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Outdoor Research Synapse Jacket - Women's

Outdoor Research Synapse Jacket - Women's description

Thanks to its scant 3.4oz weight, the Outdoor Research Women's Synapse Jacket makes the cut for any trip into the hills. This water-resistant Outdoor Research shell fights off an unexpected rain storm, and the windproof fabric prevents you from getting chilled if a breeze kicks up. The Synapse Jacket stuffs into its own internal chest pocket when you don't need to wear it.

Bottom Line: You always have room in your pack for the Outdoor Research Synapse Jacket.

I recently went on a hiking trip in the rocky mountains where it rained frequently. The jacket held up very well, I was not wet and the sharp wind did not pierce through the jacket. If you want a jacket that will fit over many layers go with one size up from your normal size. I usually wear a small and it barely fit over my fleece jacket which is also a small.

This jacket's fabric is the thinnest I've ever seen in a jacket -- it's kind of neat, really; almost like paper. I want an extremely lightweight jacket to block wind when I'm cross-country skiing on very cold and windy days. My current windbreaker (a Swix, which I like very much) is great, but I end up overheating sometimes. The OR Synapse jacket really is super-lightweight, and might work great, but I didn't like a couple things about it. It does run small; if I'd liked the jacket enough, I would have exchanged it for the next larger size. But I didn't. (1) This fabric is LOUD. Usually, when I say a fabric is loud, I'm referring to a garish color or print. In this case, it's not the look; it's the sound. It's way louder than your average nylon-shell swishing sound, and I think that would drive me nuts while skiing. (2) The cinch-cord doohickey for the hood is in the back of the hood -- so it's hard to reach and hard to work; *and* it looks seriously dorky to have that... that... that *thing*.... sticking out the back of your head. What was Outdoor Research thinking?