GearFlogger

Merrell Morph jacket

Merrell makes awesome footwear, so you'd think they could translate that expertise into apparel. You'd be disappointed. The Merrell Morph jacket is an abomination in the eyes of dog. Wait, that doesn't sound right...

Merrell makes a classic mistake in trying to produce an all-in-one device. The Morph has removable hood and sleeves, and everything is reversible, so technically it's an 18-in-1 piece. Seriously. Have a couple beers and do the math. What you really have is a jacket or vest, with a hood or without, and you can mix and match the facing. One face is a smooth nylon and the other a soft polyester with a jersey look and feel.

The overall look is 1980s Member's Only; it's not quite ugly, just outdated. With all the zippers and snaps required it's a heavy jacket at 1lb 11oz for a men's medium. Even the sizing falls short, literally: the sleeves will be too tight and short for most men who wear a medium. Performance is compromised pretty much across the board; it doesn't breathe or wick well, and will only shed a very light rain. Mabye a budget-crunched college student looking for something to wear to class might look twice at the Morph, but it should stay out of the backcountry. What can I say? Back to the drawing board, Merrell.

$129.00 at Merrell

Arc'Teryx Dually belay parka

Aside from being named after a gas-guzzling redneck pickup truck, the Arc'Teryx scores mostly bullseyes with its new Dually belay parka. The lightweight pound and a half Dually uses their new ThermaTek insulation inside a high-gloss, slightly crinkley DWR shell.

ThermaTek is a new synthetic insulation that bills itself as being 100% hydrophobic due to each individual fiber being DWR treated. In practice it does a great job of maintaining warmth while wet, critical when your rope gun partner is raining hunks of ice on you while you're sitting in a wet and cold belay station. It also compresses at least as well as any other synthetic on the market and maybe just a tad better.

Nice touches include a snap at the hem so you can unzip the 2-way zipper a bit from the bottom and have a nice little hole for your belay device without any loose ends flapping around. Every alpine jacket should have this feature. The Dually has two extra-large stretchy pockets inside for water bottles, another big plus. There are two external zippered handwarmer pockets that for some reason have a microfleece lining that feels great until it gets wet. The hood is helmet compatible, the zipper flap is a nice stout design that flares at the top and there's a small but functional stretchy draft collar inside. Note: no chest pockets, which is fine because if you're wearing three layers chances are you've got chest pockets on every one of them already.

The Dually is a great synthetic parka no doubt. My guess is most people will find it comfortable down to about zero degrees Fahrenheit with a medium weight layer underneath. One minor but important piece of weirdness is the size: it's way bigger than you think, and that will throw a lot of people who are used to the tailored cut of Arc'Teryx clothing. Go at least a size down and you'll still have plenty of room for layers.

$498.95 at Backcountry

Outdoor Research Saturn Suit

There are few things better than strapping on Power Stretch. A Power Stretch suit would be one of those few things. Outdoor Research hooks us up with the Saturn suit for men, a Farmer John style one-piece suit that makes all the right moves.

The Saturn is light, barely over a pound, and true to size. OR didn't just throw together a bunch of 150-weight Power Stretch and call it good, however. There are plenty of well-thought-out details like the twin reach-across chest pockets made out of a fine stretchy mesh material, so you can access them easily under a shell layer. The ankle cuffs are even a thinner material so they tuck in to boots better and avoid chafing.

And for when you absolutely, positively have to get your three-way on, the zipper on the Saturn is there for you. As much as it pains me to admit this, I've never had a three-way before, but now I'll never go back. This configuration enables all necessary functions in the most efficient way possible, and exposes much less tender flesh to the harsh elements than a rainbow zipper does. Highly recommended.

$198.95 at Altrec

Sierra Designs Women's Chockstone jacket

Thin is in baby, and the Chockstone women's jacket from Sierra Designs wants to be your new best friend. It's slim, lightweight, waterproof, breathable and packable. As Bogey said, this could be the beginning of a beautiful friendship.

The Chockstone is the kind of versatile piece that's essential for any outdoor enthusiast. The synthetic Primaloft One insulation will keep insulating when wet, although getting wet in the first place is highly unlikely since the shell is waterproof/breathable DriZone. The light to middle weight insulation will layer up or down, depending on how hot or cool your motor runs, and for those occasions where only a hood will do just adjust and drive on.

The pocket scheme is fully dialed in: hand pockets are zippered, as is an external chest pocket, and there are two internal mesh pockets, one open and one zippered. Bonus: you can stuff the jacket into the zippered pocket. The Lycra bound cuffs with thumbholes make sure your sleeves stay where they're supposed to. This is really useful, whether you're putting your hand into a glove, reaching up high for that big tool swing or just looking for a little extra heat on your hands.

The slick exterior sheds snow and rain effortlessly, and the look is fitted enough to go seamlessly from slopes to sidewalks. There's even an English-Metric conversion chart printed on the inside, so feel free to get all international. From the cool Fall through the wet Spring the Chockstone begs to be the jacket you live with day in and day out. Try that with some of your other so-called friends.

