The JL Suit Rowen - 2007-03-25 03:00:00 - 1 comments - 271 views
Finals week was terrible for me this quarter. Tons of personal issues coupled with one of the hardest classes I've ever taken had me feeling destroyed. At the very height of it all, I noticed that a JL suit I had my eyes on once was back on Ebay. Long story short, I ended up winning the auction and buying it. I came back from my vacation yesterday, and it was here. Immediately, I put it on (its 7 am, havent slept cause we drove from Salt Lake to Seattle overnight). It's amazing. Just amazing.
I guess this is where my review should start. Where to start? Well, its green. Algae actually. Other than that, its the exact suit that Jon Olsson wears. I'm about 5'10", and I went for a large, as it was the only thing available. As size goes, I could probably be happy with a Medium, but Large fits me just fine. It isnt over the top baggy, but kinda like the size of my large Orage jacket. Pants are a little more fitting than my large Oakley Lab Pants, but again, it fits perfectly.
So, the styling. Lets start with the pants. The material thats used for the black parts (around vents, zippers) is actually some sort of thin rubber. Very pliant, but also really water resistant. All of the vents and zippers are taped with it, as mentioned. As for pockets, there are two side (zippered), two back (zippered), one small magnetically sealed one on the left thigh, and another small magnetically sealed one near the back calf of the right leg. As for vents, there are two on either inside thigh, both zippered and have this cool electric green mesh inside. And yes, all the zippers have that JL logo, its a cool touch.
Ok, so the jacket. This thing is more than deluxe. Hands: bum gloves rock, period. The sleeves are also really really big, and have huge velcro straps to seal them up. I can get my huge Dakine ski gloves inside them comfortably - I repeat, they're huge. Working up the arms, there are two more magnetically sealed small pockets on the left arm. I play with these way too much already, but they're just so damn cool I cant stop opening and closing them. Augh. Anyways.
The hood on this thing is possibly the most rediculous part of the package. Its large. Bigger than large. Gigantic. I cant see shit when I put it on. But it does have a draw at the back for adjustment, so it can be smaller. Fur: Yes, its fur. Pretty soft and comfy at that too. I also really like the high collar it has. Inside the jacket, the liner is a kind of thin layered mesh. Sorta strange, its like a mesh fabric with all the small holes filled with another type of fabric, so its not really a mesh, kinda more like a layered... something. Pictures dont do it justice. Anyways, there are two hidden pockets on the main body, one inside thats zippered and another you can access from the outside, near the main zipper. There are also two mesh pockets inside, kinda where those classic 'inside pockets' go on most suits.
So, now to one of my favorite pieces: the snow skirt mechanism. This thing rocks. So not only does the jacket have a fully adjustable snow skirt on it, but it also can link to the pants via a zipper. Nothing will get through it once its sealed up. Completely bombproof. Its a little unwieldy at first to zip, but I kinda figured out the trick to doing it, and can actually zip it up pretty quickly. Its really kinda overkill, as the powder skirt should keep most of the snow out except on huge powder days. Last but not least, the top has four vents (thank god, I always overheat!): two that start above the shoulder and zip down, and another two running from the armpit to the hip. All have that cool green mesh lining too.
So, closing notes. Uhm, I love this thing. Though I couldnt imagine spending the $1100 for it up front, if you can find one at a discount, get it. I bough mine for about the same price as a Helly Hansen suit, and I like this better than the Logan 5 getup I tried on earlier this year. I still have yet to ski it, as my knee feels oh-so-fucked right now, but I'll have more notes once I actually use it next weekend. After lounging around my house all day in it tho, I'm still impressed by it.
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