Reviews > Clothing > Jackets > Ibex Icefall Jacket > Dennis Shubitowski > Initial Report

Initial Report - IBEX Icefall Jacket

I began backpacking in the early 1990s. I hike in every season including winter, and I also enjoy other outdoor activities like hunting, canoeing and riding horses. My beginning pack weights were monstrously heavy, but now my average three-season load for a multi-day trip, including food and water, is usually less than 25 lb (11.3 kg). Gear that I carry tends to be the lightest I can go without sacrificing comfort or convenience.

Product Information <back to top>

Packaging/Website <back to top>

The jacket arrived safe and sound in a smallish plastic envelope. For some reason, this really surprised me. The package was very light and seemed almost too thin for a "jacket" to be inside. When I opened the envelope, I saw that I received the Rock Red color that I specified and the jacket was packed in a plastic sleeve. I removed the jacket from the packing and examined it. It is a beautiful and meticulously constructed jacket - I am very impressed. There is a hangtag attached via a cable tie to the coat hook with two cards. A round, orange card identifies the jacket as an "IBEX Climawool Lite Wool Softshell" on one side with a description of Climawool Lite on the opposite. Climawool Lite is a new "softshell performance fabric" advertised to have many desirable properties - lightweight, "ultra-breathable", and packable with "superior temperature regulation" for activities like hiking, cross country skiing and snowshoeing. The second product card is a more general card but says much of the same thing and also includes that the jacket resists water and wind, is machine washable and is durable. The card also lists the IBEX warranty which is guaranteed for life against any manufacturing and material defect; damage caused by misuse will be repaired or replaced for a reasonable fee. Also included in the package is a genuine thank you card for "taking IBEX with you."

IBEX has a very nice website that is simple to navigate. Their clothing is divided up on the site by gender and category and it uses Flash to navigate around. One minor complaint was that I could not view all the products at once but only by category. I knew where I could find the jacket (Climawool category), but I just wanted a list of all the products in one place so I could see what else they offered. On the page for the Icefall, it gives a short description of the jacket and intended uses, and the page is well done with all the color and sizing options readily available and easy to navigate. The color of the jacket I received is not exactly like what is pictured on the website. The Red Rock color is a different hue and seems lighter and more red on the site than in person. The jacket is almost tile or rust red in color - it is not unattractive by any means, just different. This color difference should not be due to the color balance on my computer monitor as my monitor is color balanced with commercial imaging software.

Initial Report <back to top>

This is my second article of softshell clothing but the first major article to say the least. I also own and love a Schoeller beanie cap (not from IBEX) that I have had for over a season now. I immediately thought this jacket was my cap in jacket form. I pulled the beanie out and found they were remarkably similar inside and outside by look and feel (minus the tassel of course). This jacket does not have any insulation per se like one might think a "jacket" would - it is a textured but smooth, almost polyester-feeling fabric on the exterior lined with a very fine wool on the inside. This is not the type of jacket you would put on for a main, puffy insulation layer but instead would wear for active outdoor use as an outer layer. I checked the jacket all over and saw nary a stitch out of place; this jacket is sewn with great and meticulous detail. This is probably one of the nicest articles of outdoor clothing I have ever seen.

The jacket is fairly spartan in features, but there is plenty to examine as far as the details go. There are two hand pockets on each side that are slightly angled with about a 7.5 inch (19 cm) opening. I can comfortably fit my hand up to my wrist inside the pocket. The pocket is not closed but instead has an opening at the top that is accessible from the inside. The Napoleon pocket is about 5.5 inches long (14 cm), straight up and down and an inch (2.5 cm) to the left (while wearing) of the main zipper. This pocket is about 4 inches (10 cm) deep and is rectangular in shape. All zippers open from top to bottom (ie when the zipper is at the top the pocket is closed) and are a quality YKK coil-type. Each zipper has about a 1.5 inch (3.8 cm) grey pull tab threaded through the zipper tab with a soft and squishy object at the end of the pull tab that makes it easy to grab. This is a very nice detail. The Climawood Lite material closes around each zipper on the pockets to cover it and help protect it from water penetration - the main zipper has more of a flat front without this covering. There is a storm flap behind the front zipper that is 1.25 inches (3 cm) wide. The main zipper is 24 inches (61 cm) long with the zipper receiver on the right side (while wearing) like most all men's clothing zippers (and buttons) in the United States. The wrist on each sleeve is sewn half-way around with elastic. The unstretched wrist opening is about 7 inches (18 cm) around and about 9.5 inches (24 cm) when stretched out. The cuff ends are 3/4 inch (2 cm) wide and there is also a 3/4 inch (2 cm) hem at the bottom of the jacket. This bottom hem has two draw cords with barrel locks - one below each pocket on each side of the zipper - that can be tightened or loosened with one hand to draw the hem around my waist. On the back of the coat in the middle, embroidered in blue, is a 2 inch (5 cm) ibex from the IBEX logo.

