HAVE / WILL TRAVEL ROSSIGNOL OPSIDE HOODIE JACKET

This mid-layer is designed for skiing, but it’s perfect to wear anytime.

This is not our illustrious Deputy Editor, Jason. It's someone else wearing the uber useful jacket...
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I’m not a skier, but I play one in my mind. I tried skiing once, just once, and came to the realization that I might be better off just hanging in the lodge by the fireplace, sipping a hot toddy. The French company Rossignol, who makes some of the best ski equipment in the world, makes it easy for you to at least look like you know how to live the Alpine life.

 

Their Opside Hoodie Jacket is a mid-layer meant for the slopes, but one wear, and you’ll be wearing this off-piste more frequently. Especially when snow conditions nowadays are far from ideal. The jacket is lightweight, yet well insulated. I often wear the jacket on 45-degree days and feel very comfortable; it really retains body heat. Wear it while hiking or running, or as your casual outerwear every day in the fall and spring or to the office. Heck, it’s cozy enough to wear on a plane, possibly to fly to a ski resort that actually has snow.

 

And if there’s light snow or sprinkles, don’t fret. The Opside Hoodie Jacket is water repellant and sheds these elements with aplomb.

 

Since it is a hoodie, let’s talk about the hood. It’s elastic so if you have the jacket zipped up all the way, you can easily put the hood on without messing up your ‘do.

 

There are two hand pockets, which have a very tiny zipper to close them, and it tugs a little. There’s also a breast pocket. It’s on the inside, so you need to unzip to access it, which will cause some of that stored body heat to escape. #Designflaw.

 

For the folks who want to wear “sustainable” clothing, the Rossignol Opside Hoodie Jacket’s insulation is made from 100% post-consumer recycled plastic bottles and the water repellant coating does not have any of those toxic fluorocarbon chemicals.

 

A lot of the online comments say the jacket runs small, that it’s more European sizing. Well, duh, the company is European. I’m 5’7” and the medium fits great – it’s well-tailored yet easy to move around in. And the material is so soft, I’ll take snuggling up in it over that fireplace any day. Though I’ll still want that hot toddy.

 

 

$250, rossignol.com