After I viewed the 2012/2013 winter outerwear line-up at SIA in January, I had to select what gear I would be rocking this season. It was a tough choice merely because I had absolutely no idea where I would be spending the 2012/2013 season at the time. In case I was in the Northwest, I needed enough waterproofing and in case I was back in Colorado, I needed enough warmth. I ended up picking two jackets that met both criteria and kept with my go-to pants for all-around riding.
686 Smarty Satellite Jacket
The Satellite jacket is built for warmth on the mountain which is perfect for night riding or cold days in Colorado. Fully taped outershell jacket seams with an 100g infi-loft polyquilted smarty vest. I figured with this jacket/vest, I could rock the jacket, the vest or both on the mountain.
686 Plexus Storm Jacket
A good jacket for the snowy days on the slopes, the Storm is just like the name. Good waterproofing with 20,000mm/15,000gm with all the tech features you want from 686. Plus I love blue, the color was really what sold me on the jacket.
686 Smarty Original Cargo Pant
My go-to pant is the original cargo pant from 686. It works, it’s comfortable, it fits and I love me some cargo pockets so I can carry my camera easily on the mountain. I stuck with black for the color since it can go with any jacket. The waterproofing 15,000mm/breathability 10,00gm will more than handle Colorado conditions. The inner pajama pants are ideal for around the house and cold night riding on the mountain.
What outerwear are you rocking this season? How do you select what gear you want?
ty
October 29, 2012 at 7:20 amGreat choices, Shay! I’ll also be in Colorado all season. I really like the color break heritage look prevalent this year, like your satelite jacket. I just couldn’t find one with the colors/features I like so I went with the all gray bonfire arc 15/10 jacket. I love the fit and somewhat retro look of this jacket. I also like the hidden exterior chest pocket access, pass pocket under the left sleeve, and somewhat retro look of the overall design. It doesn’t have the cool color breaks, but I might find some colorful zipper pulls for it. It also doesn’t have a nice smooth chin guard but I always have my lightweight outdoor tech yowie mask on. The simple mask works great, paired with a baclava on really cold days. I have dakine fillmore mitts which I’ve found to be nice and toasty in CO. Finally, I picked up some thunderstorm blue 20k Holden bibs. I have always wanted a Holden piece since I’m huge on companies working toward environmentally friendly practices (also why I got the Jones twin). It was cool to see Bonfire introduce psoa free waterproofing this year on many pieces. I think bibs will be nice for keeping out snow while I’m falling all over the place on pow days. See you out there!