Fall 2017 marks the first time the Italian-based company Salewa has released apparel in the United States, despite having a long history in other parts of the world. Is Salewa’s apparel quality as good and durable as its footwear? Is Salewa’s Primaloft jackets insulated enough? Does Salewa apparel fit well? Are Salewa jackets really water resistant? Let’s learn!
I tested the Hybrid 2 men’s jacket, along with Salewa’s MTN Trainer Mid GTX boots, in the Great Smoky Mountain National Park in Cosby, Tenn. The hike was about 11.5-miles and included a loaded backpack. With approximately 3,000-feet of elevation gain and loss, an early morning start in light snow, and a warmer afternoon, there was a large shift in temperature. The conditions were perfect to test this jacket!
The next test included multiple trails and grades in the Cades Cove area of the Great Smoky Mountains National Park. Most of the day included hiking, but also down times while visiting waterfalls and watching deer in the cove’s fields. It was a snow covered day, even in the valley of East Tennessee and the hikes included a variety of elevation gains and losses. There was an off and on light snow and temperatures ranged from below freezing in the shade to above freezing in the sun with melting snow falling from trees. When the sun was not out, and after dusk, the temperature immediately dropped.
The third test was rock climbing in Knoxville’s Ijams Crag. It was cold with a light snow, but little accumulation, on the rocks with off and on winds and occasional gusts. A great day to find any weaknesses in the insulation!
The Salewa Hybrid 2 Men’s Jacket with Primaloft is great for alpine settings. It has insulation in the front and back torso, shoulders, and areas you need to hold heat. This jacket also gives a water-resistant, non-insulated, and breathable fabric for the sides, underarms, and sleeves. Simply put, this jacket has exceptional insulation where you need it and a water-resistant fabric where you do not need insulation.
The weight of Salewa’s Hybrid 2 Men’s jacket is outstanding and I am impressed how tight it will pack down! I have seen many companies remove “needed” insulation to make a jacket lighter, but not this one. The jacket is light with insulation where you need it, including the hood that is fully insulated and adjustable for comfort.
When melting snow fell from trees, the water-resistant fabric all areas, insulated or not, kept my skin dry. The Primaloft insulated hood, which adjusted for comfort, protected my head and neck from the wet snow.
If you need to stretch your arms out to scramble on rocks or debris, rock climb, ice climb, or mountaineer, the stretchable fabric on the sleeves and elastic binding on the end of the sleeves work to keep your arms and wrist warm and dry. While climbing, the sleeves stayed on my wrist, keeping snow and ice from reaching the inside of my sleeves and off my wrists. There is nothing worst than having snow or ice fall on your exposed wrist or up your sleeve while rock or ice climbing! That was not an issue with this jacket. I felt warm on comfortable on the climbing wall without any exposed areas. The windproof flap behind the zipped works flawlessly, even during times of heavier wind gusts. The protection and warmth on this jacket is fantastic.
• An athletic forming fit and true to size.
• The fitted insulated hood is adjustable to your comfort
• Warm where you need it
• Breathable
• Water resistant
• Primaloft Insulation
• Smooth and secure zippers
• Extremely lightweight
• Windproof flap on front zipper
• Chest pocket for easy access to important items
• Elastic binding on the sleeve ends to keep wind and elements out
• Stretchable sleeves for comfort while active or stretching arms
To find a con, I really had to look hard!
• The jacket wicks water away from your body so well, sweat ends up on the back of the jacket and your backpack. Yes, I am getting into very minor things here!
• If you are not very active in this jacket, you can feel coolness on the sleeves in cold and hard winds. But, this jacket is designed to be active in. I only felt this coolness on the sleeves while doing a photo shoot of someone in high winds and only after not being active for about 10-minutes.
Salewa is sticking to a similar model as they did to introduce its boots. That includes offering apparel at strategic independent retail partners across the country and online. In my home base of Knoxville, River Sports Outfitters already has the apparel in stock. Other specialty retailers across the United States offer it, or will offer it as the company expands its markets. Rock Creek in Chattanooga plans to offer the line in 2018. Below are some retail locations to purchase the Salewa Hybrid 2 Men’s Jacket.
• Salewa’s Website: LINK
• Amazon.com: LINK
• Backcountry.com: LINK
• Moosejaw: LINK
Salewa is a family-owned company with exceptional products and a high standard for quality. They have been popular in Europe and other areas in the country for many decades. In the last few years, Salewa has been introducing its footwear line in the United States. In 2017, it introduced its apparel to a select group of independent retail partners in the United States. You can visit their website online at Salewa.com.
Comments / 1
December 14, 2017 at 7:14 pm
Good read and well-written article. Jacket looks good.