Mountain Hardwear Adaro Jacket
August 25, 2008
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You’ll probably notice that most of my posts this summer involve testing waterproof gear, or discussing the waterproofness of gear, or complaining that gear isn’t waterproof enough. That’s because we’ve gotten more rain this year than any other year, ever! I think we’ve gotten more rain this year than all the rain in the rest of the world combined. I mean, seriously, it’s rained a LOT this year.
So what better to do in the rain but go on a nice long kayak trip? It’s not often that one can say that a kayak trip keeps them dryer than staying on land. While packing, I decided to bring along every single item of warm clothing I have, and wrap it all in every single item of waterproof clothing that I have. Good thing you don’t have to pack light on a kayak trip. Anyway, I hadn’t even taken the tags off the Adaro yet, but I decided to bring it along as my Trip Jacket, mostly because the sample was a size too big for me and I knew that I’d be able to fit all my warm layers underneath it. Well, it turns out that it was the best packing choice I possibly could have made. The Adaro is, quite simply, incredible. Totally, absolutely, persistently waterproof, and nicely breathable as well. Maybe it’s breathable because the main zipper is inexplicably normal (not heat-taped like all the other ones), but whatever, it worked.
Since the sizing was a little off, it’s hard to comment on fit, but I can safely say that the Adaro doesn’t have really streamlined cut. Good for layering, I guess, but I think mostly it’s to accommodate the pit zips. Some people love pit zips; I’m not one of those people. I prefer the slimmer cut that comes with zipless pits, but if they’re a plus for you, you’ll like the Adaro even more.
This shell does not come cheap, but I am fairly sure that it’s worth the cost. Truly a marvel of bad-weather engineering, you really can’t go wrong with this piece as your outerwear staple.
Rab Latok Alpine Jacket
April 21, 2008
Rab is an established company in the UK, and is just starting a push to join the US market. If you’re not yet familiar with Rab, believe me, you will be soon. It’s pretty gutsy for Rab to go up against North American top guns like The North Face, Mountain Hardwear, and Arc’Teryx, but based on what I’ve seen so far, those jet jockeys might have a fight on their hands soon (and if I hadn’t liked the jacket, I could have said “Negative, Ghost Rider, the pattern is full!” but as it turns out, there’s always room for one more. But that’s not as catchy a fighter pilot slogan).
I usually don’t post reviews of products until I’ve seriously beat them down for a while, but since all my adventure partners are sick of hearing about how much I love this jacket, I figure I’d better stop testing their patience and just post my review already. This won’t stop me from shoving it in everyone’s face and telling them they have to check it out, though, because this is one product that delivers.
At first blush I was impressed by the construction and design, not to mention the ridiculously light weight. Even though the sample was a wee bit on the small size for me, I refused to hand it off to a smaller tester because I liked it so much. The true-to-size fit was actually quite nice, because the warped-sizing guessing game involved in finding clothes that fit these days is pretty annoying. I have clothes in my closet ranging from size 2 to size 8. I can understand disparity between two sizes, but four? Argh. Rab also uses numerical sizing (2-4-6-8, etc.) instead of S-M-L, so you can really dial in the fit. So when buying Rab, buy your REAL size. Do not think that you can fit into a size two just because you wear a size small in The North Face. That said, I really like the trim cut of the Latok Alpine. For me it is a tad bit long, but I know that I’m practically unique in that complaint since women seem to be almost universally clamoring for longer jackets and shirts, and sadly for me, manufacturers are listening.
Best of all, the Latok is cut trim in the body but generously in the sleeves, and my readers know how much I like that. Total arm mobility is important in climbing, folks! The design is minimalist, with two big outside pockets and two smaller inside pockets. The outside pockets are huge, and the water-and-wind-proof zippers keep out the elements. If you like being close to nature but not THAT close to nature, you’ll be grateful for the weatherproofing. Those wise ladies who wear helmets to protect their noggins will appreciate the oversized hood (oversized? It’s ENORMOUS), guaranteed to fit even a full-faced motorcycle helmet, if you’re into that kind of thing.
Minor complaints are limited to the sizing of the two logos – both the rather drab yet giant Rab logo on the chest (kind of odd on an otherwise understated and elegant jacket design) and the equally obvious bright orange eVent fabrics logo on the sleeve. Did you know that eVent fabrics is owned by General Electric? I didn’t, either, until I saw the huge logo and then read the accompanying literature. My jacket and my refrigerator are made by the same company? Weird. When it comes to logos, less is more, sometimes.
Edit: I took the Latok on an ice climbing trip (remember, we’re in Alaska, we can ice climb in May) and I thought it worth mentioning that this is the best ice climbing jacket I’ve ever tried. The trim cut made it so easy to use with a climbing harness – the waist belt just buckles right over the jacket, no muss, no fuss, no folds or bulges or annoying extra fabric to bunch up under the harness. The arms have plenty of room for swinging, hooking, and, oh yeah, ice climbing too (ha!). The more things I use this jacket for, the more I like it. The eVent fabric seems impervious to water and dirt, both of which exist in abundance here in Alaska. Rab is well on its way to becoming a staple in my gear closet.
