Reviews > Clothing > Jackets > Columbia Sportswear Slipstream Windshell > Test Report by David Wilkes

Image courtesy of Columbia Sportswear

COLUMBIA SLIPSTREAM WINDSHELL
TEST SERIES BY DAVID WILKES
INITIAL REPORT - April 28, 2008
FIELD REPORT - To be Determined
LONG TERM REPORT - To be Determined

TESTER INFORMATION

Biography:
I started backpacking about 13 years ago when I moved to Washington State. Since then, I have backpacked in all seasons and conditions. I have usually only managed time for 1-3 trips a year averaging 2-5 days, and as many day hikes as I can. I am currently getting into condition to summit some of the higher peaks in Washington, Oregon, California. I prefer trips on rugged trails with plenty of elevation gain. While I continuously strive to lighten my load, comfort and safety are most important to me. My current pack is around 30 lbs (14 kg), not including consumables.

INITIAL REPORT

PRODUCT INFORMATION & SPECIFICATIONS

INITIAL IMPRESSIONS

The jacket is a very light and thin windbreaker with a full-length front zipper, two external side pockets and a simple collar, no hood.

Zipper Puller

My first impression was how light the jacket was and how soft the material is. The second thing I noticed was the zippers. The sliders are rather small but seem to be of high quality, with a relatively oversized zipper puller. The zipper puller is made of some type of rubber and contoured to fit nicely between my two fingers, with a bit of a rough texture that felt like it would not slip even if my fingers were wet and/or cold. The puller easily accommodates the attachment of a third party zipper pull (see photo). The front zipper feels smooth and firm, and extends all the way up to the top of the collar. When fully zipped the collar leaves plenty of room for movement and/or insulation such as a turtleneck. 

With the jacket on over a tee shirt, the sleeves are long enough to reach to the base of my thumb, which is something I like. This length is probably due to my choosing a size larger than the sizing chart says I need. They are long enough that I am not concerned with them riding up during use or being too short when worn over fleece, but not so long as to be annoying. The cuffs have a half circle piece of stretchy (Lycra like) material. On me, the cuffs are loose enough that I had no trouble pulling them back to look at my watch, and the length allowed the cuffs to reach the base of my thumbs where they look like they will work well keeping drafts out, and should easily fit over light to mid weight gloves.

The two external (hand warmer) pockets use the same zippers as the front of the jacket, and for me are placed in just the right location and are very roomy. Since they are lined with mesh, it looks like the pockets could be opened to provide ventilation. The pocket liners are sewn into the jacket on the bottom and sides so that the mesh liners form internal pockets that are open on the top. The left side interior pocket has an additional pocket held closed with two oval patches of hook-n-loop fasteners (kind of like a "Napoleon pocket", only at my belly rather than up on my chest). The opening of this pocket has a symbol and the word "PACKABLE."

Jacket stuffed in pouch

This is the built-in compartment for storing the jacket as a small pouch. Initially, in looking at the relationship of the jacket and this pocket, it was not entirely clear at first how getting it into the pocket is accomplished. Nevertheless, after a bit of pondering, I was able to turn the pocket inside out and stuff the jacket inside. When I had the jacket packed, I noticed a small loop made out of the same material as the jacket sticking out of one corner of the pouch. I expect I might put a small carabineer through it to make it simple to clip to my pack. The jacket fit much more loosely in the pouch than I had expected and feels like it just might make a small but comfortable pillow measuring around 9.5 X 8 in (24 X 20.5 cm). The pouch is small and flexible enough that I expect I will be able to find a place for it in (or on) my fully stuffed pack, or even in the cargo pockets of my pants.

The material of the jacket is very thin, but feels tough. It has a very faint checked pattern (embossed?) in it. The jacket has no lining. In most of my jackets, I prefer a liner as the material can feel cold against bare skin. The material this jacket is made from did not feel cold against my bare skin at all. I will be interested in how it feels when I put it on over bare arms on a chilly morning. The material under and behind each sleeve is the same stretchy material used in the cuff. This seems to allow quite a bit of freedom of movement.

The stitching and all other details of the jacket look to be of exceptional quality. Examination of the entire jacket, inside and out, revealed no obvious flaws or anything that causes me concern with the quality of the materials or workmanship.

Front Detail

Columbia Logo

The word "TITANIUM" is stenciled in gray on the left breast pocket, and the word "Columbia" (along with a logo) is stenciled in the same color near the bottom of the jacket just under the right external pocket. On each side of the jacket near the bottom and just slightly to the rear are stenciled two groups of reflective dots that roughly form a triangular pattern. 

Note the stretch material inserts in the back of the jacket. The flash of my camera makes these stand out, and are not nearly as visible to the eye as they seem in this picture.

TESTING STRATEGY

I plan to focus my testing on the manufacturer's claims of its versatility, packability, lightweight and water and wind resistance.
Some of the key items I will be looking at will be the quality and dependability of the materials and construction, especially in regards to things like the zippers (do they let wind or rain in, or are they strong enough?) and seams (are they strong enough and/or do they cause chafing?). Also, the manufacturer claims that it is not only water resistant, but also breathable. I am interested as to how well it breathes when worn while active in rapidly changing conditions. After examining the design of the jacket, I will be looking to see how effective the Lycra like material that is under and behind the sleeves is at resisting wind and rain vs. how effective it is at allowing a full range of motion during various outdoor activities and providing ventilation.

Of course being an article of clothing, fit and mobility is very important. I am curious to see if the jacket restricts movement while wearing a pack, especially when reaching overhead such as climbing over an obstacle (tree, rock, etc).

I plan to use it as my primary jacket in most of my outdoor activities (work and personal), including hikes and backpacking. I expect that despite the pending warmer weather, I will have plenty of exposure to chilling winds (possibly below freezing) and some precipitation, especially when I venture out to some of the exposed ridges (3000 ft/900 m and higher) in the area. During the time of this test, besides some local hikes (Washington Cascades) and backpacking, I expect to wear (or at least carry) this jacket on a day hike to Bishop pass (12000 ft/3700 m pass in California's Eastern Sierra's), a climb of Mt. St. Helens, and maybe (weather dependent) even during a summit attempt on Mt. Shasta (14000 ft/4200 m).

With the local weather still getting below freezing at night with chilly and sometimes windy mornings, I am considering wearing the jacket on a morning (3 mi/5 km) run to see just how well it vents and manages perspiration. However, it will have to be an especially cold morning.

Signature

This concludes my Initial Report. I would like to thank Columbia Sportswear and folks at BackpackGearTest.org for giving me the opportunity to test this product. The Field Report will be amended to this report in approximately two months from the date of this report. Please check back then for further information.

Reviews > Clothing > Jackets > Columbia Sportswear Slipstream Windshell > Test Report by David Wilkes