I have kinda been on a firearm and flashlight tangent for a while. Now its time to review a item that has been on my list for a long time. Mountain Hardwear’s Alchemy Jacket is probably the best jacket I have ever owned. Its perfect for all manor of active cold weather activities, let me tell you why:
What I Love about the Alchemy Jacket
- The Alchemy Jacket is light: before settling on this jacket I tried on other soft shells. This jacket is among the lightest, to the point where I questioned its heat retention capabilities.
- The Alchemy Jacket is form fitting: I have a light yet muscular and athletic frame (6′ 168lbs). This jacket feels like it was made for me. Its wide at my shoulders, hugs my lats and tapers to my waist. Why is this good? It makes me feel like I am not swimming in jacket. When I put on a backpack I don’t have to get fabric folds all sorted out. Oh and my wife thinks is sexy.
- The Alchemy Jacket is Stretchy: In the old days, you needed a certain amount of extra material otherwise you would not be able to move. Now it seems that textile geniuses have been able to create fabric that says sealed while getting stretched. The Alchemy’s form fittingness would not be possible without this stretch.
- The Alchemy Jacket is warm: much to my surprise it insulates but even better it completely cuts the wind, all why being completely breathable.
- The Alchemy Jacket has the right pockets: What can I say? The pockets are user friendly.
- The Alchemy Jacket is tight around wrists: This might be a feature/bug type scenario. At cuff, there is a 1″ section of fleece that can either sit flush against the arms or get folded out toward the arm opening. The effect of the outward fold effectively fills the gap between your wrist and the sleeve stopping all manor of cold progressing up your arms.
(FYI, This is not me)
Downsides
- Its Form Fitting: Yes this is a pro and con. Its also the only downside I can think of. because it fits me so well it does not allow for a lot of room for base layers. If you are planning on sitting still in a cold environment, the Alchemy Jacket might not provide the layering capabilities you need. Or you could just buy a bigger size.
Where to by the Alchemy Jacket
If you can find a local climbing/outdoors shop do that. Having said that, I live in Portland, where those shops are abundant but I still go to REI. I bought mine near the end of last season so I got it on sale. Even if I had to buy it full price, I would still say it’s worth it. My best advice would be get a REI membership or sign-up for their email and use the 20% off coupons.
Update: During REI’s fall sale this jacket is going for $139. Which is a good price. Normally $200.
