Reviews > Clothing > Jackets and Vests > Adidas Terrex Agravic Alpha Windbreaker > Test Report by Kurt Papke

Adidas Terrex Agravic Alpha Hooded Shield Windbreaker

Test Series by Kurt Papke

Initial Report - March 4, 2017

Field Report - May 31, 2017

Long Term Report - August 8, 2017

Tester Information

Initial Report

What I expect from a windshirt is: keep the wind off, provide some warmth (though I always wear base/mid-layers beneath in the evenings), feel soft against my skin when I wear it over a T-shirt, and be as light and compact as possible.  I expect some protection from brief rain 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 Agravic Alpha Hooded Shield Windbreaker as "the jacket".  It is a lightweight zippered front hooded garment with insulation only on the front, not on the back nor the sleeves.  The materials of the jacket are quite high-tech: Pertex has very good water resistance for its weight, and the Polartec alpha is fairly new to the market.

I have two other windshirts, one has no insulation at all, and one has insulation throughout the garment. This one packs down to a size roughly midway between my other two, which is pretty much what I expected given that it is only partially insulated.

• Upper left: yours truly wearing the jacket.
• Upper middle: the insulated versus non-insulated sections of the jacket are obvious when held up to the light.  In the upper part of the photo is a portion of a non-insulated sleeve, and the bottom of the photo is a piece of the insulated chest portion of the jacket.
  
• Upper right: hood size adjustment.
  
• Lower left: waistline adjustment.
  
• Lower middle: the pocket to pack the jacket into is labeled on the inside.
• Lower right: the stuffed/packed jacket.
  

• Front zip pocket with inner compartment.
• Full zip; High collar for coverage; Volume-adjustable hood.
• Elastic cuffs; Drawcord-adjustable elastic waist
• Packs into inner pocket
• Slim fit
  

Initial Inspection

Trying it out

I wore the jacket on a cool, windy morning on a car trip.  It kept me nice and toasty, and was comfortable worn in the car for several hours.

Summary

Things I Like So Far:

• Lightweight.
• Great fit.
• Feels good against my skin.
• Attractive.
  

Things That Concern Me Upfront:

• Nothing

Field Report

Field Experience

Miller/Turkey Creek Loop

This was a three-day backpack into the Rincon Mountains that make up the Saguaro National Park East Unit.  This is a great hike as it is one of the few substantial loop hikes in the area, with only a short road walk between the two trailheads to complete the loop.

Conditions were perfect for a windshirt or windbreaker: moderate temperatures, no rain (though we had snow), and high winds with gusts to an estimated 30 MPH (48 KPH).  I wore the jacket on and off throughout the trip including sleeping in it both nights.  It did a great job of keeping me warm when the winds picked up, yet with the light color I didn't overheat too quickly in the sun.  I learned to appreciate the high collar that kept the wind off my neck - I have a tendency to have throat problems if my neck gets cold.  Raising and lowering the hood was a great way to adjust heat retention under changing conditions, as was opening and closing the zipper.

I used the jacket as a modest vapor barrier when sleeping at night, and to add extra warmth to my head over my beanie.  It worked exceptionally well in that capacity. The only issue I had was a little noise when moving my head around especially from "rustling" noises of the front of the hood brushing against my eyebrows.

I never bothered to stow the jacket in the pocket - when I shed the garment when things got too warm, I just folded over a couple of times and tied it down under the top strap of my pack.

Overall, I was a happy camper with the jacket.  Several of my fellow campers even remarked at how attractive the garment is.

Grand Falls, Devil's Bridge

This was a 2-night car camping and day hiking trip to a little-visited waterfall, and a highly-visited arch near Sedona, Arizona.  We camped both nights at dispersed campsites in the Coconino National Forest.  I used the jacket over an insulation layer (down vest) in the evenings and morning for extra warmth, and while hiking around Grand Falls as it was pretty windy and a little cool.  I did not need to wear it while sleeping on this trip.  The jacket shed the wind well, and provided much needed warmth in the mornings and evenings.

