Smartwool Hoody – Fall 2007 & 2008

[Steve .]

A while back I sent an email inquiring about their hoodies. Unfortunately they have been discontinued, as many of you already know.

The good news from customer support is "I think we'll be making a dif. style of hoody Fall 2007 and then in 2008. Stay tuned and be patient!"

[Eric Noble]

Thanks for the info Steve! This is my favorite base layer. Had I known they would discontinue it I would have purchased more than one. I sent them the review I wrote here and never heard back from them. I will be waiting anxiously.

[Ezra Newick]

I’ve been looking for a good hooded base layer for winter use. Pataongia started the season with the R1 Hoody, but I could never find it in stock, and now it’s not even listed on their site. Icebreaker had one for a little while, but it too seems to have disappeared. I’ll definitely have to keep an eye out for the Smartwools. Thanks for the heads-up.

[Jay McCombs]

crazy. Out of all the things I purchased last year I'd say my shaddow's hoody was the peice of gear taht I got the most benefit and use out of. Hood, deep zipper, thumb holes/xtra long sleeves, wool…whats not to like?

[Rod Lawlor]

Are you guys aware that the Ibex Shak is on sale at STP at the moment. Check the Gear deals forum for an additional 20% of code.

Rod

[Michael Demchak]

man i really wish this thing didn't weigh 20 ounces… am i missing some advantage to such a garmet? i could get a montbell thermawrap parka and pocket the half a pound and have more room in my pack. i geuss its more comfortable when doing mildy aerobic activites in the winter? hopefully the new smartwool hoody will be a couple ounces lighter
:D

[Richard Nelridge]

Hi Dennis,

You could consider the Rab Vapour Rise Jacket or the Rab Vapour Rise Trail Smock as an alternative to the Ibex Shak.

The published weights of these are 430 gm (15.17 oz) and 415 (14.64 oz respectively). I am not sure as to the size for the published weights but my Large Vapour Rise Jacket weighs 18.3 oz. My older Large Rab Vapour Rise Long Sleeve Top (which has no hood) weighs 13.6 oz).

Below are the links to get some info about these 2 pieces of Pertex Equilibrium outer with a fleece lining (both have hoods):

http://www.rab.uk.com/products_vr_vrjacket.html

http://www.rab.uk.com/products_vr_vrsmock.html

Rich

[Eric Noble]

Dennis, I use the Hooded Shak as a cold weather (below freezing) base layer. It is great for aerobic activities in the winter. It will never see the inside of my pack, so the space it takes up is not an issue for me. See my reviews of the Ibex Hooded Shak and the Smartwool Shadow Hoody. At the moment I use either an Ibex Tioga Hoody and or a Thermawrap vest over it as my insulation layer. I also have a hooded windshirt for my wind layer. The Thermawrap Parka you mention, or something similar, would be a great addition to the Hooded Shak but not a replacement for it. A Thermawrap Parka could replace my Tioga for a significant weight savings. I'm currently saving my pennies. I do wish the Hooded Shak did not have the pocket with its added weight but wouldn't change anything else. It generally saves me from carrying glove liners and a hat. I wore the Hooded Shak, Tioga Hoody, and the Thermawrap Vest skiing this Saturday. The temperature was 0° F with a wind chill of -30° F and I was comfortable. The top of my bibs (uninsulated) added some warmth. The Thermawrap Parka might have been a good replacement for the Tioga and the vest.

[Michael Demchak]

Ahh Eric, i understand completely. i just wanted to make sure a garment like this wasnt a super verstile amazing garment that i was missing out on backpacking with. but your right with tempatures get down that low i can deffinitly see it's use as a base layer. geuss ill never need it though, being that the coldest it seems to get around here is 20 degrees :D a blessing and a curse i suppose.
thanks!

[Ethan A.]

