I’ve never had a lot of respect for “wind jackets” as a layer. Maybe it’s because I grew up in the ‘80s and ‘90s when we called them “windbreakers,” and that term makes me think of high school track coaches. It’s also usually the first layer I ditch from my pack when I’m trying to save weight. But I’ve become unnaturally attached to Mountain Equipment’s Aerofoil wind jacket, which has become a bit of a security blanket—so much so that I refuse to leave the house without it.
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(Photo: Courtesy Mountain Equipment)
Men’s Mountain Equipment Aerofoil Full Zip Jacket
$150 at Backcountry $150 at REI
The Jacket Specs
To be fair, Mountain Equipment doesn’t call the Aerofoil a windbreaker. They call it a soft shell—but make no mistake, this baby is designed to neutralize the wind. Specifically, it’s made for fast and light alpine pursuits when you need to carry an extra layer, but you don’t want to load your pack down with a heavy jacket. The Aerofoil is a svelte number, weighing just 4.2 ounces and packing into its own chest pocket—taking up about the same amount of room as a bologna sandwich.
I like the slim, athletic cut, but there’s enough stretch in the material that I don’t have to dislocate a shoulder when I’m trying to take it off. I’ve had super light jackets that required that sort of contortionist skill because there was no stretch in the material, but the Aerofoil ain’t like that. The cuffs are bound with elastane, as is the hem drawcord, so it hugs your body even in the nastiest of winds. In other words, there’s no annoying “flap page” when gusts kick up. The hood fits over a helmet, but a toggle on the back chinches it down, while a dropped rear hem keeps me from showing my crack when I’m on the bike or bending over to take pictures of flowers.
All of that is wonderful, but the Aerofoil has become my go-to layer this spring because it’s so comfortable. The fabric is Mountain Equipment’s “Exolite” material, which is a double-weave, stretchy soft shell fabric. You probably won’t notice that it’s a soft shell by looking at it, but the interior has that buttery, next to skin feel. It’s not as soft as fleece, yet the brushed texture is just cozy enough to keep you from feeling like you’re wearing a plastic bag. I wear this jacket with short sleeves all the time and it’s comfy as hell, just like a security blanket should be.
How It Tested
I used the Aerofoil exactly how it’s designed to be used—a long, fast hike over Santa Rosa Island in the Channel Islands National Park, when the sun was up but the winds were whipping off the Pacific. It came in handy during a splashy Zodiac run to the dock, when a bit of cold salt water doused me. It dried by the time I walked from one end of the dock to the other, and then I had it on and off my body throughout the hike during the day. But if I’m being honest, I would pack this layer even if it’s not windy, because I won’t leave home without it—just like a kindergartner who won’t go to school without a piece of his blanky in his pocket.
I’ve only had the Aerofoil for a few weeks, but I’ve grown fully attached to it in that amount of time, mostly because spring is an absolutely bonkers season. It’s cold in the morning, hot in the afternoon. Rain storms come out of nowhere, there could be frost, maybe a little snow…and that could all happen in the same day. The only thing I know about the weather in the Southern Appalachians where I live is that it will change, probably without warning.
So the Aerofoil comes with me, whether I’m walking the dog ton a brisk morning just after sunrise, or mountain biking single track in Pisgah National Forest. It’s what I throw on after I’ve done all the climbing on my lunch road ride and I have the long, chilly downhill back to town. it’s what I put on at the end of the night, after the boys and I have done an in-town spin that turned into a bar crawl. It’s small enough to stash in the back of a jersey pocket for rides, and goes practically unnoticed when I slip into my wife’s purse when we’re going to a festival.
Downsides?
My only complaint about the Aerofoil is that it doesn’t have any hand pockets. I get it; at 4.2 ounces, there needs to be some sacrifices, and the lack of hand pockets isn’t that big of a deal. The jacket does have a Napoleon chest pocket that doubles as a stuff sack, and is big enough to hold a snack or map. It’s not big enough for my phone, but that’s because my phone is roughly the size of the TV that was in my living room when I was a kid. If you have a normal sized phone, it will probably slide right into that chest pocket with no problem.
Final Thoughts
Other than a lack of hand pockets, I have nothing bad to say about Mountain Equipment’s Aerofoil. This jacket single handedly made me rethink my bias against wind jackets, and is now the emotional crutch I didn’t know I needed.
The post Why The Mountain Equipment Aerofoil Full Zip Is My New Security Blanket appeared first on Outside Online.
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