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Articles Table of Contents   Page 1: Weather Comfort: Down Jackets, Wind/Rain Protection, Gloves Page 2: Weather Comfort: Down Jackets Page 3: Weather Comfort: Wool Jackets Page 4: Weather Comfort: Wind Shell for Wind or Rain Page 5: Weather Comfort: Gloves and Hats Page 6: Camping Comfort: DownMat 9 Deluxe Down Air Mattress Page 7: Camping Comfort: Western Mountaineering Sequoia GWS Sleeping Bag Page 8: SPOT GPS Messenger (and PLB discussion)

Weather Comfort: Wool Jackets

See my general discussion of outwear.

A wool jacket works extremely well for my needs: it breathes exceedingly well, stays warm when wet, laughs at light rain, lets me move quietly through the forest, etc.

I layer a wool jacket over a down jacket, then I add a wind/rain shell if further protection is needed. With that combo, I’m good down to 25° or so, even standing around not moving much.

I layer with a down jacket under my wool jacket, and a wind shell for wind or rain.

IbexWear Europa jacket √√√√+

I have a favorite jacket from IbexWear that I purchased about eight years ago— still going strong. I don’t even know what it’s called, but I’m irked that they no longer make it (or my favorite pant).

The closest IbexWear now offers is the Europa jacket, made from Loden wool from Austria. Loden is an incredible material, and I highly recommend IbexWear’s offering that use it.

The Loden wool breathes incredibly well, and stays warm when damp, critical qualities out in the wild when exerting yourself.

My main complaint about the Europa is that it has no chest pocket, and it lacks the nylon covering on the upper back and shoulders, but then again, IbexWear dropped that excellent feature some