Reviews > Clothing > Jackets > GoLite Wizard > David Sowards-Emmerd > Field Report

Field Report - GoLite Wizard Storm Jacket
January 5, 2004

Backpacking Background:
I began backpacking semi-frequently about four years ago, soon after moving to California. I generally take weekend (1 night) trips, and occasionally take 3-4 day trips. Most of my backpacking experience is at moderate altitude, 6,000'-12,000' (1,800-3,650 m), in conditions ranging from dry desert to hail/heavy snow in the mountains. In winter and spring I split time between Southern California (SoCal) deserts and snowshoeing/skiing/snow camping in the Sierra/Cascades. Summer and fall I tend to stick to the high country. I have reduced my pack weight down to less than 50 lb (23 kg) over the past year - including food/water and a bear barrel. I'm trying to include more mountaineering, climbing and bouldering in my trips.

The product was received on October 6, 2004.

Product Description:
Manufacturer's Website: www.golite.com
Weight: 1 lb 4 oz (570 g) (Men's Size Large)
MSRP: $299.99

Specifications (as measured by tester):
Weight: 1 lb 2.8 oz (532 g) (Men's Size Medium)
Color: Night

The GoLite Wizard is full featured all-around use, waterproof-breathable jacket. For a detailed description of the wizard, see my Initial Report.

Field Use:
Testing Locations:

I've worn the Wizard on my 12 mi (19 km) round trip bike commute to work almost every day since it arrived in conditions ranging from sunny to downpour and temperatures ranging from freezing up to 70 F (21 C), frequently when wearing a daypack. I've also worn this jacket around town and on a few geocaching day trips with my wife during the testing period.

In addition, I wore the Wizard on the following outings:

October 14-17, 2004
Palisade Basin, Inyo National Forest / Kings Canyon National Park, CA
Elevation: 9,800-14,200' (3,000-4,300 m)

This was a mountaineering trip that was put off until later than we hoped in the season. However, the first three days were perfect weather, sunny and around 55 F (13 C) and dropping to just below freezing at night. On the first day, we got a late start and hiked in 10 mi (16 km) to basecamp. I didn't wear the Wizard this day until we arrived at camp. On the 15th, we started out around sunrise and successfully made our way to the summit of North Palisade (Le Conte Route). I wore the Wizard for most of this hike (see photo at summit) and it took quite a lot of abuse from scrambling on the rocks (my lightweight summit pack has quite a few holes in it from this hike). On the 16th, we headed towards Mount Sill, again starting with a sunrise start, and I turned back 2/3 of the way there, beat after not sleeping at all the two previous nights at 12,000' (3,700 m). Again, I wore the Wizard for almost all of this hike. Then the fun began, overnight 6'' (15 cm) of snow fell, covering a treacherous boulder field with snow. Snow kept falling all day and the winds picked up. This was the 'not predicted when we left' storm that stranded many hikers in the Sierra. Due to whiteout conditions, fun with routefinding and generally slow going over car and bus sized snow covered boulders, the hike out took 14.5 hours to cover around 10 mi (16 km). For the first half of the day, I was comfortable in the Wizard worn over a PowerStretch top, lightweight Capilene and an Under Armour sleeveless tee, along with a warm hat and pair of WindStopper gloves. However, as the winds picked up, I had to put on my Feathered Friends Frontpoint Vest (read: very thick down vest) over the Wizard to keep warm. After carrying a 55 lb (25 kg) pack for 14.5 hours, I had a bruise on my left shoulder in addition to hip hickeys. I attributed this to the MP3 player guide loop on the Wizard since I never experienced this before with any pack and only my left side was effected.

November 6-7, 2004
Yosemite National Park, CA
Elevation: 6,000-7,000' (1,800-2,100 m)

This trip was originally intended to be a cross-country ski/snowshoe trip. This worked part of the time on the first day, half skiing and half walking to Tuolomne Grove and then to Gin Flat. The second day, we just gave up and hiked in boots in from the south entrance station to Mariposa Grove. Temperatures ranged from 40-55 F (4-13 C) or so, and the first day was sunny while the second was overcast. I wore the Wizard on almost all of both hikes.

November 20-27, 2004
Donner Summit, CA to Bishop, CA to Death Valley National Park, CA
Elevation: varied!

This was my standard Thanksgiving road trip, ranging from backcountry skiing around Donner Summit and in the high country near Bishop to bouldering around Bishop, canyoneering in Death Valley and a very snowy ascent of Wildrose peak in Death Valley. Temperatures ranged from 15-65 F (-9-18 C) and weather ranged from cold and snowing to clear blue skies.

December 11-12, 2004
Emigrant Lake, Eldorado National Forest, CA
Elevation: 8,000' (2,400 m)

This was a straightforward hike in to camp to dig a snowcave and hike in from camp to a scenic lake. I wore the Wizard during the entire trip, with the exception of sleeping, when it was used as part of my pillow. The hood shifting around (front to back) was a bit annoying while digging the snow cave and I would like to see a rear cinch cord added to the hood to fix this. Temperatures ranged from 30-45 F (-1-7 C) and the weather was beautiful and sunny.

December 18-19, 2004
Wildcat Camp, Point Reyes National Seashore, CA
Elevation: 0-300' (0-90 m)

I wore the Wizard on part of the hike in, most of the hike out, around camp and around a nice evening beach fire. Temperatures ranged from probably 40-60 F (4-16 C) with generally high humidity. I found the SkullGlove and ConvertiCuffs were unnecessary on this trip.

