GearFlogger

Marmot Fjell women's jacket

Holy sweetness and light. The Marmot Fjell women's jacket is a beautiful execution of Gore-Tex Pro Shell that hits all the right notes. Weighing in at a feathery 1lb 1oz for a size small the Fjell is equally at home frontcountry, backcountry and just about anywhere else.

The design has a sculpted fit, dropped hem and looks that kill, but don't be fooled: the Fjell is all bidness. It's waterproof and eminently breathable thanks to the Pro Shell. The hood slips over a helmet (or really big hair), and there's a removable powder skirt that reduces the weight another few ounces for serious go-fasters. The cuffs are rip-and-stick adjustable to slide under gloves easily, and the two zippered external chest hand pockets also function as vents. There's a zippered mesh interior pocket for your stash.

Hem and hood drawcords with nifty keepers inside will fit you up. A full length zipper flap with Velcro tabs will keep the bad out. For laying a skin track uphill, or just wearing in the rain on a warmish day, crank open the pit zips. Gore's Pro Shell is a sublime material, venting well, not nearly as crinkley when cold as early versions, and without the clammy feel of some waterproof/breathable materials. The Marmot Fjell is a perfect mating of form and function. On the outs with the SheFlogger? On a get-out-of-the-doghouse scale of 1 to 5, the Fjell rates a six.

$425.00 at Moosejaw

Mountain Hardwear Nitrous jacket

Let's say, just for the sake of argument, that you are a man and you are in the doghouse. I mean you really screwed the pooch this time, bro. Figuratively speaking, I hope. So what are you going to do? Here comes the SheFlogger, think fast!

I'll give you two choices: (a) engagement ring or (b) Mountain Hardwear Nitrous jacket. If you're married, no choice (a) for you, but take comfort: the Nitrous will assist you in undoing your head-ass inversion. It's eco-sensitive, made with recycled polyester blend, and beautifully minimalist: just two flapped hand pockets, a full-length zipper flap with chamois chin guard, elastic cuffs and a hem drawcord.

The cut is flattering with a curvy waist and nice, tall neck. The weight is nonexistent at 8oz for a small. The 800 fill down compacts down to nothing in the included stuff sack, and the downproof DWR nylon shell keeps the feathers on the inside. The women's Nitrous is overly quilted on the top front leaving lots of uninsulated seams, but guess what? She Doesn't Care! And you're Golden! The Nitrous is also available for men, sans paisley quilting, but since women are never in the doghouse that's not important right now.

$220.00 at REI

Cloudveil Women's Run Don't Walk Zip T

If a man says something in the forest, and the SheFlogger is not around to correct him, is he still wrong? Hmm, deep thought. Let's say the SheFlogger is around, and she is royally pissed. I know, hard to imagine, but stick with me. You need to come up with something shiny fast.

Let us suggest the Cloudveil Run Don't Walk LS 1/2 zip. It's a nicely fitted piece that is sure to make up for your past transgressions, at least back through yesterday. The RDW is a mere 9oz and wicks like a svelte, perky demon. It's got reflective logos so you can see her coming in the dark, which is good because you won't hear her due to a close unflappable fit and a zipper that locks down for extreme quietude.

The deep ten inch zip will help her keep her cool in the face of your monumental stupidity, and the flat seams ensure that she won't chafe her delicate skin as she plants her size six in your bony chest. Ah, the passion! There's even a little stash pocket in the back for... well, her stash, I guess. The Polartec Power Stretch is smooth, stretchy and sure to please your high-output honey.

$85.00 at Cloudveil

Arc’Teryx Gamma SV Hoody women’s jacket

Arc'Teryx makes a mean soft shell, no doubt. They pay extra attention to details like stitch counts and anatomically correct articulation to ensure that fit and finish are at the head of the pack. The Gamma SV Hoody is their built-for-speed yet tough-as-nails alpine alternative.

The svelte 20oz Gamma is made from two different weights of soft shell material: Polartec Power Shield High Loft (ooh, so plush... stroke the monkey!) on the torso and shoulders for warmth and lighter-weight, less-bulky Polartec Power Shield everywhere else. The whole garment has a beautiful hand and cut, and the four-way stretch means it moves with a purpose.

Arc'Teryx made some bold design choices that end up working very well. The nonremovable (check out the hoodless Gamma AR if that's your bag) drop-away hood is helmet compatible, with a reinforced brim and a nifty hidden adjustment cord. There are two external zippered handwarmer pockets and an internal zippered small chest pocket. The hem is adjustable but the cuffs are not, and there are no pit zips, which doesn't much matter because the thinner material there vents perfectly well. The Gamma SV definitely puts the soft in soft shell.

$349.95 at Backcountry

Sierra Designs BTU jacket

New from Sierra Designs is the SheFlogger-approved BTU jacket. BTU stands for "better than u" which is the attitude you will get when she puts this very chic piece on and stands next to you, just to remind you how crappy you look in your army-surplus fleece jacket.

The BTU is much more than just a pretty face, however. It's packed with 700-fill goose down inside a fully down-proof DWR shell. The adjustable hood is roomy enough for a low-profile helmet, so you might even be able to use the BTU as a belay jacket. The full length zipper flap has a garage at the top to protect your chin, and a soft tricot lining on the inside of the collar. The zippered chest pocket is also fleecy inside so you can throw your shades in there with no worries. There are two zippered hand pockets, an interior zippered mesh pocket and an interior open stretchy mesh pocket.

