After years of looking for the one — the proper puffy for mountain climbing and backpacking — I believe I’ve lastly discovered it. Enter The Enlightened Gear Ladies’s Torrid Jacket.
This jacket had been on my radar for some time, largely attributable to my (very wholesome) envy of my housemate’s Torrid. Confession: I could have tried hers on when she wasn’t wanting. A few months in the past, I lastly snagged my very own — a {custom}, color-coordinated masterpiece of lofty, artificial goodness wrapped in silky nylon. Spoiler: it’s value each penny.
Marketed as a long-distance hiker’s dream, the Torrid jacket boasts a stellar weight-to-warmth ratio that appeals to the gram weenies (you recognize who you might be). However what actually units it aside is its artificial insulation, a game-changer that retains its loft and heat even when damp. In brief: signal me up!
Enlightened Gear Torrid Jacket At a Look
- MSRP: $200
- Weight: 9.43 oz (XL w/ hood)
- Fill: 2oz/yd² CLIMASHIELD APEX artificial insulation
- Made in: Winona, MN (the {custom} model is made within the USA; the inventory model is made in Vietnam)
Males’s {custom} Torrid jacket right here.
Picture help by: @laurinwanderland on Instagram
Supposed Use
The Torrid is ideal for ultralight hikers who want a three-season insulating layer that’s heat, versatile, and prepared for every kind of climate. Its lightness and packability imply that it stows simply whenever you don’t want it and delivers the proper cozy hug whenever you do.
Circumstances of Assessment
I couldn’t wait to see if the Torrid would reside as much as its popularity within the Pacific Northwest’s notoriously damp, chilly autumn. Over the course of a number of journeys in October and November — together with the North Cascades, Mount Rainier, and Olympic Nationwide Park — I wore this jacket by way of nearly every thing: clear, crisp days, rainstorms that turned to snow, and sub-freezing post-holing adventures. It didn’t simply preserve me heat — it stored me snug.
Enlightened Gear Torrid Jacket Options
The Torrid stands out from the pack in terms of three-season puffy jackets, due to its considerate options. Through the years, I’ve observed that some manufacturers interpret “ultralight” to imply “stripped-down,” chopping essential options to avoid wasting weight. However Enlightened Gear has by some means cracked the code, delivering a jacket that’s each impressively mild and filled with comfort-enhancing particulars. Right here’s what units it aside:
- Fill: The CLIMASHIELD APEX artificial insulation stays heat even when damp, dries rapidly, and doesn’t shed like down. Good for prolonged adventures or unpredictable situations.
- Cloth: Select between 7D, 10D, or 20D nylon (I went with the middle-ground 10D). The sturdy water-repellent (DWR) coating provides additional safety in moist climate.
- Match: Barely outsized for layering, with sizes XS–3XL and elective tall variations for the long-torsoed amongst us.
- Non-compulsory:
- Cinchable, insulated hood
- Tall torso choice, which provides an extra 2″ of torso size and 1″ of sleeve size
Further options embrace:
- Raglan-style sleeves with diagonal seams for better vary of movement
- Grosgrain “zipper storage” permits the zipper to be comfortably zipped absolutely to the highest
- Zippered insulated handwarmer pockets
- Shock twine waist adjustment (in pocket) for a {custom} match
- Elastic wrist closures to scale back draftiness
Utilization
The Torrid jacket is a mid-weight, three-season insulating layer. Whereas Enlightened Gear doesn’t present an actual temperature score, they recommend it performs effectively in temperatures round freezing. You possibly can prolong its vary by layering beneath or including a shell on high, making it a flexible and important piece for varied situations.
Throughout field-testing for this overview, I wore it in temperatures as little as 30°F throughout a light-weight snow bathe, paired with an artificial base layer and a fleece midlayer. It stored me heat whereas stationary and almost too heat when transferring.
Enlightened Gear Torrid Jacket Execs
Picture help by: @laurinwanderland on Instagram
Ultralight + Heat
The Enlightened Gear Ladies’s Torrid Jacket actually does ship on its promise to offer “heat, wind safety, and moisture resistance at an ultralight weight.” Each time I put this factor on, I can actually really feel the heat radiating again to me, and once I was carrying it I appreciated its sub-10 oz weight.
