Bought for Ice Climbing
- Familiarity: I've used it once or twice and have initial impressions
- Fit: True to size
- Size Bought: Medium
I bought this for New England ice climbing. I am 5'8", 148 lbs trim. Traditionally, medium is my standard size. I bought both a small and medium, since there seemed to be much discrepancy in the fit for various reviewers. I tested the shell over my normal clothing layers: poly pro top and bottom, a 100 weight fleece top over that, older BD Schoeller pants, then Marmot Alpinist Bibs (real bibs) over everything. The shell fit me well. It fit well under my harness and is plenty long. The arm pits were a little tighter than what I am used to, but the fabric is stretchy enough that I feel that it will not hinder the swing of my ice tools. It fit well over a couple different helmets, including a Petzl Ecrin. The fabric is lighter and more breathable (so I anticipate that it will not be as wind resistant) than my older shell (about 20 yrs old). I also wore it in the rain while about town in my street clothes. The fit was good, and did not seem baggy to me. Water beaded up on the fabric as I expected. I did not get a chance to put it thru the winter wringer yet. The shell weight was 1lb5oz, 4 oz lighter than my older shell. I anticipate that the fabric will tolerate a lot of abuse. I like the pocket configuration, which is close to what I am used to. I had such a difficult time finding a shell that met my requirements, and this was the closest I could find after searching thru the offerings of all the major brands! I returned the small. I rated 4 star for now, based on fit and design.