While packing for a trip, I often struggle with the decision of which jacket to take along. Do I bring a warm insulated jacket, a wool coat, a raincoat or maybe just a shell? Generally, layers work best as there is only so much room in your checked luggage or carry-on. Recently, I had an opportunity to try Clothing Arts' Cubed Travel Jacket™. This water-proof shell offers two lower external zipper pockets, two zipper pockets at chest level - which can be accessed from exterior or interior of the jacket and four interior pockets with security locking mechanisms.I wasn't new to Clothing Arts' products. I've worn Clothing Arts' "Pick Pocket Proof™" adventure travel pants and adventure travel shorts. Both of these pants offer pockets with additional security flaps and zipper compartments that hinder theft of your pocket contents. After feeling a youngster's hand attempting to steal my wallet while in a Rome subway, I learned to appreciate the additional security of Clothing Arts pants. Use of either Clothing Arts' long or short pants can prevent most pickpocket thefts.
Construction and Material
The jacket uses an eVent water-proof and breathable DVstorm laminate. This membrane is engineered to vent moisture under both low and high humidity conditions. As a comparison, GoreTex® tends to vent best under high humidity levels. All water-proof membrane products need to be kept clean to avoid clogging the tiny membrane pores. Use of DEET spray is generally not recommended for use on any jacket using a water-proof membrane.
All interior seams are taped which provide an additional water protection level. The exterior hand-level pockets are lined with jacket material. Interior pockets are formed from stretchy fabric.
Fit
The Clothing Arts sizing table indicated a medium-sized jacket for me. I typically wear a size 40 sport coat, have a 32 inch waist and 34 inch dress shirt sleeve length. I often have issues with the sleeve length for medium-sized jackets. The Cubed Travel Jacket™ provided plenty of additional sleeve length for me as shown by the above photo, so I presume the sleeve length for a medium-sized jacket is likely around 35-36 inches.
The jacket has plenty of spare room in the chest and arms without being baggy. The jacket can easily accommodate a sweater, sweatshirt or light vest.
The detachable rain hood can be customized for a good fit via pull cords. I particularly like the capability to adjust the degree in which the hood hem covers your forehead. On jackets without this adjustment, I often find that I need to wear a baseball style cap so that the cap visor prevents the hood from sliding down and obscuring my vision. The collar of the jacket is a bit stiff, but perhaps it will soften with wear.
The jacket cuffs have a Velcro enclosure. This permits you to adjust the cuff closure to a position that suits you best.
Weatherproof Capability
The jacket uses waterproof zippers on all exterior pockets and for the jacket closure. A detachable rain hood is provided with the jacket. During a December rain, I walked the dog while wearing the Cubed Travel Jacket™. As with my other jackets with a water-proof membrane, the shell with a sweater provides a reasonable degree of warmth while performing light to moderate speed walking. Water nor wind could penetrate the jacket and water beaded on the outside of the jacket. Keep in mind that a heavy downpour would likely drench your pants and shoes, making a possibly uncomfortable outing even though the top of your body is dry and warm.
The hand pockets are not lined with warm fleece or flannel. This feature would be helpful for cold weather.
Packing Convenience
The jacket should be easy to pack - it is not very thick when folded. The detachable hood is handy, but it might be best to keep the hood attached. This avoids misplacing the hood or leaving it behind during an unexpected downpour. Alternatively, the hood can be folded and placed in a jacket pocket - though a hood folded to pocket size is a little bulky.
A medium-sized jacket, with hood, weighs about 1.5 pounds (680 grams).
Security
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| © 2016, R. Ono |
Summary
Overall, I believe the Cubed Travel Jacket™ would make a great travel companion. The jacket has a "business casual" appearance rather than looking like an outdoor expedition jacket. I like the attention to detail, such as using waterproof zippers on exterior pockets and taping all interior seams. The security pockets could prevent a theft and are not found on other jackets. Overall, the jacket should pack well.
With a list price of $380, this is a relatively expensive jacket. That said, quite a bit of thought went into jacket design, the latest technology material is used during hand-manufacture of the jacket, the jacket is weather proof and its four interior pockets are likely to resist pickpocket theft. I suspect that a retail price point closer to $300 would be more attractive.
If there was a design change to recommend, it would be to line the exterior lower jacket pockets with at least a flannel lining. This feature keeps your hands warmer on blistery days when you're without gloves. I'm guessing this could be done without sacrificing the jacket's water-proof functionality. Absent this feature, I'll bring some lightweight gloves.
There are several ultralight rain jackets (8 ounces or less) on the market; however, some ultralight jackets may lack the probable long-term sturdiness of the Cubed Travel Jacket™. Other non-ultralight travel weather-proof jackets to consider include Marmot's Red Star Jacket ($300) and Palisades Jacket ($325), a Rab Muztag Jacket ($300) or a Patagonia Piolet Jacket ($299). Secured zipper pockets would not be present on these other products.
It would be terrific to see this travel jacket line expanded to offer jackets for women. I'm guessing that over time, perhaps Clothing Arts will offer a Cubed Travel Jacket™ for women.
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| © 2016, R. Ono |
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| Interior View of Jacket Pockets (Jacket is inside out) © 2016, R. Ono |
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| Cuffs Have Adjustable Velcro Enclosures © 2016, R. Ono |
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| The Hood Height is Adjustable Using This Cord © 2016, R. Ono |
Acknowledgement
Clothing Arts provided a Cubed Travel Jacket™ to me at a reduced price to support this review. However, Clothing Arts did not influence the content of the evaluation.
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