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Reviews > Clothing > Jackets and Vests > Outdoor Research Mens Logic Jacket > Bob Sanders > Test Report by Bob SandersOutdoor Research Logic Jacket
Test Series by
Bob Sanders
PERSONAL INFORMATION
Name: Bob Sanders Age: 49 Gender: Male Height: 6 ft 1 in (1.85 m) Weight: 200 lb (91 kg) Email: sherpabob(at)mac(dot)com City: Boulder, Colorado USA Backpacking Background: I went on my first backpacking trip as a Boy Scout at the age of 16. Over the years I have hiked the Wonderland Trail in Washington and section hiked parts of the Florida Trail and the Appalachian Trail. In 2003 during a seven week period I hiked 740 mi (1191 km) of the Pacific Crest Trail. Best vacation I ever took. I continue to backpack and hike year round in the Colorado mountains. I have evolved from a heavyweight backpacker to a lightweight backpacker. My three day summer solo adventures (using a hammock) have me hovering around a 12 lb (6.8 kg) base weight. However while backpacking in the winter I will be using a tent and additional clothing. So my base weight will climb to approx. 17 lb (7.7 kg)  _______________________________________________________________
PRODUCT INFORMATION & SPECIFICATIONS Manufacturer: Outdoor Research Year of Manufacture: 2007 Manufacturer's Website: www.orgear.com MSRP: US$99 Listed Weight: 18.9 oz (536 g) Size Large Measured Weight: 22.1 oz (627 g) Size Extra Large Size tested: Extra Large Colors available: Black, Cayenne and Tarmac Manufactures description (From Website): The Logic offers a solution to the majority of conditions you’ll face above treeline. Ample stretch and excellent moisture management keep you moving through the steeps. A fleece-like interior provides enough insulation for breaks in sub-freezing temps. Features (From Website): • Double-weave, stretch soft shell fabric; nylon face, brushed polyester interior • DWR finish resists moisture • Drawcord collar adjustment • Double-separating front zipper • Two zippered, mesh-backed pockets and napoleon pocket • MP3-player-compatible napoleon pocket • Dual drawcord hem adjustments Warranty: Infinite Guarantee. Outdoor Research products are guaranteed forever. INITIAL IMPRESSIONS The jacket arrived in a simple plastic bag with 2 hang tags. One is a self adhesive sticker with their logo on it. The other larger tag has a logo on one side and on the other a bulleted list of the other products OR offers, size, color, contact info, warranty and a bar code. No information about the product (fabric, usage or features) at all. Purchasing this jacket from a retail store would leave you with very little information. So I checked out the website to gain as much information as I could. What little information I did gather was vague. The jacket is listed in the "Soft Shell" category with this brief description: "Merging fabric technologies provide unhindered movement and protection for a majority of conditions." Hummm, I could use a little more information here. FABRIC: The fabric appears to be very similar to numerous soft shell fabrics out there like Schoeller Dynamic and Polartec Power Shield but it is not listed as any of them. So the assumption is the fabric is their own proprietary blend. Which is described as "Double-weave, stretch soft shell fabric; nylon face, brushed polyester interior". The fabric is not a nylon fabric laminated or bonded to a fleece fabric. The fabric is woven in such a way that the courser nylon is on one side and the lightly brushed polyester is on the other side. I was surprised to see how thin the fabric really is. If you hold it up to the light very little light comes through, but if you stretch the fabric light does begin to show through. Also it is pretty easy to blow or suck air through the fabric. Nowhere on the website is the jacket listed as wind resistant or wind proof. All of these fabric features lend themselves to great breathability, but this jacket is listed as a shell and a shell should be at least be wind resistant. The manufacturer does say "The Logic offers a solution to the majority of conditions you’ll face above treeline." And above treeline means some sort of wind resistance. So with that said I will be keeping a close eye on wind resistance and breathability. Water Resistance: The fabric has a DWR (Durable Water Repellent) finish applied to resist external moisture. I held my sleeve under a water faucet and the water beaded up nicely and ran off. A quick shake and all the beads were gone. The jacket appears to be very well made with no loose threads or funky stitches. FIT & SIZING: I asked for and received an extra large based on the OR sizing chart on their website. I have a 46 in (117 cm) chest measurement which is listed as an XL. They do not list a range, only a single measurement. The jacket is form fitting with not a lot of room underneath for additional insulation. I tried the jacket on with only a lightweight Merino Wool long sleeve top and the Logic jacket was snug but not uncomfortable. I then added a Patagonia lightweight wind shirt and that is about all that is going to fit under this jacket. Additional insulation will need to go on top. The fabric is stretchy and moves well with me as I walk around. The sleeve length is perfect for me. With my arms at my sides the sleeves come to about the middle of the back of my hands. That means my gloves are covered and when I raise my hands above my head the sleeves don't expose my wrists. One concern I do have is the cuffs do not have any elastic or closures of any kind. The cuffs do not seal around the wrists in any way. The length of the jacket covers the top 3 in (8 cm) of my pants in front and nearly 5 in (13 cm) in the back. I have a long torso, so this is pretty good coverage for me. On each side of the bottom hem is a single-handed draw cord (See below) to cinch the hem tighter. A single-handed draw cord is also included on the back of the collar. Lots of draw cords to reduce drafts, except on the sleeves.  