The Ibex Pingo Jacket ups the ante for performance in a light duty softshell. Perfect for aerobic 3-season sports, the Pingo uses a super-dense polyester face to cut wind down to almost nothing, and looped Merino wool backing for superior temperature regulation and moisture wicking. A water-resistant front zipper means no snagging and no breaks in the coat's water resistance. Because it's lined with Merino, the Pingo doesn't like to hold smell the way your fully synthetic gear does. Also, you can expect better warmth with less material in Merino Wool, a blessing to anyone who prizes their freedom of movement.
Bottom Line: The Ibex Pingo Jacket is not to be confused with the "ping" noise of a breaking binding.
I ordered this Ibex jacket on the advice from Ibex customer service that it would be weather and wind resistant (the key word is resistant). Fortunately, I had ample time to try this jacket out and bad weather cooperated during November and December in NM, CO, and UT. Unfortunately, this jacket is NOT windproof. Try holding it up and you will see daylight through the porous cloth material...that to me is a very good indicator that it is not windproof. It will shed light rain but I was afraid to subject it to heavier rains, so I tucked it under a Gore-Tex shell (my apologies to the Ibex folks) and stayed reasonably comfortable. I was surprised that it wasn't very warm when worn alone as an outer shell. Most Ibex gear is very good at temperature regulation. Sure, I could heavy-layer but my object was to find a light, windproof, warm outer jacket that didn't need bundles of layers because when I'm hiking in the high country, I want to keep things light and functional. It is a light jacket and would serve well in more moderate weather but didn't work for me during high elevation, backcountry explorations in the West. As with other Ibex clothes, it does appear to be made well. Unfortunately, unlike many of the other Ibex products, it is not made in the USA which was a downer for me.
Outstanding softshell! I wear it rock climbing, as well as hiking and for general outdoor activity and am very impressed! Moves well with you and resists araision nicely!
