath and been perfectly fine (or as fine as you can be in those sort of temperatures). It's also quite versatile, I wore last year's version in 60-65 degree weather with a t-shirt on and was not overheating. I wear this pretty much every day that I step outside in the winter, either as a primary jacket going out or as a insulating mid-layer under a shell while snowboarding.

Unfortunately, I have one complaint that keeps me from giving it five stars: I have had it about two weeks, worn it to school quite a lot, and the area where my backpack sits has small bits of insulation seeping out through the stitching holes. It's VERY minute quantities and mostly a cosmetic issue, but it's still quite annoying because this jacket has a lot of stitching (check out the close-ups of the back) and it's happening all over the place. This was a problem with last year's jacket as well and I hoped that they had addressed the issue, but two weeks in this one is suffering the same fate. The annoying thing is almost all of the stitching is decorative. Very few seams actually hold panels together, most of it is just for show.

Ultimately though, it's my favorite jacket. I wear it every day and the complaint is pretty minor, especially with Backcountry backing it up with a lifetime warranty. I'd give it 4.5 stars if I could.

View Details: Stoic Luft Insulated Sweater - Men's

Helpful Votes: 3 Yes