Topo designs Ultralight jacket

I haven’t looked at this jacket specifically, but I’ve looked at a fair bit of stuff from Topo and it always seems to be style over substance.

They’re using fun, bold retro colors like the glory days of the 80’s, but their manufacturing techniques and build quality are also pretty “retro”. I wouldn’t consider any of their backpacks to be serious gear – just something to wear around university campus to look cool.

So I don’t see anything overtly wrong with this wind jacket, but I’m skeptical of the company in general. At the very least, it’s going to be expensive for what you get since they’re mostly a fashion brand.

I’ve had one of their packs for 6 years and it’s bombproof. It looks brand new after having used it for hiking, commuting, traveling, but never babied. They may use bold colors, but they’re also incredibly well constructed.