Reviews > Clothing > Jackets > GoLite Wizard > David Sowards-Emmerd > Long Term Report

Long Term Report - GoLite Wizard Storm Jacket
April 25, 2005

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. For details of my first two months use of the Wizard, see my Field Report.

More Field Use:

Jan 15-16, 2005
Yosemite National Park, CA
Badger Pass to Dewy Point
Elevation: 7,000' (2,100 m)
Temperature: Sunny and Cold!

This trip was a quick backcountry ski overnighter. I wore the Wizard for a good fraction of the journey to and from our campsite, as well as around camp at night underneath a down vest.

Jan 28, 2005
Brighton, UT
Backcountry Base Camp at the Outdoor Retailer Show
Elevation: 8,500' (2,600 m)
Conditions: Overcast, snowed Occasionally, probably 20-32 F (-7-0 C)

I wore the Wizard all day while checking out new gear, testing snowshoes, telemark skis and air boards. I think I spent more time falling on the skis than I did standing up, and on more than one occasion had lots of snow enter the Wizard through the open pit zips. I also compared the Wizard side-by-side to a competitor's jackets with similar features with jackets made by Loki (built-in mittens and facemask versus ConvertiCuffs and SkullGlove).

Feb 19-20, 2005
Lodgepole area, Sequoia National Park, CA
Car snowcamping (walk-in) and two backcountry ski daytrips
Elevation: 7,000' (2,100 m)
Conditions: snowing - about 1' (0.3 m) overnight and snowed much of the day on the trail. Temperatures were around freezing during the day and a bit cooler overnight.

I wore the wizard on two backcountry skiing daytrips: a very relaxed stroll around the sequoias, and a quicker trip in to Topakah Falls. Also, I wore the Wizard around camp until around dusk when I switched to something warmer.

March 12, 2005
Tamarack and Echo Lakes, South Lake Tahoe area, CA
Elevation: 7,500-9,500' (2,300-2,900 m)
Conditions: Sunny and around 50 F (10 C)

I carried the Wizard along on this ski daytrip, and found I only needed it at stopping points due to the sun and warm temperature. The next day I left the Wizard in the car since it was definitely not needed.

Also, I have worn the Wizard almost every weekday on my work commute through mid March, and frequently around town on cool or rainy days. As the season has warmed up, I've also taken several trips, travel, backpacking and daytrips, where I opted for a simple windshirt instead of carrying the Wizard due to warm and stable weather.

Washing:
Since it's pretty dirty around the neck, I decided to wash the Wizard as per the instructions. I haven't noticed any damage from washing the jacket, but the dirty areas around the neck are now clean! It took quite a while (more than a day) for the ConvertiCuffs to air dry.

Wear and Tear:
Aside from the urethane peeling around the zippers and ripped excess seam tape, I've only noticed slight abrasions and a tiny pinhole on the sleeves.

Watch Window:
I picked up a Suunto Vector at the Outdoor Retailer show (end of January) and have worn it since. I've used this with the ConvertiCuffs in three different configurations. Obviously, this works best when using the ConvertiCuffs as gloves, and the watch can clearly be seen (except when I'm active and then condensation is an issue), although I sometimes have to rotate the sleeve to see my watch. When not worn as gloves, the cuffs can either be positioned over the watch, in which case the window doesn't help, or the cuffs can be scrunched up between the watch and my wrist. In the latter configuration, I can see the watch, but it's a bit uncomfortable for extended periods of time, and the buttons on the watch tend to get pushed accidentally by the cuffs. With the watch on, I notice myself using the ConvertiCuffs as glove much more often when I don't need the extra warmth.

Conclusions:
Overall, my opinions haven't changed since my Field Report - I still think it's an excellent jacket that just needs a few more iterations on its extra features. It's been great for a wide variety of conditions ranging from high-intensity activity during downpours to cool, breezy peakbagging to sunny snowplay. I've worn the Wizard with anything from just a t-shirt up to a couple light baselayers and a fleece jacket underneath (too tight in the arms, underarms, and chest in this case) and have found it to work very well underneath a down vest for sitting around a snow kitchen at night.

Likes:

• Suitable for a wide variety of conditions.
• Fairly durable, still only minimal wear and tear after 6 months of use.
• Fabric breathes well, and the pit zips, front pockets and double-zip front zipper do an excellent job of venting.
• The front pockets are excellent, perfectly positioned to not interfere with a pack. However, I do feel a little silly walking around with my hands in my pockets when the pockets are that high.
• Overall, comfortable with a pack on.
• ConvertiCuffs and SkullGlove can add quite a bit of warmth in just seconds of reconfiguring the Wizard.

Dislikes:

• SkullGlove and ConvertiCuffs are not removable and can create a lot of extra unneeded warmth.
• MP3 pocket is located right where the pack strap is, the single guide loop doesn't really serve any purpose other than an abrasion point, and I've found I need to take my MP3 player out of the pocket to change songs or adjust the volume (due to all the headphone cord I've got to stuff in the pocket. The pocket did keep my MP3 player dry though when wandering around town in the rain.
• Hood needs a rear adjustment to hold it in place
• The torso length is a little short, so I frequently end up with snow down my pants and muddy spots on my thermal tops (where the jacket pulls up) from the spray of my rear bike tire when biking in the rain .

Modifications and Continued Use:
I will definitely continue to use the Wizard after then end of the testing period. Use will probably only be on trips where I expect cool temperatures when I expect to use the ConvertiCuffs. However, three modifications will be made first. I would remove the ConvertiCuffs due to the added warmth when I don't need it (sweating wrists), but these are so nice and convenient for cooler temperatures so I will just avoid using the Wizard on warmer trips. I will be detaching the SkullGlove from the jacket - I intend to use it still, but I find it's more functional when not connected, and if I know I won't need it on a trip, I can simply leave it behind. Also, I will try to add a much-needed cinch cord to the back of the hood so that I can prevent the hood from falling over my eyes and blocking my view. Finally, I will cut off the headphone guide loop above the MP3 player pocket since for me this is just an abrasion point.

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Reviews > Clothing > Jackets > GoLite Wizard > David Sowards-Emmerd > Long Term Report