Awesome Jacket, great value

By D.Chu Ranked #313 - Men's Snowboard Jackets September 4, 2007

I personally prefer independent layering over thickly insulated jackets, so I prefer a relatively lightweight jacket. This isn't the most lightweight jacket in the world (that would probably go to something in the Burton AK line), but it's about as compact as you can get without getting a minimalist shell. I tried lugging it around in the pack I wear and no issues whatsoever with the size or weight of it. At the same time, it feels hefty enough to hold up under the stress of snowboarding.

It looks very good, the fit is baggy but not excessively so, and it has a ton of great little features like magnetic clasps, audio routing, and ALS lining. One of the things I really like about it is the powder skirt, which has clasps to wrap around belt loops on your pants. I have Bonfire pants, and these provide a more secure, better connection that Bonfire's own proprietary "snaptite" system!

I only have a couple complaints:

1.) The thumb hole wrist cuffs are a nice idea, but too hefty to be used as intended. When you slip them on under the glove, it puts a ton of pressure on the area between your thumb and hand. However, they're easy enough to move past and just use as a cuff at the wrist.

2.) When zipped all the way up, it's quite tight at the chin. This might be by design, as I found that compared to the other jacket I own, which has a looser fit at the chin, you don't have to worry as much about the hood obscuring your vision with your neck turned. This one is up to your personal preferences.

Both very minor concerns.

I haven't tried this thing out on snow (one of the problems with buying gear in the summer), but it passed a shower test with flying colors. If it holds up durability-wise, it should be awesome... and even if it doesn't, life time warranty! Great value, great pick-up with the current late-August sale. The only real concern I have about it is that backcountry/dogfunk had so many of them, I might see too many of them on the mountain!

View Details: Sessions Istodis Jacket - Men's

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