The Alpinist Mountain Standards reviews apply Alpinist's tradition of excellence and authenticity to gear reviews by providing unbiased, candid feedback and anecdotal commentary to equipment tested (hard) in the field. Our panel is comprised of climbers who use the gear every day as part of their work and play. Only the gear they would actually buy themselves, at retail price, qualifies for the Alpinist Mountain Standards award. The five-star rating system is as follows: No Stars = Piece of junk. One Star = Below average. Two Stars = Average. Three Stars = Above average. Four Stars = Pretty dang good. Five Stars = Nearly perfect. An Alpinist Mountain Standards award-winner. The reviewer would buy this piece themselves. Review Panel Aimee Barnes Chris Brazeau Larry Goldie Angela Hawse Sarah Hueniken Julia Niles John Race Will Stanhope Jon Walsh Jed Workman Editorial and Guest Reviewers |
Go any where with Patagonia's Stretch Element jacketPosted on: July 22, 2006
MSRP: $375 We love this hardshell. This winter we wore the men's and women's Stretch Element in all conditions, from touring in Grand Teton National Park to competing in the Jackson Hole Freeskiing Open. It is one of the best all-around jackets out there, warm enough for cold days in the winter and light enough to wear during cool evenings in the spring and summer. Featuring stretchy panels in the elbows and across the shoulders, and utilizing Patagonia's new seamless construction, the Stretch Element provides full-on storm protection at what feels like half of the bulk. Full-featured with pit-zips, a helmet-compatible hood and chest pockets for stashing an energy bar or headlamp, this jacket excelled in a far wider range of conditions than any other hardshell we've worn. Many times this winter when we might otherwise have chosen a softshell, the Stretch Element made the cut because of its lightweight and bomb-proof weather protection. The only complaint is that the waterproof zipper – a great feature that eliminates the unwieldy Velcro flap of older models – takes time to break in before running smoothly. But from huddling inside its generous hood on the Grand Teton to hiking for turns with all the zips pulled open, this jacket saw as wide a range of conditions as we did this year, and performed well in all of them. |