Reviews > Clothing > Jackets and Vests > Adidas Outdoors Terrex SkyClimb Jacket > Test Report by Kurt Papke

Adidas Terrex Skyclimb Jacket

Test Series by Kurt Papke

Initial Report - October 14, 2017

Field Report - January 16, 2018

Long Term Report - March 2018

Tester Information

Initial Report

What I expect from a light fleece jacket is: keep the wind off, provide a fair amount of warmth for hiking on cool days (though I always wear base/mid-layers beneath in the evenings), and be as light and compact as possible.  I expect some protection from brief rain or snow showers, the more the better, but I don't expect this to be a rain jacket.

Product Information

I will refer in the rest of this report to the Adidas Terrex Skyclimb as "the jacket".  It is a lightweight, zippered front, hooded garment with a thin layer of "waffle" fleece insulation, and Pertex Equilibrium face fabric in the front.  The materials of the jacket are quite high-tech: Pertex Equilibrium has very good water resistance for its weight, and good breathability.

• Two front zip hand pockets.
• Fitted hood
• DWR finish
• Elastic hem
• Stretch: there is elastane in the hood and sleeves, which makes them stretchy
  

Other observed features:

• Full zip; High collar for coverage.
• Elastic cuffs
  

Initial Inspection

Summary

Things I Like So Far:

• Lightweight.
• Great fit.
• Feels good against my skin.
• Attractive.
• Seems to provide a fair amount of warmth.
• Insulated hood - should allow me to leave my beanie behind for keeping my head warm at night.
  

Things That Concern Me Upfront:

• The zippers were a real issue with the Adidas Windshirt - I will be noting how often these catch on the trim to see if the Skyclimb has a similar problem.

Field Report

West/Middle Fork Loop

Four-day hike up the West Fork of the Gila, over the mountains and down the other side, then back up the Middle Fork to Little Bear Canyon where I crossed back to my starting point.  Night two was the coldest, as I was camped up on top of the canyon rim where the elevation dropped the temperatures, and there was a pretty good breeze blowing all night.

I wore the Skyclimb jacket to bed with me on nights two and three.  I liked having the insulated hood - I sleep in quilts, and it can be difficult to keep my head and neck warm.  It also allowed my head to slide better on my makeshift pillow.

I wore the jacket each morning when starting off for the first hour or so of hiking.  I get an early start, around 7AM, and it is a little dark and very chilly at that time.  The photo at left is on the second morning, just before removing the jacket due to overheating.

While hiking, I find the ideal conditions for the Skyclimb jacket to be around the freezing point, with a light merino wool baselayer underneath.  As soon as the sun gets a little strength, I overheated and had to take the jacket off.

One thing I noticed is that the hood is very snug, and the bottom comes up quite high around my chin.  In fact, I found I could cover my chin in the nighttime hours and keep it warm too!  The only downside was if I wore a beanie hat beneath for extra warmth, the hood was too snug and I had to leave it partially unzipped.

Overall, a very successful first outing with the Skyclimb jacket.  It kept me warm when I needed it, and took up very little bulk in my pack.

Grand Canyon's Hermit/Tonto

Summary

Positives:

1. Adds extra warmth with little weight penalty
2. The fit is great, overall an attractive garment
3. The zippers work great and do not jam up!
4. The hood coverage is wonderful, overall a great feature
5. I like the high neckline that can come up over my chin - great warmth on cold mornings!
   

Areas for improvement:

1. I'm not sure there is an easy fix for the stiction when wearing the Skyclimb jacket over certain garments.  This is always a problem when an insulation layer rubs against another.  With a little experimentation, I determined that long-sleeved fleece are the problem combination - a fleece vest poses no issues and works very well.

Long Term Report

Tonto and Boucher Trails

This was a "check the box" hike of five days and four nights, designed to complete the last of the major Grand Canyon trails I had yet to tread.  I descended from the South Rim along the South Kaibab, and cut over along the Tonto trail all the way to Boucher Creek.  From there I ascended on the Boucher and Hermit trails.  I have now completed all the Grand Canyon trails from the Little Colorado confluence to the Boucher Creek area with the exception of New Hance.

The weather cooperated with my plans, I had near perfect conditions with daytime temperatures warm enough to hike in short sleeves, and nighttime temperatures hovering just above or at the freezing point.  The Skyclimb jacket went on as soon as the sun dipped below the canyon rim in the late afternoon, and stayed on until I went to bed.  I had some pretty good winds the last couple of days of the trip, and the jacket did a great job of shedding the wind.  During the night it was packed into a dry bag to use as pillow cushioning.  I put it on first thing every morning when I emerged from my tent, and typically wore it until the morning sun popped over the canyon rim once again.  The photo below shows me hiking with the jacket on in the early morning hours just as the sky was starting to lighten along the Boucher trail:

Non-hiking Use

I run 4-5 miles every other day, and during the winter it gets surprisingly cold in Tucson at night.  I run early in the morning, right at daybreak.  I have used the Skyclimb jacket at least twenty times to stay warm on my morning run.  I start out with the hood up, then lower the hood once I'm warmed up, then unzip it as the temperatures start to climb with sunrise.  Running also gave me an appreciation for the jacket's pockets - they are handy for my cell phone, gloves, etc.  I didn't really use the pockets when backpacking because they are trapped by my pack hipbelt, but I definitely gained an appreciation for them when running.

Summary

I continue to have issues with the jacket insulation sticking on my clothing underneath when I put it on or take it off.  I was a little surprised on this trip when I wore a nylon hiking shirt that the sleeves would stick to the jacket - I wouldn't have expected that with nylon.  I continue to be pleased with the warmth provided by the jacket; just that little bit of insulation makes it a very versatile garment that can be used across a wide variety of conditions.  The jacket has proven to be remarkably durable - it looks almost as good as the day it arrived despite many cycles through laundering.

The Skyclimb jacket is so attractive, that after the test period I will continue to use it around town, for running and morning walks, etc.  I will likely use it on winter backpacking trips where anticipate blustery conditions that call for a little extra warmth and wind resistance.

Reviews > Clothing > Jackets and Vests > Adidas Outdoors Terrex SkyClimb Jacket > Test Report by Kurt Papke