The inside of the jacket is lined with a finely napped wool material that is the same red color as the exterior and smooth and soft to the touch. The inside of the collar is a navy blue they call Deep Royal. There is a lime green coat loop at the usual spot along with a tag that declares the size and origin (M, Made in China of Imported Materials). The pocket material is visible on the inside of the jacket and it is a heavy black fabric mesh that is the same for all pockets. The material looks similar to material I have seen used in external mesh pockets on some backpacks. As mentioned above, the hand pockets are open at the top (5 inches/13 cm wide) for access from either side of the jacket. There are two tags - one sewn on each pocket. One tag is a IBEX product tag while the other is the materials and care instructions: Climawool/Climawool Lite (74% Nylon, 20% Merino Wool, 6% Spandex), machine wash in lukewarm water up to 30 C (88 F) separately, gentle cycle, inside out using a mild detergent and no bleach or fabric softener. Do not tumble dry - hang or lay flat. Alternatively the jacket can be dry cleaned in any solvent except trichloroethylene.

Fit <back to top>

I relied heavily on the IBEX sizing chart when specifying my size for this jacket. According to IBEX, I was in the near a medium for most factors particular to this jacket chest 39 in/99 cm, waist 32 in/81 cm, neck 15.5 in/40 cm, and sleeve 35 in/89 cm) so that is what I ordered. The jacket fits me very well overall but is more of an athletic-type fit than I am used to wearing. The length is just about right in the sleeve length but is none too long - the sleeve rests comfortably when I am in a relaxed position (like typing right now) but rides up a few inches (~ 6 cm) when I reach over my head or stretch out. The length of the jacket falls just about where the belt for my pants rests, but it does not seem to ride up when I reach up due to articulation in the shoulders. There is also not a lot of extra room underneath the Icefall for layering bulky items. I could not, for instance, wear a bulky 200 weight fleece underneath this jacket. There is some stretch to the jacket as well, but not really enough to comfortably pile over a bulky garment. I have several clothing options for layering with this jacket - Patagonia long sleeve silk weight baselayer, Smartwool lightweight Zip-T midlayer (a very recent purchase), Ex Officio Airstrip long sleeve hiking shirt, a Patagonia Synchilla vest, a light Montane windshirt, and an insulating GoLite Coal jacket. I normally wear these clothes in various combinations in all four seasons depending of course on the weather.

Testing Plan <back to top>

I am really looking forward to this test. This will be my first softshell item (outside of the beanie) that I will wear. In my limited exposure to softshell fabrics, I have found them fairly breathable and wind and water resistant as a general rule. I plan on reporting what clothing combinations I find effective for various conditions throughout the test period as indicated in the Fit section above. I have a trip planned this coming weekend so the jacket starts out right away being used in a crash-course. I usually do several trips during the winter - the more snow and the colder the better. I also do a lot of snowshoeing and cross country skiing during the winter as well, so this jacket will fit the bill perfectly as far as intended use goes. My further testing plan includes updates on the fit and function with various other layers and perhaps by itself, wanting to know how well it sheds the wind and weather, how well it regulates my core temperature along with moisture movement, and finally how well it packs and carries if not using it.

Many thanks to IBEX and BackpackGearTest for the opportunity to test this jacket.

Reviews > Clothing > Jackets > Ibex Icefall Jacket > Dennis Shubitowski > Initial Report