$109.95 (on sale from $159.99) at Randall Scott

REI Nevis women's jacket

I'm guessing this is named after Ben Nevis in Scotland, the highest mountain in the British Isles. I read somewhere that all Scottish cuisine is based on a dare. I mean, haggis, what's up with that?

But don't barf on this jacket, it's quite sheik. The insulation is the latest synthetic, Primaloft One. The arms zip off and the zippers are color-coded for easy reattachment; pure genius. The shell material has a nice hand, the stitching is not overdone so there's plenty of loft and the overall fit is trim enough to layer under a slightly loose shell.

A lot of nice detail work finish this piece off: two zipper hand pockets, elastic cuffs, drawcord hem, chin guard and zipper flap. An interior zippered pocket has a cord port. All in all a very stylish and functional piece that's getting a lot of use from the SheFlogger, both in the backcountry and about town.

$149.00 at REI

Mountain Hardwear Compressor hooded jacket

I don't like to be overly complimentary to vendors lest they develop big heads, but here's a true story: the Mountain Hardwear Compressor jacket is without a doubt the best mid-weight synthetic jacket I've ever used.

Why would I stick my GearFlogging neck out like that? The proof is in the pudding: I seem to be unable to not wear the Compressor, no matter where I'm going. The hood means no carrying a hat around town, and no worrying about survival situations in the backcountry where insulation on your noggin is critical. It even takes a helmet nicely.

The cuffs seal with easily adjustable velcro tabs, there's a hem drawcord to shape it up, and the two handwarmer pockets and neck area have a nice tricot brushed material so no clammy nylon against your skin. Inside and outside zipper security pockets hold the necessities. Overall the fit and finish are just stellar. Kudos to those who deserve them, and MH really knocked it out of the park with the Compressor hooded jacket.

$185 at REI

Mountain Hardwear Compressor pant

The Mountain Hardwear Chugach pant is no more (except on outlets, of course): long live the Compressor! Like the Chugach, it has a companion jacket. A synthetic combo like this is essential backcountry gear for when wet weather is a factor

Full side zips make it easy to slip on and off without removing boots. The reinforced butt and knees make it a tough performer that will last for more than one expedition. One difference from the Chugach is the ripstop nylon shell, which should be a bit tougher. The size is also a bit larger and longer, and the insulation is now MH's Thermic Micro instead of the old Polarguard 3D.

They insulate well without being too constricting, pack down small and are great for extended belay station duty. The only improvement they could make is to have the pee zipper zip open from the bottom to be more harness friendly.

$140 at REI

Mountain Hardwear Canyon pant

A wise man once observed women's underwear has infinite fabrics, cuts and colors, but men's underwear has just one purpose: to separate our pants from our ass. True, true. But the Mountain Hardwear Canyon pants invite a man to be free, commando-style. They're so tough they can take all your ass has to offer.

The Canyon pants pack tiny, are superlight at 11oz and the 100% nylon material dries faster than you can spit on them. These have been my go-to pants for climbing, hiking and trekking for three years. Mine have backpacked across Morocco, trekked through Southern Thailand and crawled through Mayan ruins in the jungles of the Rio Bec, and they still look brand new.

The integrated belt with a nicely designed flat buckle doesn't chaff under a hip belt. There are two open front pockets and two velcro-tabbed rear pockets, and the cuffs have an elastic cord to cinch them tight against the leeches. They're even nice enough you can wear them around town, albeit with a slightly Che Guevera look. If GearFlogger had a 100% Perfect Piece Award these pants would be at the front of the line to get it.

$54.95 at Backcountry.com

Mountain Hardwear Windstopper vest

Chicks dig me because I rarely wear underwear fleece. But when I do, I wear this vest. I love a good vest because by design it vents well while insulating the core, provides pockets and pads against pack straps.

This vest is just right in all those areas. There are three external pockets and one internal, all zippered and the external ones flapped. The collar zips up close but doesn't throttle, and there's a zipper flap too so you avoid the cold shiv in the throat experience.

Like all the Mountain Hardwear gear I've owned it's bombproof, showing no wear even after all the abuse I've heaped on it. All this for only 11 ounces.

$95 at REI

Psolar BX balaclava

Luke, I am your father. This Darth Vader looking setup is a basic medium-weight Polartec fleece balaclava with a unique feature: the mouth opening is covered by a little heat exchanger thingy.

The thingy purports to store warmth from your exhaled breath and use it to warm incoming air. Benefits of the thingy are that it warms your core and humidifies somewhat. I used it last winter on some below-zero cold trips, including Denali. It seemed to work, but I'll be the first to admit that I could be imagining.

It does impart a "taste" to the air you breathe that some people might find off-putting, and some might find it claustrophobic because of the thingy covering the mouth. Bottom line: no scientific but lots of anecdotal evidence that it works; but then, there's lots of anecdotal evidence for alien abductions too. Sorry, you'll just have to try this one yourself. The good news is it's a high-quality 'clava and the thingy is removable.

$40.00 at Psolar