I鈥檝e never had a lot of respect for 鈥渨ind jackets鈥 as a layer. Maybe it鈥檚 because I grew up in the 鈥80s and 鈥90s when we called them 鈥渨indbreakers,鈥 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鈥檓 trying to save weight. But I鈥檝e become unnaturally attached to , which has become a bit of a security blanket鈥攕o much so that I refuse to leave the house without it.
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Men’s Mountain Equipment Aerofoil Full Zip Jacket
The Jacket Specs
To be fair, Mountain Equipment doesn鈥檛 call the Aerofoil a windbreaker. They call it a soft shell鈥攂ut make no mistake, this baby is designed to neutralize the wind. Specifically, it鈥檚 made for fast and light alpine pursuits when you need to carry an extra layer, but you don鈥檛 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鈥攖aking up about the same amount of room as a bologna sandwich.
I like the slim, athletic cut, but there鈥檚 enough stretch in the material that I don鈥檛 have to dislocate a shoulder when I鈥檓 trying to take it off. I鈥檝e had super light jackets that required that sort of contortionist skill because there was no stretch in the material, but the Aerofoil ain鈥檛 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鈥檚 no annoying 鈥渇lap page鈥 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鈥檓 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鈥檚 so comfortable. The fabric is Mountain Equipment鈥檚 鈥淓xolite鈥 material, which is a double-weave, stretchy soft shell fabric. You probably won鈥檛 notice that it鈥檚 a soft shell by looking at it, but the interior has that buttery, next to skin feel. It鈥檚 not as soft as fleece, yet the brushed texture is just cozy enough to keep you from feeling like you鈥檙e wearing a plastic bag. I wear this jacket with short sleeves all the time and it鈥檚 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鈥攁 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鈥檓 being honest, I would pack this layer even if it’s not windy, because I won鈥檛 leave home without it鈥攋ust like a kindergartner who won鈥檛 go to school without a piece of his blanky in his pocket.
I鈥檝e only had the Aerofoil for a few weeks, but I鈥檝e grown fully attached to it in that amount of time, mostly because spring is an absolutely bonkers season. It鈥檚 cold in the morning, hot in the afternoon. Rain storms come out of nowhere, there could be frost, maybe a little snow鈥nd 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鈥檓 walking the dog ton a brisk morning just after sunrise, or mountain biking single track in Pisgah National Forest. It鈥檚 what I throw on after I鈥檝e done all the climbing on my lunch road ride and I have the long, chilly downhill back to town. it鈥檚 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鈥檚 small enough to stash in the back of a jersey pocket for rides, and goes practically unnoticed when I slip into my wife鈥檚 purse when we鈥檙e going to a festival.
Downsides?
My only complaint about the Aerofoil is that it doesn鈥檛 have any hand pockets. I get it; at 4.2 ounces, there needs to be some sacrifices, and the lack of hand pockets isn鈥檛 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鈥檚 not big enough for my phone, but that鈥檚 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鈥檚 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.