There are even zippered arm vents for when you're working it. The zippers are concealed with small pulls, so you won't be working them with your gloves on, but that's about the only compromise to style on the BTU: despite the haute-couture looks the BTU is not over-quilted like some insulated coats out there, so the down has plenty of room to loft and do its job to keep you toasty warm. And the cherry on top is the english-metric conversion chart stitched on the inside. As we're heading into the holiday season, all this adds up to a get-out-of-the-doghouse rating of 5 out of 5.

$249.95 at Summit Hut

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

Mountain Hardwear Offwidth women's jacket

Attention, men behaving badly (yes, this means you): this item has a get-out-of-the-doghouse rating of five out of five. It's a svelte, 18oz soft shell with just a bit of stretch, and it comes in a SheFlogger-friendly style that is equally at home at a Nordic half-marathon or a Nordstrom half-yearly.

Make no mistake, the Offwidth is first and foremost a backcountry performance soft shell constructed from Mountain Hardwear's latest concoction, TufSstretch: 58% nylon, 31% polyester and 11% elastane, which is an extract made from ground-up elves. The zip handwarmer pockets are placed high to accomodate a harness, and there's a shoulder pocket as well with a nicely concealed zipper. The tailored fit not only looks nice but layers efficiently. Underarm gussets allow flexibility on the pitch, and the Velcro wrist tabs and collar and hem drawcords keep the nasties out.

On the move this shell breathes wonderfully, which along with its streetsmart good looks make it suitable for a very wide range of conditions. It was not easy to pry this one off the SheFlogger long enough to write a review, yet despite almost daily use it still looks off-the-rack new. All this for less than the cost of a written apology, dinner and flowers. A very minor quibble: the hand pockets are not sewn to the shell on the inside, so don't try to store items between the pocket and the shell like you might in some jackets.

$99.00 at Mountain Gear

Mad Rock Venus women's harness

I got your Venus, I got your fire... when Bananarama goes climbing, this is how they roll. If you want to be the goddess on the mountain top, check out the Mad Rock Venus women's harness.

She Who Must Be Obeyed was barking commands at her belay slave in no time as she hung comfortably, yet stylishly, from an autolocking, offset buckled, contoured, thermo-molded waist belt. The tapered and angled leg loops with embroidered pink flowers kept her regally upright, and the four plastic gear loops kept all her gear at her once-manicured-but-now-destroyed-by-granite fingertips.

The Venus is fully SheFlogger compliant with its slick good looks and top-end performance and comfort. It's a great working woman's harness: you get a lot for the price - three buckles, four gear loops, molded waist and shaped legs - and even a little style to boot, if you don't mind climbing with pink flowers on your no-doubt shapely and toned derriere.

$40.00 at Eastern Mountain Sports

Ultimate Direction Strider women's waist pack

After discarding a few other LOTR-themed fantasy names like "Gollum" the folks at Ultimate Direction settled on Strider for their runner's waist pack. This itsy-bitsy women-specific belt pack tips the scales at just over 7oz, so the SheFlogger will no longer be able to blame the man for keepin' her down.

The Strider is stocked with coolness, starting with the bottle: the FDA-approved polyethylene is an easy squeezer, the rigid finger loop gives you full control for pulling it out or sticking it in, and the very clever off-center valve is 100% mouth-operated. Sounds like a Japanese sex robot, but this one is top-rack safe in the dishwasher. Try that with Aibo.

There are three pockets on the pack: a forward-canted mesh bottle pocket, a zippered pouch with key hook for phones/keys/wallets/etc., and a middle open pocket perfect for gel or energy bars. The Strider even has reflective piping and an antimicrobial finish. What really pushed my gimmick button: the elastic strap keepers. A quick twist with one finger and the excess strappage is wired tight. It's difficult to explain, just look at it carefully when you buy it to see how it's done. We've seen a lot of strap keeper solutions over the years, and we want these on all our monster packs now!

$31.00 at REI

Therm-a-Rest Women's ProLite 4 pad

Experienced campers know that when it's time to bungle in the jungle - or the mountains, or wherever - a little extra padding goes a long way. Therm-a-Rest comes to the rescue with the SheFlogger-approved Women's ProLite 4 inflatable sleeping pad.

Built for the fast and light, Y chromosome-free crowd, the ProLite 4 is a 20in wide, 1.5in thick, 1.5lb four-season pad available in regular 66in or large 72in lengths. It packs up small in its own color-matched .9oz Stuff Sack 4. It self-inflates about halfway in a few minutes and blows up quickly from there.

Cold sleepers will appreciate the added insulation in the foot and torso areas, adding up to an R-value of 4.1, and anyone will appreciate the light weight, low packed volume, and slip-reducing sticky dot bottom. The only caveat for using these fast and light pads is your weight: if you're heavier than about 120lb and/or you're a side sleeper you'll want a higher-tension, thicker model to keep your bones from bottoming out. Remember that inflatable pads have some shape memory, so store unrolled and valve open in a dry environment.

$94.95 at REI