I managed to slobber spaghetti sauce on it the second night.  When I arrived home I threw it in the washing machine and it came out absolutely immaculate, no signs of tomato stains.

Morse and Echo Canyons

This was a car-camping trip to the Chiricahua Mountains of southeastern Arizona.  The nights were cool, and I wore the jacket every night around the campfire. The wind did not die down much after dark, so I was happy to have the wind protection afforded by the jacket.  The mornings were chilly, so I took it with me on both hikes to Morse Canyon and Echo Canyon, the latter in the National Monument.  In both instances I wore it until I warmed up to the point where I didn't need it, then stashed it in my day pack.

The photo at left is the top part of the jacket with Echo Canyon in the background.  Note that I was not using the hood at this time, nor did I require it at any time during this trip.

Canyonlands

This was an epic 6-day tour of Monument Valley, Valley of the Gods, Gooseneck State Park, and Canyonlands NP White Rim Trail by Jeep.  I used the jacket twice/day, in the early morning and late evening hours.

The not-so-attractive photo of myself wearing the jacket with the hood up (at right) shows another use for a hood: bug protection.  Our campsite that night was down near the Colorado River (note the green vegetation in the background), and the mosquitoes were absolutely horrendous.  This photo was taken in the morning light, but the night before the mosquitoes and gnats drove us into our bugnet-protected tents right after dinner.  The jacket hood kept the insects out of my ears and off my neck, but my ankles, face and hands (any exposed flesh) was getting stung.

Bottom line: you don't just buy and carry a jacket for warmth and staying dry, they are also important weapons in your arsenal against bugs.

Summary

I love this jacket.  It is lightweight and compact, provides a good amount of warmth and wind protection.  It is an extremely attractive garment.

My only issues are that (1) the color I chose does show the dirt quite quickly, but it washes up beautifully, and (2) the zipper gets caught more than I'd like it to.  Most jackets have some zipper snags, but this one is pretty predictable.  I have to be very careful zipping it up.

Long Term Report

Field Experience

San Juans

This was a 9-day car camping trip to the mountain trails between Durango and Silverton Colorado.  We hiked every day that we were not driving to/from Tucson.  My favorite hike was the stroll up to Ice Lake where the following photo was taken:

This photo illustrates how I would unzip the front of the jacket to ventilate a bit when exerting at high levels and/or the conditions would warm up a bit.  In this case, the jacket was worn over only a thin baselayer.

This week had perfect conditions for use of a windshirt: wind, rain and high temperature fluctuations.  I found that taking a 200-wt fleece as a layer beneath the Terrex windshirt gave me incredible flexibility for weather conditions.  It typically was around 50F (10 C) in the early morning hours when we set out.  Once the sun came up it warmed quickly, and I could shed the fleece but keep the jacket until it warmed even further.

We experienced the usual Colorado mountain summer rains every afternoon.  I found that the Terrex windshirt would keep me reasonably dry if it was a quick cloudburst, or a longer drizzle.  If it poured for long periods of time the garment would wet through, which is to be expected.

Once again the hood was invaluable.  By putting it up/taking it down I could moderate my warmth quite nicely.  I also struggled with the zipper all week long.  I became rather adept at using a thumb to keep the fabric somewhat out of the zipper path, but it was only partially effective.

At the end of a week of daily wear the jacket looked pretty darn good.  It doesn't shed dirt like a waterproof jacket does, but it stayed pretty clean.  It looked good enough that a lady came up to me on the way down the Ice Lake trail and inquired what the jacket was I was wearing!!

Summary

My bottom line is I will continue to bring this jacket on all my hiking and camping trips where a windshirt is applicable, and I am willing to carry the weight and bulk of the Terrex.  It is a beautiful garment and highly functional.  It would be perfect if Adidas could fix the zipper issue.

Reviews > Clothing > Jackets and Vests > Adidas Terrex Agravic Alpha Windbreaker > Test Report by Kurt Papke