Ski Jacket vs Snowboard Jacket: What’s The Difference?

by

Ski Jacket vs Snowboard Jacket: What's The Difference?

Those who enjoy the outdoors year round, regardless of weather and temperature changes, know too well the importance of having the right clothes. Layering up with several clothes is an essential step when spending time out in nature, especially during the winter months, but not just any type of fabric, shirt or jacket will do.

That is why winter jackets come in a variety of options and designs. No two jackets perform or wear alike, even within the same brand, so it is really important to determine beforehand what you are looking for and then move on to finding the right jacket for you.

When we mention outdoor activities in winter, right away snow sports come into mind. Skiing and snowboarding are not solely practiced by professionals who spend years perfecting their performance in these activities, but amateurs who enjoy playing in the snow choose to spend their winter holidays up in the mountains skiing the day away.

In several previous selections and reviews of ours we have looked at numerous jackets that can be worn in different activities, including skiing or snowboarding.

But today it’s time to focus specifically on these two sports and learn more about the jackets that are best suited for them.

Read more

Columbia Thermal Coil Technology Review: Does It Really Work?

by

Columbia Thermal Coil Technology Review: Does It Really Work?

Fabric technologies have now become a recurrent featuring in our comparison reviews, typically put against Gore-Tex, which is regarded as the top fabric technology in the market.

A technology that we have yet to see in any of our reviews, selections or comparisons is the Thermal Coil technology by Columbia Sportswear.

Columbia is an American brand that was established in 1938 and is one of the most renowned brands currently on the market of outdoor sportswear. They are very well-known for their affordable prices and quality products, in particular the jacket designs. You can find several recommendations on our site.

This is a brand that we have featured extensively in our selections and have also reviewed the OutDry technology that the brand uses in many of its products, as well as Omni-Tech, a technology developed by the brand itself. They are also renowned for other technologies, which include the Omni-Heat and Omni-Shield ones.

As we mentioned before, and as the title indicates, our focus today is on the Thermal Coil technology, one of the brand’s older technologies.

We will be looking at its features and how it works as a technology and we will also quickly take a look at how it compares to the other technologies that Columbia uses in their products.

Read more

Brandit M65 Giant Men’s Jacket – Review

by

Brandit M65 Giant Men's Jacket - Review

Some time ago we took a look at the M65 Standard parka by Brandit, the German brand that specializes in military-style clothing.

You can find that review here if you are interested in another style of the parka that we will be reviewing today. Speaking of which, it’s the M65 Giant parka for men.

We chose this design as it is a very popular one online and also because we were quite impressed with the standard design mentioned above. Now, let’s take a more in-depth look at this design.

Read more

Gore-Tex® vs Sympatex Fabric Technology: Which One is Better?

by

Gore-Tex vs Sympatex Fabric Technology: Which One is Better?

With the bad weather upon us, and knowing that it will continue getting worse before it gets any better, we all turn to our jackets and outdoor clothing to keep us warm and dry in such conditions.

While there is certainly no shortage of winter clothing out there, not all of them perform the same and as such, they come with certain features such as being waterproof, water-resistant, windproof, and so on, all terms that we are sure you have come across before.

The material and design of a jacket are what give it all of the abilities we mentioned above. By material, we don’t solely mean polyester, nylon, cotton, or any other type of normal fabric out there. While some of those might provide some level of protection, when it comes to wet and unstable weather those fabrics cannot cope on their own.

Enter fabric technologies. These fabrics are specially made to withstand heavy rain, snow blizzards, harsh winds, and wear and tear. But that is not all, as these fabrics are also designed to be breathable, a very important quality, especially for sports clothing.

In some of our previous fabric technology comparisons, we used Gore-Tex®, the most renowned waterproof technology, as the point of reference for other technologies.

Today we will do the very same, as we look at Sympatex, an eco-friendly fabric technology that is a newcomer on our site, as it has not been featured in any previous reviews or selections.

Let’s get started!

Read more

Fleece vs Wool: What’s the Difference? Which One is Better?

by

Fleece vs Wool: What's the Difference? Which One is Better?

We are continuing with another insulation face-off, where we will be taking a look at fleece and wool and see which of the two is better.

Last time we took an extensive look at down and synthetic insulation in terms of their weather and warmth performance, as well as longevity and other characteristics.

Today it’s time to do the same, but with two insulating fabrics, rather than insulation padding as was the case with down and synthetic before.

These insulators come in different forms, but the most commonly used are jackets or vests. For today’s article we will be looking at their characteristics as materials rather than their design as part of a jacket. With that out of the way, let’s get started.

Read more

Down vs Synthetic Jacket: What’s the Difference? Which Insulation is Better?

by

Down vs Synthetic Jacket: What's the Difference? Which Insulation is Better?

As we prepare for the cold days of December that are right around the corner, a lot of us are considering buying a new insulated jacket. As great as it is that the options for such a jacket are practically limitless, it can prove to be quite a feat deciding which one is the best for you.

Going through numerous jackets, deciding on the style, if it should have a hood or not, what about fur trim and, after everything else is decided, which color will be the best option, can take up a lot of your time.

While we would definitely recommend that you take a look at some jacket selections that fit the criteria you are looking for overall, the most important step of buying a winter jacket is deciding on the insulation.

This is not solely the most important step, but possibly the most challenging one, too. This is because regardless of the jacket design that you pick out, its insulation will ultimately determine how the jacket will perform in the cold, and in a winter jacket that is key.

That’s what brings us to today’s article, where we will be taking a look at the two types of insulation available: Down and Synthetic.

We will be going quite in-depth and not only learn more about each of them, but also compare the two in order to see which one you should go for. Without any further ado, let’s get started.

Read more

Triple F.A.T. Goose Chenega Men’s Parka – Review

by

Triple F.A.T. Goose Chenega Men's Parka - Review

It’s surely getting colder as the days go by and the worst is yet to come for this winter season. It is almost time to take out the parkas and heavy winter coats if we want to make it through this season warm and safe.

In case you are looking for a new parka that you can rely on during the cold and harsh months of winter, we might have found just the right one for you.

Chenega by Triple F.A.T. Goose (Check it out on Amazon) is a favorite down parka among many for its quality and warmth, so we thought to take a look for ourselves and see if the product claims match up to the experience of the men that wore it.

Some time ago we took a closer look at Triple F.A.T Goose as a brand and also compared it to the brand of down parkas, Canada Goose. You can go here to find out what we had to say about it.

Now let’s get started with today’s single review on Chenega.

Read more