Technical Outerwear

[hendrix]

It seems a pretty neutral colour; would probably look great with denim.

My only concern would be that it's too similar to grey, and as someone who wears a lot of grey pants it might not be contrast-y enough and look like I'm wearing a boilersuit.

 

[accordion]

Is there anything similar to the Isaora urban expedition parka in terms of value and design?



Trying to find something cleanly designed, durable, and warm for the New England winter. Was looking at some Acne parkas:





I assume the Isaora is better value. Really don't wanna drop crazy money for something that's gonna go through heavy wear.

 

[Grove]

Aside from the Tech labels usually listed in this thread I'd say it's worth checking out the Norse Neoshell. Costs a little more than the Isaora but it's a cracking winter parka.



Or if you can stretch to it Nemen make some really nice stuff.




Haglofs 19FOURTEEN parkas are also worth looking at. Excellent build quality and should last years of heavy wear.

 

[EdwardB]

Has anyone played with Isaora 3L shells this season? Looking at this tech jacket.

Really nice. The shell is actually slightly stretchy to aid in movement. The other two shells they did actually have a lot more interior detailing, but they're all made from the same fabric, so they're all pretty nice.

Is there anything similar to the Isaora urban expedition parka in terms of value and design?

I assume the Isaora is better value. Really don't wanna drop crazy money for something that's gonna go through heavy wear

Ever since they started selling only through their website, everything is sold a little above wholesale, so while you might be able to find something with nicer construction/fabric, you're going to pay a lot more and you're not going to get something that's a better value. That parka is really heavy and the shell is actually nylon twill, so it should stand up to abuse.

That Acne actually looks pretty nice, but I wouldn't really trust them to use quality down or anything like that.

 

[SuEd]

Where is the list of Norse Project stockists?

 

[accordion]

On their website, don't think it'd be much cheaper than buying from their webstore though.

I saw Isaora had a Black Friday sale last year, would it be worth it to wait until then to get the parka or will it not be included in the sale or have run out of the popular sizes? Thanks.

 

[Distorbiant]

On their website, don't think it'd be much cheaper than buying from their webstore though.

I saw Isaora had a Black Friday sale last year, would it be worth it to wait until then to get the parka or will it not be included in the sale or have run out of the popular sizes? Thanks.

I think they might be avoiding deep discounts these days. The lowest I saw this year was 20%. Maybe BF will be different.

If you contact them they'll hook you up with 10% off though.

 

[accordion]

what do i say...

 

[hendrix]

I agree that they seem very reasonably priced for what they're selling. I don't know what the wholesale prices are but I try to keep in mind that a large proportion of the costs are in the research/design process to begin with.

Also, I like their philosophy. I'm a sucker for that stuff but they just seem like a good company.

 

[Distorbiant]

This looks really nice too

http://www.isaora.com/collections/r...jackets/products/3l-tech-riding-shell-5-black


I'm going to try out these two jackets. Don't know if I really need two 3L jackets but what the hell.

 

[nAVEEE]

This is going to be a copy-paste from reddit, reviewing the Isaora 3L tech shell V.5 jacket.

Alrighty.The retail price is $475. No pictures for now, sorry. I may take some if requested, or if I post this as a stand alone review post later (which I probably will).
**TLDR: I wouldn't pay full retail for this jacket, but I would definitely buy it on sale, which I did. Aesthetics played a major part in the purchase for me, as I really liked the asymmetrical zip and overall design of it.**
First off, my experience with their customer service was great. No problems there. Shipping was a tad slow, but I think that's mainly due to my location. Packaging was nothing special.

The only branding is the center patch on the inside of the jacket, and a small brand logo on the left upper sleeve. It's blacked out anyway, doesn't bother me at all. I quite like it actually.

The zippers are supposedly water resistant (I haven't tested it), and I haven't had any water leak through them. The half zip next to the main zipper has some issues though - it sometimes isn't very smooth, and will catch. While it sounds kind of bad, I frankly never use it (it just expands the neck part from what it looks like) so it isn't really an issue for me. The vent panel zippers are pretty cool, they seem to be coated/water proof, though it seems kinda unnecessary as there is fabric covering the zipper. They are pretty long, and the pull tab (it's more two strands of fabric) are quite long,and reach the bottom of the unzipped hand pocket. The hand pockets are plenty roomy, and there is micro fleece fabric inside on the forward facing portion (away from your palm). The inside chest pocket bugs me a little; it's quite low for a 'chest' pocket, as I have to unzip about halfway to gain access to it, and it's a small to medium size. I can still fit my Nexus 5 or my wallet, but not much more. Would be good for some folded up papers or bus passes, etc. Moving this pocket up a bit would be a lot nicer, and maybe even adding another interior pocket.

