New Enlightend Torrid APEX Jacket

[Brad P]

Giving this thread a bump. Anyone have anything to add about this jacket? Looks like a good deal on a light synthetic insulating layer.

[Link .]

. Enlightened Equipment Torrid Apex Jacket Review .

[Serge Giachetti]

I’d love to see this jacket offered in a thicker fill. I wouldn’t be surprised if they could make a 120 weight jacket in the 12-14oz range which I’d probably buy. If anyone else is interested email EE. I bet they’d make one if people showed enough interest.

[Dan @ Durston Gear]

The Torrid surprised me with how warm it is. I was expecting something not much warmer than most other ~8-9oz synthetic jackets (e.g. Patagonia NanoPuff) but it is on par with the lightest down jackets for warmth. It’s at least as warm as my Patagonia UL Down Hoody, and warmer than jackets like Mountain Hardwear’s Ghost Whisperer and Montbell’s UL Down Inner. So as is, it’s ideal for 3 season use.

I am still a sucker for down, in part because of how long it lasts, but I don’t notice any loss of warmth after 100+ days of use, so most folks won’t wear the Torrid out. It’s certainly a sweet value at $175. It packs a little bigger than a comparably warmer down jacket.

Brad: Anything specific you want to know? It’s a pretty clean design, so minimal features. The wrist elastics seal nicely around my wrists. Fit is pretty average – not particularly slim – so lanky guys like myself have a bit of extra room in the torso but thicker built folks will appreciate this.

[Serge Giachetti]

<span style=”text-decoration: underline;”>curious what size you went with @dandydan and how tall you are. I’m 6’2 180 & wondering about an M or L. Thanks.  </span>

[Brad P]

Brad: Anything specific you want to know? It’s a pretty clean design, so minimal features. The wrist elastics seal nicely around my wrists. Fit is pretty average – not particularly slim – so lanky guys like myself have a bit of extra room in the torso but thicker built folks will appreciate this.

I appreciate the review. I think the thing I’d most like to know is how well it does in extended periods of cold rain (my most HATED weather) particularly compared to a comparable down jacket.

I’m gearing up for an eventual Philmont trip and looking for an insulating layer that can do well if there’s lots of rain.

I have one of the cheap Uniqlo down jackets, which is pretty good at its price point. I don’t know how it will do in extended days of rain.

Thanks!

[Dan @ Durston Gear]

Sizing: I’m 5’11”, 170lbs and have a medium. I like how it fits me, other than being a bit generous in the girth (I’m pretty slim). I have enough length in the sleeves and a bit of extra room in the chest/belly. The torso length is a little longer than most jackets, which I appreciate (short torsos are a pet peeve).

The ideal body for a medium would be something like 5’9 – 5’11 tall and 170 – 185 lbs. At 6’2 Serge, I’d go with a large to get a little more sleeve length. If your arms aren’t particuarly long, you could probably fit in a medium as the torso length is pretty long.

Rain: I’ve used this jacket in a lot of rainy and humid conditions, but I’ve always been able to keep it mostly dry. So I can’t speak to how it would perform if soaked, other than to repeat the general wisdom that synthetic should lose less warmth than down. Of course dry treated down will counteract this – so I can’t say which is better of these two options (we need a proper BPL test). If you think there’s a substantial chance you’ll be getting your insulating layer soaked, I’d stick with fleece.

I have got the wrists a bit drenched on a few occasions and the insulation was still lofting normally. Down would have flattened to nothing in these circumstances, dry treated down might have avoided this.

If you’re just talking about performance in humid conditions with sweat etc, then I can say that the Apex 2.0 insulation used here does hold up well to that. I never noticed it lacking in loft at any time.

So synthetic and dry treated down might fair similarly in wet conditions. Spring for synthetic if you want a good value. Spend more for down if you want it to pack a little smaller and last forever. Or spend less on fleece if you think the conditions will be truly sloppy.

[Brad P]

Sounds like a great jacket.  Thanks!

[Victor Jorgensen]

I just got my Torrid hooded jacket delivered today!  I wanted to comment here on the size.  I am 5′ 10″ tall, and 150 pounds, and I wear a medium in most things.  The size SMALL Torrid is an excellent fit.  Arms are plenty long enough, the length in the torso is generous for a jacket, as mentioned by Dan.  I have worn size small in vests before, but not in a jacket.  So, it is true that EE has left ample room for layering when they proportioned these sizes.  I hope this helps someone who is on the fence about sizing.  But also the support staff at EE was helpful in asking for my measurements, and suggesting the optimal size for me, when I contacted them.  So kudos to the EE support staff.

 

 

In fact, the fit of the size small EE is very close to the fit of my size medium Stoic Hadron down pullover.  At 7.55 ounces for the Torrid on my scale, it is almost a 1/10th of an ounce lighter than the 850 down fill hoodie. And it actually feels warmer, although this is only a first impression during my initial indoor evaluation.