Consolation
This jacket isn’t simply snug—it truly matches. As a girl with a bigger chest and physique, I can confidently say it’s probably the most snug puffy I’ve ever worn. Through the years, I’ve tried insulated jackets of every kind, from right down to artificial, large manufacturers to small, and nothing has match me like this. I can transfer in it—swinging trekking poles, climbing boulders, or bending to tie my sneakers—with no binding or bunching. It zips over my chest with out squishing the loft and layers fantastically with a base and midlayer beneath, all in my true dimension.
No sizing up, no drowning in cloth. Enlightened Gear nailed it: this jacket isn’t just useful however a pleasure to put on.
Prolonged Sizing Choices
The Ladies’s Torrid Jacket Customized is accessible in true-to-size XS – 3XL sizes, with an extra “tall” choice out there in all sizes. I don’t know of another model providing this vary of sizing in a puffy, particularly not true ladies’s sizing. I’m a really customary ladies’s dimension XL/16-18, and this jacket match me nice in an XL, with room for layering and transferring however with out being saggy or outsized.
Price
At $200, it’s a steal in comparison with rivals that price method extra for related or lesser efficiency.
Sturdiness
I’ve solely owned this jacket for a few months, however I anticipate it to final for years. The sleek cloth resists snags, and the artificial insulation doesn’t shed or lose loft like down. It’s additionally simpler to clean and fewer vulnerable to clumping, so you possibly can clear your Torrid repeatedly with out compromising its efficiency (try EE’s artificial fill washing information HERE).
That mentioned, the Torrid is an ultralight piece of substances, so it requires care to take care of its sturdiness. The {custom} model provides three cloth weights: 7D (lightest and most breathable however much less sturdy and water resistant), 20D (heaviest, with superior sturdiness and climate resistance), and 10D (a balanced center floor, which I examined). EE’s detailed cloth information is value a learn for extra insights (discover it HERE).
Enjoyable
Let’s be sincere — customizing your gear is a serious perk in in the present day’s booming ultralight gear market, and Enlightened Gear delivers with the Torrid Jacket. With 18 outer cloth colours and 14 inside cloth choices, there’s a combo to match any type. Bear in mind, although, that some colours are restricted to particular cloth weights, and your selections can barely influence the jacket’s remaining packed weight.
Enlightened Gear Torrid Jacket Cons
Lead Time
Customized orders can take as much as 9 weeks — so plan forward. The non-custom variations ship sooner, often in three enterprise days.
Packability
Artificial fill doesn’t compress as a lot as down, however the Torrid nonetheless packs sufficiently small for many wants. This jacket will take up very barely more room in your pack than a comparably sized mid-weight down puffy.
Form
EE isn’t going to win any awards for “most flattering” with this jacket. One pal who assisted me with taking pictures for this overview likened me to Violet Beauregarde post-gum-chewing once I first put it on. However hey, heat + operate > trend, amirite?
General Impression
The Enlightened Gear Ladies’s Torrid Jacket is every thing I hoped it could be. Light-weight, heat, and filled with options, it’s my new go-to for every thing from thru-hikes to day hikes. The value level seals the deal, particularly throughout gross sales like their present “Black November” promo (20% off, bringing the associated fee to $160).
In case you’re available in the market for an ultralight, weather-ready puffy with top-notch customization choices, the Torrid deserves a spot in your gear record.
Store the Ladies’s Enlightened Gear Torrid Jacket
Store the Males’s Enlightened Gear Torrid Jacket
Picture help by: @laurinwanderland on Instagram
Comparable Objects
Patagonia Micro Puff Hoody Ladies’s | Males’s
- MSRP: $329
- Weight: 9 oz
- Fill kind: Artificial
Mountain Hardwear Ghost Whisperer Hoody Ladies’s | Males’s
- MSRP: $360
- Weight: 8.5oz
- Fill kind: Down
Mountain Hardwear Ventano Hoody Ladies’s | Males’s
- MSRP: $260
- Weight: 11.7oz
- Fill kind: Artificial
REI Co-op Magma 850 Hooded Down Jacket Ladies’s | Males’s
- MSRP: $249
- Weight: 10.5oz
- Fill kind: Down
The Enlightened Gear Torrid Jacket was donated for goal of overview
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