My new favorite outdoor fabric

Kent Peterson has raved about the Marmot Driclime shirt a few times. I’ve looked for it, but somehow every retailer seems to be out of stock when I’m ready to actually buy one. On one of my quests for the Driclime I found a neat softshell jacket from Ibex at Second Ascent(probably my favorite outdoor gear retailer). The Ibex jacket was made from this neat fabric called Climawool that has merino wool against the skin and a tight woven nylon against the wind. It seemed ideal — keep the wind off, add some insulation, and I could probably ride through anything from 30F to 50F.

The Ibex jacket that Second Ascent sold didn’t fit me (L was too large, M was too small), but I happened to check the Ibex website when I got home and foudn the Ibex Breakaway. With any other company you’d assume that if one jacket didn’t fit you then another wouldn’t as well, but I know from past experience that Ibex sizing is all over the map. The Breakaway jacket was even better than the one that I found at Second Ascent because it only had the Climawool on the front. The back is a heavy regular merino wool, all the better for breathing.

I ordered one and it showed up in mid-November. It fit perfectly. This jacket is sold for XC skiing, but is perfect for cycling. There is a large pocket in the back with a zipper and a small one in front over the left breast. The back of the jacket is cut longer to work well when leaning over on your bike.

I’ve probably worn this jacket every day since getting it and it has done everything that I wanted. The front really does an effective job at keeping the wind off. The whole thing is just the right warmth to be comfortable from about 30F to about 50F with a thin wool t-shirt (longsleeve or short) underneath. Even in a light to moderate rain (about all that we get in Seattle) the fabric keeps me warm and dry enough. The breast pocket is the perfect size for my MP3 player (for listening on the bus) and the back pocket is big enough for my keys, cell phone, and a snack.

While shopping for Christmas presents at Second Ascent I found some used Ibex pants made out of the same material. They are also sold for XC skiing under the name Ibex Guide Lite. I’ve been wanting new Seattle winter pants for a while and really wanting something that didn’t look so much like tights and these are perfect. The cut is tight enough that they don’t get stuck in my chain, but loose enough that I can wear them into a store without looking like a cyclist (they just look like black sweat pants).

This Climawool stuff has really changed what I carry for commuting. My winter commute pannier used to have all of this:

  • short sleeve wool jersey
  • long sleeve wool jersey
  • bike shorts
  • bike tights
  • rain pants
  • rain jacket
  • and sometimes a windbreaker vest

I’d layer and unlayer as necessary. I was never really comfortable.

Now I’m just carrying:

  • long sleeve wool t-shirt
  • bike shorts
  • Ibex Guide pants
  • IbexBreakaway jacket

Ibex stopped making the Breakaway,but they replaced it with the Dash Hybrid. If it is the same jacket,and it looks like it might be, then it is a winner. It’s even on sale as I write this. No, I don’t work for Ibex. I never even cared for their products that much before writing this. But this Climawool stuff is great.

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