There’s a lot of talk about timeless designs, but the Alpha Jacket blends state-of-the-art technology with a classic alpine ski profile. I’ve worn it for 25-plus days on Oregon’s Mt. Bachelor in weather down to -3 degrees and always felt like I was a warm island floating in the cold. The jacket packs a lot of warmth in a relatively light package. Nine circular down pouches in the back provide heat where you need it the most (on your shoulders and lower back) and eliminate the need for the excessive layers that not only restrict movement, but reduce overall insulative quality. Helly’s designers were inspired by backpacks that utilize mesh for venting—two long vertical hidden zippers from the shoulder blades to the hip let you vent on hot days—seal them off for ultimate warmth. There’s also mesh on the stretch cuff gaiters. Reinforced thumb holes are just right—big enough to slide you thumb in without restriction, but not so big that they bunch up when not engaged. Durable waterproof/breathable fabric has two-ways stretch with the feel and dynamic stretch of a soft shell coupled with the storm-thwarting weatherproofing that is Helly’s signature feature. This is a warm jacket—but the breathability, ergonomically-friendly design, and venting make it transcend super cold winter days to spring skiing. Primo features include discreet, dense foam patches on the shoulders for cushioning a pack, a tuck-away powder skirt, giant hand-warmer pockets with soft microfleece linings, and two inside zip chest pockets—one with a washable goggle cloth.
-John Bouchard

But before exploring that claim, let’s look at the jacket itself. This is a classic “what’s-not-to-like” product, a jacket who’s beauty lies in its simplicity and versatility. The fit proved perfect. Having two zippered handwarmer pockets and three internal open pockets is always a plus. But best of all, the jacket is light enough to be an excellent outer layer in milder conditions and a superb insulating layer under a shell in colder conditions. Having thumbholes at the cuffs makes it easy to get a shell on over the Gnar Lite, and adds a bit more warmth for your hands.

Okay, so all was well with the jacket’s design and basic function. Now to prove or disprove the DriDown concept. That theory was tested  twice when I purposely took a hike in pouring rain. Both hikes took me up a steady half-hour climb where I worked up a good sweat. This was followed by a long descent when I started to cool off dramatically. In short, two hard hikes in perfect hypothermia weather, The jacket got soaked both times but performed as advertised, expelling excess internal moisture buildup while ascending and  keeping me warm as I started to cool down on the descent.
If I was to rate the jacket on performance on a 0-to-5, yuk-to-supreme scale, I’d give the Gnar Lite a 5.

A caveat is in order. I am a Sierra Designs alum from the company’s early days (1970 to 1976), back when we made tents, sleeping bags, jackets, and packs in Berkeley, CA. I put that bias aside when it came to the Gnar Lite’s test, thinking there’s no way they can make a down jacket better than we used to, back when down insulation and water made for tragic conditions. Boy was I wrong.
-Bob Woodward

www.hellyhansen.com

The side panels and sleeves are lined only with a lightweight brushed nylon, while the fleece torso is further lined with a loose open mesh for slippery layering and free air flow. As if that weren’t enough, two foot-long zippered vents run down the chest, and the pockets are all mesh, forming de facto vents as well.

The overall effect is a jacket that’s nearly as warm as a puffy when zipped up, but resists rain showers, transfers sweat better, and vents far more than either puffies or standard shelled fleece. The weather resistance and wide temperature range made it perfect for humid, chilly camp evenings and soggy autumn trail runs on damp, cold, 11,000-foot Boulder Mountain. It’s already become one of our key layering staples, as fall progresses into winter.
- Steve Howe

The Mountain Hardwear innovation that will likely garnish much of the fanfare in spring 2013 will be the cadre of active apparel outfitted with Cool.Q ZERO, which boasts “active cooling technology.”  Pieces like the Way2Cool Short-Sleeve T ($65) will wick the sweat off your skin, then use a proprietary technology to cool your body before the moisture evaporates.  We’ve tested the same tech in Columbia products (the parent company of MH) and so far it works. We’ll continue to test and let you know what we find.

Elsewhere on the apparel side, the Ghost Whisperer Down Jacket ($300) offers 850-fill down insulation in a package that weight a measly seven ounces, but should keep you warm and dry whenever the weather gets rough. As with all down products in Mountain Hardwear’s line, the Ghost Whisperer boasts waterproof Q.Shield DOWN.  The Plasmic Jacket should also be a fast-mover on the retail shelves. The hard shell jacket employs MH’s proprietary Dry.Q Evap for waterproof/breathable protection, with a  sly-looking exposed water-resistant zipper and a wide array of colors. Priced at only  $140, it could become a gateway drug to Mountain Hardwear for the uninitiated.

Finally, on the outdoor shelter front, they’re introducing the Skyledge 2 and 3 ($450, $550). The footprint for both the two- and three-tent is included in the price, which gives you three out-of-the-box pitch options: the tent and fly, just the tent, or just the fly, with the tent frame anchored in place by the footprint (pictured, above). This last option also lets you pitch your tent in the rain; just roll out the footprint, assemble the frame, toss over the fly, and then you can then pitch the tent without worrying about getting the tent interior fully soaked.  And for the ultra-lighter go-getter, there’s the SuperMegaUL 1, a free-standing one-person tent that weighs in at 1 pound, 14 ounces for $350.

We’ve always loved down. From jackets and vests to sleeping bags, those soft little feathers are the insulation elite for good reason. Warmth without weight, excellent breathability, and plush, comfy loft—except when down gets wet. Then it loses its capacity to keep you warm, and takes forever to dry.  Previous solutions to this problem mainly include wrapping down in various waterproof/breathable shell fabrics. But that adds extra weight, stiffer material, extra cost, and greatly reduced breathability.

That’s all changed now, thanks to Sierra Design’s new DriDown. Introduced in this summer’s sleeping bags, this new technique makes the actual feathers water-resistant.  And when they do get wet, they keep their loft and dry much faster than their less-enhanced relatives. This miracle cure occurs during the down finishing process (some time after it leaves the duck or goose and before it becomes insulation), when a molecular-level polymer is applied to each individual feather. This hydrophobic (water-hating) finish keeps the feathers dryer longer (manufacturer’s tests indicate five- to seven-times longer). The treated down maintains its loft in humid conditions (which can pancake non-treated feathers) and dries noticeably quicker when it does eventually get damp.  Sierra Designs will start unveiling the apparel with DriDown this August.

DownTek (made by Down Décor, a supplier of down since the 1990s) is also entering the game, supplying hydrophobic, quick-drying down to outdoor gear and apparel manufacturers including Big Agnes, LL Bean, Mountain Hardwear, and Brooks-Range, who will be rolling out their version of waterproof down in sleeping bags and apparel throughout this summer and the fall/winter seasons ahead. Which one works best? We’re testing now. Stay tuned.