December 25-28, 2004
Wilderness State Park, MI
Elevation: 600' (180 m)

Over the holidays, I cross-country skied around the park with the family on four days as daytrips. On the first three days, temperatures ranged from 15-21 F (-9-6 C), the sky was typically gray, and snow fell during all three days. I found the Wizard to be just about right when layered with a silkweight Capilene long sleeve tee and a short sleeve Power Dry tee for skiing under these conditions. I wore the SkullGlove most of the time, pulling the hood on and off to regulate my temperature a bit. I needed lightweight gloves (occasionally used with the ConvertiCuffs) to keep my hands from freezing. On the last day, the temps fluctuated around freezing, and the ConvertiCuffs alone were sufficient so long as I kept moving. On all four days, I constantly adjusted the pit zips and front pockets for venting.

How the Wizard Performed:

SkullGlove:
Overall, it is a very nice balaclava, however it loses a bit of the typical functionality of a balaclava since it is sewn in to the jacket. It can easily be taken out of the pocket and put on, or tucked back into its pocket, without taking the jacket off. However, it tends to bunch up unless it is carefully packed away. This is mostly noticeable when wearing a pack. Obviously the balaclava adds considerable insulation to my upper back when it is stowed, which is definitely noticeable when pulling out the balaclava in cool weather. The stowed balaclava is quite comfortable when wearing a pack. I often find myself trying to take off the jacket and quickly realizing that I've still got the balaclava around my neck.

Since it is constructed of stretch material it could be a bit smaller. I use it as a base layer, and it tends to shift a lot on my face, both up-and-down and side-to-side. When finished testing, I will probably separate the balaclava from the jacket, but will still use the SkullGlove as a balaclava. This will cut a bit of weight from the jacket for warmer trips where it wouldn't be needed and provide an extra pocket for something.

ConvertiCuffs:
These are a convenient but not very well thought out feature. I've found these very handy for a bit of added warmth when I did not want to dig my gloves out. The ConvertiCuffs are easy to pull out of the sleeves and slip a thumb into, however, packing them back in the sleeves is a bit more cumbersome. The cuffs also get in the way when putting on the jacket, especially when wearing a heavy long sleeve shirt. The thumb hole in the cuffs is a little tight, which makes layering the ConvertiCuffs over even lightweight gloves difficult but doable. Finally, they provide extra (unwanted) warmth in warmer conditions when tucked away, somewhat equivalant to wrist bands. I will definitely remove these when done testing, but ideally would like an velcro type option for either completely removing the cuffs or allowing one side to be split for stowing in the sleeve.

Watch Window:
I do not wear a watch, so I was not planning on including much on the Watch Window. However, this is almost irrelevant since the ConvertiCuffs completely overlap with the Watch Window when tucked into the sleeves (read: cuffs are between the watch and the window). The Watch Window does provide a nice way of visualizing just how much I'm sweating around my forearms as that is where it condenses. This condensation ranges from a fine mist to large droplets, all of which can be wiped away with the cuffs.

MP3 player pocket:
This pocket is a bit small for most MP3 players, but the Creative Labs MuVo I 'borrowed' from my wife fits nicely. My cell phone also fits in this pocket, but is big enough that it is uncomfortable when wearing the jacket. Unfortunately, I have to take the player out of the pocket each time I want to press a button on the MP3 player. Also, the pocket is positioned such that my pack straps go right over it, so I can't comfortably use it when wearing a pack.

Pit Zips:
The pit zips are well located, and vent very well, especially when used in conjunction with open front pockets. However, use of water resistant zippers seems a bit excessive here due to the location of the zippers and converting to a standard zipper would make them easier to zip up with one hand. I often have to hold the arm of the jacket taut via the cuff with one hand and zip or unzip the pit zip with the other hand.

Front Pockets:
The front pockets are excellent overall. Their placement means they are still fully functional when wearing a pack belt. They easily fit gloves and a hat, a map, my GPS, etc.. When not too full, unzipping the front pockets help provide a cross draft in conjunction with the pit zips or decent ventilation on their own.

Hood:
The hood is not big enough to fit over a climbing or cycling helmet. However, it has worked fine underneath both helmets for wind or rain protection. My biggest complaint about the hood is the lack of a cinch cord on rear of the hood. I frequently find the hood sliding forward and blocking my field of view. On two occasions when digging snow caves, the shifting hood was so annoying that I decided that letting snow fall into my jacket was less annoying than putting up with the hood. Otherwise, the hood is just fine for on-trail hiking or hanging around camp.

Wear and Tear:
I'm only noticed a few changes in the jacket. Slight abrasions (due to rock) appeared on the stretch panels on the forearms. More noticeably, all of the water-resistant zippers have began peeling. That is, the urethane 'laminate' coating the outer side of the zipper is peeling away in tiny strips where the two sides of the zipper meet. As far as I'm concerned, this is basically a cosmetic issue and I have not had any problems with water leaking in. Finally, the ConvertiCuffs are pilling up noticeably after considerable use biking and with ski/hiking poles.

Overall: The Wizard has worked well for me for a wide range of conditions. It layers well and the setups I've used have ranged from just a tee shirt underneath to two thermals underneath and a heavy down vest over it. The front pockets and pit zips are excellent, while most of the other features need a bit more refining.

Likes:

• Suitable for a wide variety of conditions,
• Fairly durable so far.
• Fabric breathes well, and good venting allows the jacket to breathe even better.
• Definitely like the front pockets and pit zips.

Dislikes:

• SkullGlove and ConvertiCuffs are not removable.
• Hood needs more shock cord to keep it in place
• The torso length is a little on the short side.

Future Testing:
I don't have many trips planned at the moment, but I expect more of the same over the next four months of testing.

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Reviews > Clothing > Jackets > GoLite Wizard > David Sowards-Emmerd > Field Report