Outdoor Research Uberlayer Hooded Jacket

It’s no secret to my crew, that I am a layers snob.  I have a separate closet dedicated to my layers, and it is exponentially more expansive than my everyday street wear closet.  I pride myself on bringing the right layers for the forecasted conditions, for whatever adventure I’m setting out for.  This winter and start of spring, I have found myself consistently reaching for the Outdoor Research Uberlayer for the bipolar forecasts, and I have to say that I’ve been pleasantly surprised.  My jacket collection now seems superfluous and abandoned, because the Uberlayer manages to come out to play more these days.  This is my go to ski touring outer layer for cool conditions; the Uberlayer allows me to break trail without soaking in my own personal sauna, which saves me from freezing to death on fast ski descents. 

As part of the #ORInsightLab crew of dedicated testers for Outdoor Research, I was provided a Women’s Uberlayer Hooded Jacket to test.  For reference, I’m 5’8″, 135 pounds with an athletic build (32″ chest, 27″ waist, and 37″ hips) and I tested the Uberlayer Hooded Jacket in a size M (size chart).

Bottom Line – The Outdoor Research Uberlayer Hooded Jacket is the perfect outer layer for cool conditions and mid layer for sub freezing conditions.

On-Sight

• Pocket – One left sided napoleon chest pocket that is large enough to stash an iPhone 6 and some snacks.
• Helmet Compatible, Wire-Brimmed Halo-Hood – When up, vision is left unobstructed when looking side to side.
• Two Internal Deep Pockets – Great for stashing wet gloves at belays or wet skins on skin up to get down, over and over again, backcountry ambushes.
• Wind resistant –  Takes the bite out of wind chill, tested in gusts up to 60mph.
• Water resistant – Sheds light rain.
• Active Insulation – When worn as an outerlayer, the Uberlayer adjusts to your aerobic output allowing for you to expel body heat and keep the jacket on while pushing your aerobic limit.  The Polartec® Alpha insulation is to thank for this witchcraft. 
• Double zipper – great for harness situations where you need to access your belay loop without exposing your hips and back to the elements. 
• Waist Cinch Cord – adjust to your own body to keep the elements where they belong, outside.

Project

• Packability – The Uberlayer is a synthetic jacket and as such, inherently does not pack down as well as a down jacket.  I thought I would struggle with this initially; however, I rarely took the jacket off due to its incredible temperature regulation so this was a non-issue.

Addict Disclaimer – Thrillseekers Anonymous was provided with the Outdoor Research Uberlayer Hooded Jacket for this review. The opinions expressed above are my own and reflect my experience.  No one can buy my love!