The drawstrings are all very nice to have. I've never had a jacket with so many draw strings on the hood, though I haven't needed to tighten them down. The hood doesn't sit down very well, so I usually fold/scrunch it up a little. All the inside seams are taped, and the color is darker than the light grey interior, making it look pretty cool in my opinion. While zipped, the neck portion is pretty high, which has its upsides and downsides. It is lined with micro suede on the part facing your mouth/neck, which is actually pretty comfortable and soft. The high neck does keep you warmer, but may kind of get caught underneath your chin, or get in the way if you look downwards with the hood down (with the hood up, this isn't a problem). But if you're wearing the jacket, it's probably raining outside and your hood is up anyway. The velcro at the sleeve cuff is a small, interesting detail that is probably my favorite part - the velcro is inlaid into the sleeve, instead of being raised on some other jackets. Granted, I don't have much experience with nicer rain jackets but this was super cool, fun thing for me. The wrist sleeve cuff works very well. The pull tabs on the zippers are all fine as well. The fabric is 2 way stretch, which is nice. The powder guard threw me off SO MUCH. I initially had no ******* clue what it was or what it did, and googling it didn't really help. After a bit of research, I deduced (hopefully correctly) that it's for keeping snow out of the jacket. A neat addition, though pretty useless for me, so I unzipped it off and put it away. It's pretty tight with a lot of stretch, so I guess it would work quite nicely.

As far as functionality in weather goes, I haven't had a problem yet. It's rained a bit here in Vancouver Washington, as well as when I went up to Seattle last weekend, and I've stayed dry in it the entire time. Water just beads up, and you can shake it off. The only thing to note is that because it is a waist length jacket, rain does sometimes fall onto my thighs, but nothing major for me yet. If you're in a downpour, you better hope you have water proof pants, and after that, shoes. Functionality only goes so far before just bad judgement or not planning screws you over. All in all, a purchase I will be keeping. I've never handled anything at a higher pricepoint, so I can't really compare it to others. However, if this is around your budget, I think it's a good buy.
Also it looks dope as ****.

 

[m4gdelen4]

@nAVEEE You haven't mentioned what jacket you got.... lol

 

[nAVEEE]

haha yeah just noticed, sorry about that. Added the name of the jacket to the post. Also forewarning, I didn't look over what I typed so there may be errors.

 

[tsg20]

(Hopefully this is the correct thread for this question - please let me know if not.)

Can anyone make any comparisons of the various merino wool hoodies that are available (I know that Icebreaker, Outlier and Mission Workshop, at least, make ones that get positive reviews online)? I've seen various complaints that the Icebreaker ones don't last well, and claims that the Outlier/Mission Workshop ones are softer, but I haven't seen any discussion of the longevity of those, or any direct comparisons between the brands.

 

[oboy_oboy]



(Hopefully this is the correct thread for this question - please let me know if not.)

Can anyone make any comparisons of the various merino wool hoodies that are available (I know that Icebreaker, Outlier and Mission Workshop, at least, make ones that get positive reviews online)? I've seen various complaints that the Icebreaker ones don't last well, and claims that the Outlier/Mission Workshop ones are softer, but I haven't seen any discussion of the longevity of those, or any direct comparisons between the brands.

I can only speak to the Icebreaker ones I've had and they are great. I've had two over the last couple years, and while I can't claim to beat them up too hard, they have stood up to normal wear and tear (and washing) just fine. I have the Quattro ones, which are a little lighter weight and they are good for layering in general. I use mine for hiking, biking (commute, not extended road/mtn riding) and travel--nice for planes, etc.

I'd *guess* that Outlier/MW ones are a little beefier but that's just brand impression. Even heavy fabrics aren't inherently better fabricated, but those brands tend to build pretty bomber stuff.