Tester: Andrew Claus
Age: 46
Gender: Male
Height: 5 ft – 9 in (175 cm)
Weight: 150 lb (68 kg)
Sleeve length: 32 in (81 cm)
Chest size: 40 in (102 cm)
Email: andrewclaus@yahoo.com
Home region: Evergreen, Colorado (Front Range foothills of the Rockies)
Date: October 31, 2003

Backpacking Background:

I live and play in the Colorado Rockies. I have section hiked the entire Colorado Trail. I hiked Mt. Washington to Mt. Katahdin on the Appalachian Trail in ’02. I have been backpacking, backcountry skiing, and bike touring for the past twenty years. I have climbed all 54 of Colorado’s “14ers” (14,000 ft/4,260 m peaks). I get out on day trips into the high country at least once a week, year ‘round, and on backpacking trips several times a year, including at least one in the winter. I also do a lot of outdoor travel as a wildland firefighter.

I am a recent convert to a lighter weight style of packing. I’m not a fanatic ultra light packer yet. My pack base weight is about 16 lb (7 kg) and dropping. I use a tarp, a bivy, or no shelter at all.

Product Description:

Manufacturer: Integral Designs
Product: Dolomitti Jacket
Year of manufacture: 2003
URL: www.integraldesigns.com

The product arrived on October 28, 2003. It arrived via US Mail, in perfect condition. It was exactly the product I expected. There was a nice packaging touch—a piece of cardboard under the taped box seam—to protect the jacket from being cut, I assume.

The manufacturer markets this jacket as an “all-season lightweight jacket” to be used alone, as part of a layering system, or even as part of a “Sleep System”.

The jacket I am testing is size medium, color cobalt, with detachable hood. The shell material is Pertex (made in the UK by Perseverance Mills). The insulation is Primaloft. The inner lining is also Pertex, but black in color.

There is no baffling for the insulation on the body or arms. The jacket has a relatively seamless appearance.

The hood is made with three panels. The zippered seam has a flap to shed water. The exterior and interior fabric and color match the jacket body.

There is black “Taslan” nylon reinforcing on the exterior of both shoulders and on the distal posterior (rear lower) arms. There is a trim piece of the same material over the external pocket zippers.

There are two zippered pockets for hands on the outside of the jacket. There is one inside zippered breast pocket. Pocket zippers are nylon coil type, single pull, no fabric ties. There is insulation on both hand pocket surfaces. The pockets are not ventilated to the inside of the jacket.

The main jacket body zipper is a nylon tooth type, with a double pull. There is a nylon cord tied to the upper pull, but not to the lower pull. The hood zipper is the same type and gauge, no ties on the single pull. The main zipper has a flap on the inside, none on the outside.

There is one drawstring at the bottom hem of the jacket (at finger-tip length, for me), and one around the front edge of the hood. Each drawstring is elastic shock cord, and is adjusted using a plastic toggle. Each toggle is anchored to the garment with a short leash. This anchor system appears to allow one-handed operation of the drawstring. By pulling stiffly, one can pull the cord through the toggle. It looks like a nice system, and I’ll see how it works for me in the field.

Wrist cuffs are a black neoprene type material (“Spandura”).

Listed weight is 1 lb – 8 oz (670 g) with hood. Listed packed size is 5 in x 12 in (12 cm x 30 cm) (in Silcoat stuff sack).

Weight as tested is 1 lb – 10 1/2 oz (740 g) with hood. The hood alone weighs 3 5/8 oz (100 g). The stuff sack weighs 5/8 oz (20 g). Tested packed size is 5 in x 14 in (12 cm x 35 cm). I used my kitchen scale, “GoodCook” from Walmart, which measures ounces in eighths.

The jacket hangtags identified the fabric and insulation, but did not include any instructions on fabric or insulation care. The neck tag gives laundry instructions. Information on Primaloft is available on the Integral Designs website. The site warns against excessive compression. (I could not access the Primaloft website.)

From the Integral Designs website on Primaloft:

“Down is more thermally efficient than Primaloft and will outlast it many times over. However, down bags are expensive, they need to be treated with care, kept dry and are difficult to clean.

“Primaloft is manufactured in sheets so it needs less baffling than down. It does not settle as closely around you as does down, so it does not feel as warm as down initially.

“Primaloft does not compress as much as down, so you can get away with a lighter insulating pad.

“Some people are allergic to down. Primaloft is hypo-allergenic.

“Primaloft Sport is a soft durable high loft 100% polyester microfibre insulation. It is thermally efficient, lightweight and compressible, fast drying and water resistant. Primaloft Sport has a warmth to weight (clo) ratio of 0.65. Primaloft is manufactured in sheets of different thicknesses which are serged to the inner and outer shell fabrics and sewn along angular lines to stabilize the insulation. The thicknesses of Primaloft are measured in ounces per square yard (3.0 oz = 0.6" thick; 4 oz = 0.8" thick; 5 oz =1.0" thick).”

This jacket, according to the catalog, uses 5 oz Primaloft (1 in (2.54 cm) loft). (Note: I believe the “ounces per square yard” unit is an international standard, so no conversion is provided.)

