Mountain Hardwear Transition Jacket
May 28, 2008
I’d like to pretend that I am systematic and discerning, carefully weighing the pros and cons of each item I review and presenting my findings in an objective and organized manner. However, I think by now my cover is blown and anyone who reads this blog knows that my reviews are based on personal opinion, random emotional reaction, and hard-won experience. Whatever, I know good gear when I see it.
But seriously, I know it’s good gear when it never sees the inside of my closet because I wear it so often, and the Transition jacket is the leader of the pack right now. The simple, one-pocket design gives it a clean, low profile (except when you put something bulky in that one pocket, which is also, weirdly enough, on the back of the jacket. Yep, the back. This is handy for….something, I’m sure) and it’s made of this special Mountain Hardwear miracle fabric that is perfect in any type of weather. I’m not sure if it’s technically “waterproof” but water has yet to seep through it at all (though I admit I have never worn it in a downpour, so bear that in mind).
The fit is just about right – the body is trim, with nice roomy sleeves. Not too long in the torso, but just long enough. It’s got a hood if you’re into that, but the hood stays out of the way if you’re not, a nice plus. The one heartbreaking flaw is that the sleeves are just a wee bit too short and I therefore can’t make use of my favorite feature, the thumbholes. I really love thumbholes even though I don’t believe they serve any useful purpose (well, have YOU ever had a jacket whose sleeves rode up to your elbows if you didn’t use the thumbholes? I didn’t think so), but the too-short sleeves make the Transition’s thumbholes cut off my circulation and leave rather unattractive thumbhole-marks on my hands. So they’re just kind of a useless addendum to this otherwise outstanding jacket. And for ladies with non-ape factor arms, the Transition is probably perfect.