POCKETS: There are 2 hand warmer pockets and one chest pocket each with zippers. The zippers on all the pockets are not sewn on but bonded to the fabric. All of the pockets are lined with a mesh fabric. The mesh is attached to the inside of the hand warmer pockets in such a way as to leave an additional pocket on the inside to store a hat or other items (See photo below). The chest pocket is designed to accommodate an MP3 player. There is a hole or port on the inside to allow a pair of headphones to pass through (See photo below). Plenty of room for a camera or glasses but goggles will not fit.  For the past 2 months this jacket has seen a lot of use. I have used it backpacking, hiking and walking the dog. I have worn it to work and to the grocery store. Other than when the weather has been extremely cold this jacket has been with me. Either on my back or in my pack. LOCATIONS & FIELD CONDITIONS: During February and March temperatures have been between 60° and 0° F (16° and -18° C) and I have used the jacket at elevations between 5000 and 9000 ft (1524 and 2743 m). I have worn this jacket on day hikes to climb Mt Sanitas (numerous times), Green Mountain, Boulder Peak and on trails in Rocky Mountain National Park. I squeezed in one 3-day 2 night backpacking trip in late March. I was waiting for the weather to warm up a bit, especially at night. During the day temperatures were between 50° and 55° (10° to 16° C) and temperatures at night did reach 0° (-18° C) very briefly. I was wearing the jacket to sleep in. Come to think of it I was wearing every piece of clothing I brought with me. PERFORMANCE: Depending on layering this jacket has been comfortable over a wide range. My typical layering combination is the jacket worn over a mid-weight wool long sleeve top. This combination breathes well and is comfortable while hiking strenuously in temperatures between 25-50° (-4° to 10° C). Unzipping the jacket as I warmed up kept the sweat at bay. Above 50° (10° C) the jacket is just too warm to wear while hiking. While just hanging around camp or periods of inactivity this combination seems to be comfortable to about freezing. On several occasions while hiking, light snow was falling. The snow that did accumulate on the jacket melted, beaded up, rolled off or evaporated. I never noticed the jacket wetting out. The jacket breathes extremely well and moisture was never a problem. The only place I noticed any accumulation of moisture was on my back while wearing a pack. This moisture was usually dry within an hour or so. I have not experienced any rain yet, only light mist and snow. The jacket does offer some wind resistance. Most of the wind I have experienced has been medium to light. I did not become chilled in a light breeze. The front zipper was a little tight and hard to get started at first. It has now loosened up and works fine. The pockets are large enough to store gloves and keep my hands warm. I even borrowed my sons iPod, threaded the earphones through the slot at the top on the inside and went for a hike. The iPod was accessible and the earphones were comfortable. I think I looked like a Secret Service Agent with the concealed earphones. SUMMARY: This jacket is usable over a wide range of temperatures and conditions. It breathes well and dries quickly. The fabric is durable and after 2 months of use it looks brand new. I have not washed it yet and it still does not exhibit any funky odors. The Logic has a simple clean design that looks as good on top of a mountain as in the local pub. Not much has changed in the last two months except for the weather. Temperatures have been unseasonably warm. With the rise in temperatures I have been wearing the jacket less and less. The only precipitation I experienced was while playing Frisbee Disc Golf. It was a light drizzle and we decided to continue playing. The temperature was approx. 60° F (15° C) and I stayed warm and dry for the 2 hours we played. LOCATIONS & FIELD CONDITIONS: During April and May daytime temperatures have been between 60 and 85° F (15° and 29° C) and nighttime temperatures have been between 40 and 60° F (4° and 15° C) I have continued to use the jacket on day hikes but only in the morning when the temperatures are cool enough. I brought the jacket with me on a 3 day 2 night backpacking trip to Brainard Lake in the Indian Peaks area in late May. There were still patches of snow on the ground but the daytime temperatures were quite warm. The only time I used the jacket was at night while sitting around camp and in the mornings. DURABILITY: The jacket is holding up quite well. I have washed the jacket once in cold water and hung it up to dry. Washing the jacket has not effected the water repellency. I had some minor dirt and mud on the elbows and bottom hem that washed out completely. The only area the jacket is showing any wear is on the inside of the lower back. This is where my pack rests on my back just above my hips. The fabric on the outside shows no sign of wear. It's the soft, brushed fabric on the inside that is pilling and showing some very minor signs of wear. FINAL SUMMARY: I like this jacket. In the 4 months of testing I have used this jacket in a wide variety of temperatures and conditions. For me, this is a cold to cooler weather jacket. It breathes well and has a wide comfort range. While hiking or backpacking it is comfortable to about 50° F (10° C) Above that I begin to overheat. I would not carry this jacket during the summer months. This jacket seems to be well suited for colder, dryer climates like Colorado. It handles snow and light rain extremely well. The jacket is only water resistant, so I would not use it in a down pour. It has proven durable and it fits me well. The only downside I have about the Logic jacket is the weight. As a lightweight backpacker 22.1 oz (627 g) is a lot of weight for a single jacket. I already have lighter alternatives for warm to cool weather. So with that said I am more likely to include this jacket on colder trips that are below freezing. With the right combination of layers this jacket would have a comfort range of between 32 and 0° F (0 and -18° C). It breathes so much better than a Gortex jacket and handles the snow with no problem. It can be used as a shell layer and a mid layer. I would like to thank Outdoor Research and BGT for the opportunity to test this jacket. _______________________________________________________________
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