A small stuff sack, made of silicone-impregnated nylon, was included (Integral Designs’ Silcoat Stuff Sack, size small). Stuff sack dimensions are 5 in x 14 in (12 cm x 35 cm). The jacket with the hood is a pretty tight fit in the stuff sack.

Initial Report:

The jacket feels pretty warm immediately when putting it on, especially the hood. I don’t have any similar down garments to compare it to, just a down vest which has a lot of air leaks (open arm holes, no drawstrings or elastic). The blurb on Primaloft (above) says that down will feel warmer initially, though. I’ll have to trust that statement, because it makes sense. But this jacket has some nice features for keeping the breeze out, and that seems to help sometimes as much as extra insulation.

When applying for the test, I used the sizing guide on the Integral Designs website. This was easy to follow and worked fine. In the past I’ve had problems buying clothing on line. Sometimes size large works better. I was relieved to find this jacket a good fit. The sleeve and jacket lengths are fine. The body is sized generously enough to fit well over my down vest and fleece sweater.

I can easily detach and reattach the hood while wearing the jacket, at least at home with no wind and barehanded.

I’ve always preferred a drawstring located at the waist, instead of at the bottom of the jacket. The waist drawstring seems to make it easier to conserve core body heat when moving one’s lower limbs.

It hasn’t rained here in while. I tried the faucet test on the Pertex fabric, and was impressed with the repellency, at least when new. Then I tried a soaking test. I removed the hood, poured about two cups (1/2 liter) of water in it, and let it sit inverted for 30 minutes. After dumping the water and drying the surface, I weighed the hood. I found that the hood absorbed about one ounce (30 ml) of water. In an indoor environment of about 68 F (22 C) and 40% relative humidity, it took about three hours to return to its dry weight (so who cares?). I guess that means I’d feel pretty comfortable out in the wet weather with this jacket.

The nylon cord tie attached to the main zipper pull looks durable. I always quickly lose the little nylon ribbons I find tied to most zippers.

As mentioned above, the stuff sack is a pretty tight fit. I noticed that it’s a lot easier fit without the hood. I am concerned about insulation breakdown with frequent packing. I probably will not use the stuff sack for the jacket. Most mornings, when I’m traveling uphill, I use my major insulation layer (down vest currently) to keep food and liquids warm (or at least non-frozen) in the pack. The sack will make a nice food bag or clothes bag for short backpacking trips, though.

Initial pluses are: a) it feels warm, b) it looks pretty good, c) I think the hood will be very nice, and d) I’m really looking forward to cold weather use.

Initial minuses are: a) the jacket is heavier and bulkier than a similar down garment, b) the drawstring is at the bottom of jacket instead of at the waist, and c) the fabric and insulation are unknown quantities to me.

Testing Strategy:

I do not have any experience with either Pertex or Primaloft. I hope to put each through its paces this winter. Will the Pertex remain as water-repellent as it is now? Note: In the twenty-four hours since receiving the garment, I’ve already noticed both Pertex and Primaloft mentioned in other manufacturers’ advertisements. I feel like I’ve just awoken from a long sleep or something. But my friends don’t call me “the retro-grouch” for no reason. I seldom invest in such nice garments.

I do not normally use a layer with this much loft. I expect its main use will be during rest stops, and certainly on the occasional winter overnight trip. But I will try it while climbing, to see how it does ventilate, and how it insulates if it does dampen with perspiration.

I will pay close attention to the jacket’s durability at the shoulders and on the lower back. I carry a somewhat heavy (20 lb/10 kg or more) daypack in the winter, and several of my jackets have failed in these areas.

My jackets experience substantial exposure to tree branches on ski descents. I also occasionally carry metal-edged skis with cable bindings over my shoulder. I will evaluate the Dolomitti’s resistance to tear and abrasion.

I will evaluate its performance on winter emergency response calls in my duties as a firefighter. I will not use it as personal protective equipment, though.

I seldom have a chance to get dirty in my winter gear. Snow in the Rockies tends to stay pretty clean. So I doubt I’ll have much chance to evaluate cleaning the jacket. I may need to clean the jacket aggressively after medical calls. If so, I can report on any effects on the jacket.

The stuff sack may make a nice gauge for overall insulation breakdown. At the end of the test, I’ll see if the jacket fits in the sack any looser than it does now. I’ve always noticed that phenomenon with a synthetic sleeping bag. By the time you give it to the dog, you can just about fit two bags in the old stuff sack that used to be tight.

I will pay attention to and report on drawstring operation and effectiveness. I often find some deep powder in the trees and gullies on my backcountry ski descents, sometimes by surprise. I always manage to find creative ways to pack that powder into my clothing when I fall. Drawstrings have become important in my life. So have cuffs—I’ll see how these work in the same conditions.

And lastly, I’ll see if the Dolomitti performs well as a food and drink insulator in the pack. It’s a little quirk of mine in the morning to put a bottle of boiled water in a nest of insulation, put lunch on top, and then cover with more insulation. Using my down vest, for the first two or three hours the water is still too hot to gulp. And it’s a real treat to have a hot lunch. One memorable trip, hunched below a snow cornice in a January blizzard at 12,000 ft (3,600 m), I shared steaming hot homemade pizza with my partner. What a treat!

Thank you very much for the opportunity to test this garment.

Read more reviews of Integral Designs gear
Read more gear reviews by Andrew Claus

Initial Report

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