Smartwool Smartloft Jacket: First Impressions
(Image credit: Pat Kinsella)
The Smartwool Smartloft Jacket is one of those products that is really hard to categorize accurately, even though I loved the look and feel of it as soon as I got it. Is it fleece? No, it’s not. A padded jacket? No, that’s not exactly one of them. They fall somewhere between the two in terms of style and performance, but they are not made of fleece material, are not filled with synthetic padding like many puffers, and do not contain duck or goose feathers. There is no doubt that it is not. Of course it’s not a down jacket. That said, I think it’s best described as a softshell, as it’s a solid midlayer and doubles as standalone outerwear.
Does this matter? No kidding, it doesn’t really matter what exact genre it fits into, as long as it works.
Smartwool Smartloft Jacket: Design and Materials
Inside, there are two large pouches (one on each side) that are useful for holding maps. (Image courtesy of Pat Kinsella)
Now you know what the Smartwool Smartloft Jacket is not. Let’s lift the lid and see what provides the bulking power behind this garment’s superior thermal performance.
specification
• List price: $210 (US) / £190 (UK) / €200 (Europe)
• Fabric: 100% nylon (shell). 47% polyester, 38% merino wool, 15% elastane (body); 56% merino wool, 44% polyester (lining). 50% recycled wool, 38% wool, 12% polyester (filling)
• Available Gender: Men’s / Women’s
• Size: XS-XL
• Weight (Men’s L): 485g / 17oz
• Color: Winter Moss/Black/Honey Gold/Currant (Men’s). Eggplant/Arctic Green/Twilight Blue/Black/Almond (Ladies)
• Best for: Hiking, trekking, backpacking, mountaineering, camping.
This is a Smartwool product, so it’s no surprise that the jacket has quite a bit of merino wool in its material. The body (back, side panels, and sleeves) is made from a rich combination of merino (38%), polyester (47%), and elastane (15%), which together provide warmth, comfort, and durability. Yes, stretchy clothing.
This intelligent base has a layer of batting-like insulation around the top, front and neck, with stitched baffles to keep contents in place. And this is where this jacket really starts to get interesting. That’s because the filling material used under the nylon shell is 88% wool (more than half recycled) and the rest is polyester. I’ve never seen wool used in this way, except in the Grugi sleeping bag, but I love it. Wool has the advantage of being a natural product, offering a range of environmental and performance benefits, but unlike down, it doesn’t stiffen and lose its insulation when wet (and there are no ethical issues to worry about). There are few problems). .
I’ve been trail testing the Smartwool Smartloft Jacket without a lid, but a more expensive version with a hood is also available in the US.
meet the reviewers
Pat Kinsella
Consulting Editor and Hiking Guru
Pat has hiked all over the world and his adventures take him to Mont Blanc, the roof of Western Europe. Norwegian Alps. Australia’s highest peak. New Zealand’s Great Walks, etc. He is an experienced tester of hiking kit and tests every jacket in a variety of conditions before reviewing it.
Smartwool Smartloft Jacket: On the trails and hills
There are no cords to tighten around the hem of the jacket, but the elastane material ensures a fairly tight fit (Image credit: Pat Kinsella)
Over the past few months, when temperatures have dropped considerably, I’ve been wearing the Smartwool Smartloft jacket while camping, traveling, and hiking trails in the hills, woodlands, and along the coast.
I love merino wool (and who doesn’t?). In addition to its amazing per-skin softness and comfort, it also has all the other performance points it brings, namely its excellent breathability, ability to wick moisture away from the body, in fact it naturally processes bacteria and does not collect bad odors. . One of the few drawbacks to this magical material is its lack of durability, but the Smartloft Jacket makes up for this by using durable polyester and elastane (unfortunately, these ingredients are not recycled). (Not included) Relatively large amounts of elastane in the sleeves, back and side panels give the garment enough dynamic stretch for climbing, clambering, and reaching over boulders and boulder peaks. I was really grateful.
But we’ve seen all of this before with other Smartwool tops. The truly innovative element of this jacket is the use of wool as insulation in the bulging panels on the front and neck. Stitched baffles hold this fluffy filling in place, and the wool has just the right amount of loft to provide true thermal protection on the front. It’s not as good as the highest quality duck or goose down, but it’s still very good. There are far fewer ethical issues (especially since more than half of the wool filling is recycled). Most importantly, wool can absorb large amounts of moisture while still retaining warmth, and the shell on the back of the Smartloft jacket repels small amounts of moisture (fog and light rain), but this feature does not prevent chilly temperatures. Proven to be very useful on rainy days. Have you ever been outdoors without a proper waterproof shell?
The bulging section only covers the front, so you might need an extra layer if biting winds are chasing you (Image credit: Pat Kinsella)
However, the bulge on this jacket only covers the front. This means that your back, sides, and kidney area may feel a little colder. To be fair, this was rarely an issue when hiking or climbing (except when I was being chased by an icy tailwind). By far the advantage is that it has a truly breathable and stretchy back panel. And when I was wearing a jacket and carrying a backpack, my back sweated a lot less, which actually really helped.
But that can be a problem when camping. Sitting in a camp chair with a proper back is fine, but if your back is exposed to the elements and you’re facing the fire, you may feel a little cold. Again, to be fair, this jacket is primarily intended for use during outdoor activities, where the intelligent zoning of the warmer areas is perfect, so this isn’t really a criticism. there is no. You just need to apply an additional base layer or gilet.
The unbulged portion of the jacket has no actual water repellency. Made of wool and polyester, the jacket retains most of its thermal properties when wet, but it becomes heavier and less comfortable when soaked. Of course, this is true of almost all fleeces, so it’s not necessarily a downside, but it’s less moisture resistant than most softshells, so this should be taken into account (and waterproof layers and windproof layers accordingly). Pack layers (or layer up if the weather turns bad). However, I like that the bulge extends to the back of the head. The jacket also has a high and tight zipper that keeps your neck nice and warm.
Midlayers should have good, strong thumb loops to keep the sleeves in place when the shell is worn over the top (Image credit: Pat Kinsella)
As for the rest of the design, the Smartloft jacket is very well made, with a nice thick main zip that will last forever, and three great zip pockets: two hand pockets and a vertical left chest pocket. Inside, there are two large-capacity pouches for storing seat maps and other items. It’s always nice to have thumb loops on midlayers (in my opinion, this is a small but important feature that not only helps keep the sleeves in place when wearing shell layers, but also makes it easier to wear while hiking) Also useful for keeping full coverage when wearing gloves), this jacket has an excellent strong thumb loop.
On a minor note, there’s no way to tighten the hem around the waist, which would be a good way to prevent the top from riding up over your hiking pants when carrying a pack, but the fit is pretty good thanks to the elastane. And it’s really tight.