Richard,

I've always been interested in finding out more about the Rab Vapour Rise jacket and pants every since I first read about them. That's a near perfect combo of wind resistance and warmth for the weight. I achieve something close to this with a high loft special edition Patagonia R2 Jacket (doesn't have a chest pocket but has longer fleece "hairs" and more loft) at 12 ounces + Houdini Windjacket (about 3.5 ounces) and a light 1.5 ounce thin powerstretch balaclava. I'm all for layering and my Houdini is probably one of my most versatile pieces, but there's a simplicity in having all that in one Rab piece that can function as a base layer and as a midlayer. Thanks so much for your comments. While I travel to the UK from time to time, it would be nice to have a source in the US – do you have any idea where I can find Rab items in the US?

Eric,
I could not agree with you more about the benefits of wool. I replaced all of my synthetic base layers with lightweight and midweight Ibex tops and bottoms. The only thing I'd wish for is a weight savings and quicker drying in heavier weight wool. Thinner wool seems to dry as quickly as synthetics – thicker wool can take a long time to dry if it gets really wet. My ideal – I wish someone would make a merino version of the Rab Vapour jacket and pants – with merino wool for the lining in place of the microfleece (hint hint Ibex, Smartwool and Rab!).

[Richard Nelridge]

Hi EJ,

I obtained my Rab Vapour Rise equipment ([jacket and pants] before it was announced that Rab would be entering the US market) December 2005/January 2006 directly from Rab on a Professional Courtesy basis because I am a Professional Nature, Landscape, and Wildlife Photographer here in the US. Unfortunately, right now I have to lose some weight to fit back into the pants.

I had decided to get this equipment having previously received and liked the older Vapour Rise Top from Prolite Gear in Bozeman, MT. I like this gear very much but haven't used it enough to do any kind of review. Mark Verber uses the Vapour Rise Jacket fairly extensively.

But, right now, Jackson Sports in the UK is a good source for getting the Rab Equipment and having it shipped to you here in the US. At this point, very little Rab equipment is brought into the US until Rab gets its distribution set up here.

Here is a link for the Rab Vapour Rise Jacket from Jackson Sports:

http://www.jackson-sports.com/Models.aspx?ModelID=5728

Hope this is some assistance.

Rich

[Carlos Elordi]

EJ,
I bought the Smock version from Jackson-Sports in the UK at a discount. The ordering and delivery from Jackson-Sports was flawless (you won't be able to track your shipment though). I paid 10 GB for shipment, which is not much more than what I would have paid for shipment within the US. This is a perfect garment for cold weather (in my case, above the 30's is probably too warm), and will protect you well against wind and rain. It has a wired hood, which adds some weight though (beware that RAB garments have a very tight fit-I consulted with them before purchasing their products, and they were quite responsive).
I hope this helps,
Carlos

[Mark Verber]

I will second Richard's recommendation of Jackson Sports of the UK as a good way to get Rab stuff in the US… at least until the distribution of Rab gets hammered out. That's how I got my Vapour Rise.

I think a number of the bpl.com folks used the Vapour Rise last year, or maybe it was the year before? A good review would be nice. Maybe one of these days I will get around to writing my own review, but I have a lot less time budgeted to do these sorts of things that I used to. I am trying to spend more doing things rather than writing about then.

The Vapour Rise has simular performance characteristics to any of the classic pile/pertex jackets such as the Marmot Driclim, MW Tempest, etc. The The things that I have found noteworthy:

• A bit more breathable
• A bit more weather resistant
• Dries a bit slower than the the original Driclim which has a polyester shell
• Wet snow will stick to it a bit more than less textured surfaces like my dragonfly windshirt or my daughter's driclim jacket.
• The sleeves are quite wide, so I can push them up and over my elbows which gives addition venting options.
• Has a good hood with a wire stiffener. I a concerned that the ends of the wire might poke out because they don't seem to be rounded.. but this hasn't happened… at least yet. The hood rolls away into a zipper compartment. When the hood is rolled away, zipping the jacket up around the neck makes it a bit tight. This hasn't been an issue for me, because if want to zip it up all the way, I 99% want to hood out.
• The external fabric has been quite durable. The jacket has push through things which would have damaged my ultralight windshirt, but there is no mark of the Vapour Rise.
• The on durability issue is that the seam at the bottom of the napoleon pockets lining started to separate a bit

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