Reviews by User: Barry Blalock (2)

So you read the reviews, right? You may just think that every single one of the people who have decided to review are hardcore gear heads with too much time on their hands... maybe they are, at least I thought that. I mean, I read the reviews for this jacket, and needless to say, I still felt the jacket and/or it's raters were an anomaly at the very least, I would not have ever expected such a product to exist that was as great as people say it is. Well it is great, and it does exist. MHW takes this jacket to a level not yet reached by other outdoor companies, but this is my opinion so interpret it how you wish. Never would I have foreseen my writing this review, strictly because of the time it would consume, but I must bow down to the superiority of this jacket and indulge you with a brief and colorful synopsis of why I've found it to be such a marvelous piece of equipment. I work outside in Louisville, KY and the weather here is pretty fair year round. Winter avg. temp. is 25-30 F with gusts of 10-15 mph winds due to our location on the Ohio River Valley, like I said...fair. I do not get cold very easily when active outside, albeit, who usually does? With this jacket on, due to it's incredible windstopping, all I need is a long sleeve t-shirt underneath and I am Golden. Never has wind been blocked with such tenacity, and to further test this jacket, I rode with all my windows down in my Subaru when it was 20 F outside for a good 30 miles without once feeling any unusual cold holes in this jacket. MHW has amazed me, there is no other word that can describe any more eloquently a jacket such as this. This has been my two-cents, so it is with my continued slack jawed amazement I shall adorn my back once more with this jacket to go and confidently brave the breezy ville.

I would've liked to have been in the boardroom when they had the brainstorming session for this jacket. It is just the right thickness for supplementing your layering system as either a stout middle layer with a long sleeve synthetic under (capilene 2-4) or an outer layer with a long sleeve capilene 1-2. The pit zips are hidden under a flap which tucks naturally into the form of the jacket, not to look garish. Removable insulated hood, with a stiff foam insert to act as a bill. This jacket would stand up very well to the underbrush in the backwoods, no snags in sight. Just to confirm the other positive reviews again, this jacket is superbly thought out. My new favorite softshell, and with WindStopper!?!? Couldn't be happier!!