Best Down Jackets of 2011 Announced by OutdoorGearLab.com

I just finished this review on down jackets. Official press release below.


Editors’ Choice Awards for Best of 2011 Down Jacket Category Winners from OutdoorGearLab

September 18, 2011

CHEYENNE, WY—OutdoorGearLab.com revealed today the results of the 2011 Editors’ Choice Awards for the down jacket category, listing this year’s best and best value for down jackets. The OutdoorGearLab Review Editors chose the following winners after extensive field testing and road trips in the High Sierra, Southeast Utah and The Cascades. Each down jacket underwent extensive side by side tests to evaluate key performance metrics such as warmth, wind protection, water resistance, comfort, durability, compactactness and lightweight. View the complete Best Down Jacket Award Reviews for full details.

The winners are:
North Face Catalyst Jacket – winner of the Editor's Choice Award for 2011 for down jacket. According to Gear Editor Chris McNamara, "All in all, the North Face Catalyst has the best combination of features and they work well while wearing a pack or harness. It has zippered hand pockets, conveniently stuffs into a hand pocket, and the Pertex Quantum fabric is slightly more durable and water resistant compared to other fabrics used on these jackets."

Montbell Alpine Light Down Parka - winner of the Best Buy award for 2011. This award is given to a product that balances an extremely high score in our tests and a very reasonable price. According to Mckenzie Long, "The MontBell Alpine Light wins our Best Buy award because it is the least expensive of the light alpine down jackets and has nice features like particularly large hand pockets with a soft fleece lining, and a wind resistant outer fabric that is a bit more durable that the fabric used in the Nitrous and Down Sweater"

Mountain Hardwear Sub Zero SL Men's Down Jacket - winner of the Top Pick award for 2011 for Best This award is given to a product that excels at a specific application. According to Ian Nicholson, "If you need a serious jacket for extreme cold, this is the one. The Mountain HardWear Sub Zero SL wins our Recommended award because of the many functional features that make this a desirable jacket for mountaineering, such as a longer fit, a large hood, very water resistant material, and clever ways of sealing out wind and keeping in warmth."

Crazy weird funny mouse video titled "SuperTopo!!!"

I was searching "supertopo youtube" and came across this video. I have no idea why it is titled supertopo. i wish i could take credit for it...

The Best Rain Jacket Awards

Best Rain Jacket Review is done! This week I finished our best rain jacket review with Robert Beno. Official press release below.


Best Rain Jacket Review announced by OurdoorGearLab.com for Editor’s Choice, Best Buy and Top Picks.
September 9, 2011

CHEYENNE, WY—OutdoorGearLab.com revealed today the results of the 2011 Editors’ Choice Awards for the rain jacket category, listing this year’s best and best value for rain shells. The OutdoorGearLab Review Editors chose the following winners after extensive field testing and road trips in the High Sierra, Southeast Utah and The Cascades. Each tent underwent extensive side by side tests to evaluate key performance metrics such as ease of comfort, water resistance, durability, breathability, zipper design, weight and looks. View the complete rain jacket review

The winners are:
Marmot Oracle – winner of the Editor's Choice Award for 2011 for rain jacket. According to Gear Editor Robert Beno, "We liked all the features that Marmot packed onto this jacket and we felt like we were actually wearing a jacket when we put it on. Many of the shells that we tested just felt like a tent rain fly with sleeves and didn’t have any of the extra comforts that we wanted from a jacket. The Oracle was the closest thing we tested to a lightweight coat that could be used for a wider range of applications, instead of a single function rain coat. Additionally, the jacket performed very well in all of our testing, and it just simply became the jacket that we reached for the most when heading out on a rainy day jog, or a jaunt around town. "

Marmot Precip - winner of the Best Buy award for 2011. This award is given to a product that balances an extremely high score in our tests and a very reasonable price. According to Robert Beno, "The Marmot Precip is best value in rain jackets and winner of our Best Buy Award. If you want the most rain jacket for your money, get this. Any jacket that we have tested that costs less generally has poor ventilation and much lower performance. If you seek a highly functional rain jacket that will get the job done at a great price, this is it."

Patagonia Rain Shadow - winner of the Top Pick award for 2011 for Best Lightweight Rain Jacket (and best looking). This award is given to a product that excels at a specific application. According to Robert Beno, "The Patagonia Rain Shadow is an attractive option for someone who needs a rain shell that looks good, is super light, and doesn’t like to be overrun with extraneous features."

OutdoorGearLab LLC is a company headquartered in Cheyenne, Wyoming dedicated to creating world’s best outdoor gear reviews. The company’s website, www.outdoorgearlab.com, is a free resource for people who love the outdoors and participate in activities such as hiking, climbing, backpacking, and camping. The company performs side-by-side testing of outdoor gear and publishes the results in comparative reviews. Each product is scored across a range of weighted categories, competing products are ranked, and awards are provide to top performing products.

Media Contact: Chris McNamara - 307.509.0188 - outdoorgearlabpr@gmail.com