The colors that I ordered, were the Coyote Brown exterior, and black interior.  It is BEAUTIFUL!  The coyote brown is more golden brown than I expected, but I like the color.  I am not disappointed in ANY way with this jacket.  Very Pleased so far!

Edited to add:  Oh yes, I want to weigh in on the elastic hem at the waist.  When I first went to put it on I had a momentary odd feeling of having to overcome the elastic pull to get the zipper started.  Actually not an issue at all.  When it is zipped up, it felt great having the snug lower hem.  Snug enough to hold it down under my but when standing around.  However, the pre-tensioned elastic bottom hem can kind of bunch up around my waist after reaching arms overhead.  But that is nothing out of the ordinary.  I think it is a win to eliminate the clutter of gadgetry of draw cord and cord lock.  And I am becoming a fan of the EE Torrid, with this style of elastic hem.

 

[Anthony B]

Just to confirm you believe this jacket is warmer than a Mountain Hardwear Ghost Whisperer? I’m currently in the market for a puffy to allow me to warm up in camp before and after the day as well as something to sleep in. I’ve been really interested in Apex and don’t really see many comparisons to down in terms of warmth.

[Dan @ Durston Gear]

Anthony: My subjective impression is that the Torrid is easily warmer than the MH Ghost Whisperer. The GW has ~2.5oz of 800 FP down if memory serves. The Torrid feels comparable to a down jacket with ~3.5 – 4oz of 800 FP down like the Patagonia UL Down Hoody.

[Anthony B]

@dandydan: Thanks for the reply. I realize that what I’m asking is very subjective but its great to have a ballpark.

[Eric Osburn]

Is anyone using the Torrid in 7D? How durable has it been?

Am I understanding this right that the 10D is not a ripstop but the 7D and the 20D fabrics are? If that’s the case then wouldn’t the 7D be comparable to the 10D in strength?

I’m seriously considering picking up a Torrid but am not sure which fabrics to go with.

[D M]

I just finished a five month hike using the Torrid. It performed well beyond my expectations. So much that I sent home most of my outerwear torso shielding clothing ( including my Melanzana! ) and just keep the torrid and my windbreaker. With my main day shirt and a clean night shirt I had more than enough to be comfortable layering in adverse conditions. I slept in it as a part of my sleep system and was toasty and often TOO toasty. Bought the hooded version. Often sleeping in below freezing the hood plus my Blackrock down hat was too much so I would have to remove the down hat. I never hiked in it as I run hot and the windbreaker is used on frosty mornings. Pockets are more than adequate although I did add pull tabs, sleeve ends with elastic were fine, just got to be gentle with removing or you can pull the lining inside out but that was no big deal. The zippers ARE small but adding pull tabs solved gloved frustrations and taking special care not to stress the zipper guide at the bottom helped keep things in working order. Like all synthetic stuff it did take up room in my pack. I packed it loose on top of everything using it to fill air gaps and hold my lunch. I’ve washed it twice in a front loader on gentle and it comes out like new. The only complication is that I dropped 30 pounds so now it’s too big. :-) I’m definitely getting another one. It’s bomber.

[Eric Osburn]

DM, which fabric did you purchase? When you purchase your next one what will you be buying?

[Dan @ Durston Gear]

Eric,

Yeah the 7D is a ripstop but that just means that heavier threads are present on a grid. It could be 7D fabric with a 10D grid, which wouldn’t be as durable as an all 10D fabric.

Regardless of whether you go 7D or 10D, you’ll need to take care of it if you want it to look good. Mine is a 10D and it has plenty of rips which I easily patch with tenacious tape. No problem but less cool looking. I’ll snag it on some branch or sharp rock and put a rip in it. But I’m pretty hard on my stuff. I’d probably go 7D because it’s lighter and I don’t think there will be a big durability difference. If you’re kinda hard on gear and want it to stay looking good then go 20D but even then it’s not that hard to rip. The biggest factor by far with any of these fabrics will be how well you take care of it.

[D M]

10D and yes I’d order that again. The only damage was (of course) a tiny burn getting too close to the stove…tenacious tape is perfect for repairs.

[Phong D]

Sorry to resurrect this thread.  I am considering the Montbell Thermawrap Parka, the new model with the lighter insulation.  Does anyone know if the EE Torrid Apex is warmer?  I kinda think it will be because some people are saying the Montbell is somewhat cold.

[Philip Tschersich]

I’ve got about 2 seasons on my Torrid in 7d. I have gotten one small hole in one sleeve. I only wear it in camp, so it’s not seeing much brush contact. It’s extremely light for its warmth. Or, very warm for its weight? Either one.

[Herman]

I find the Torrid which I bought in 2018 or so warmer than when I got my thermawrap in 2010.

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