Gear Review: Mountain Hardwear Nitrous Jacket
Overall Rating: 9.5
Location of Test: My life--school, mountains, rocks, skiing
Duration: 2.5 years
Product Name: Nitrous
Product Brand: Mountain Hardwear
Best Use: Rock climbing, mountaineering, daily life
Sizes Available/ Specs: "S-XXL
800 fill water resistant down"
The Full Review:
"You know that moment when you reach the summit of that mountain you’ve always wanted to climb and you take a sip from your Hydro Flask that you got at Next Adventure, and you realize that because you’re no longer puffing and huffing to ascend that steep chute, you’re really cold? What about that moment when you get in the car on a Portland December morning and realize that your car is brutally cold? I’m sure you’ve stepped out of the car at the ski lodge on Mt. Hood and realized that the weather was far colder than you had expected.
We all do the same thing in these moments: We pull on our down jacket. For me, that’s the Mountain Hardwear Nitrous. I’ve been rockin’ the Nitrous for two years now, and been absolutely loving it. With 800-fill hydrophobic down, this jacket is light, warm, comfortable, and most importantly stylish.
When I buy a piece of gear, I want it to be something I can use throughout my life, and that’s exactly what this jacket is. I wear it to school, I wear it around town, I wear it skiing, I wear it mountaineering, I wear it climbing, I’m even tempted to wear it to bed. In typical Mountain Hardwear fashion, this jacket is well made. I’ve literally not had a single problem with it. When it gets dirty, I wash it with some Nikwax Down Wash and ta-da, I have a totally new jacket. This jacket compresses to roughly the size of my two fists. I pair this jacket with a hard shell (the Marmot Minimalist) to make the ultimate dynamic duo and block the rain, wind, and cold.
In terms of added features, this jacket is pretty straightforward. This year’s version has a breast pocket (mine does not), is has a drawstring at the bottom of the coat, and two sizeable zipper pockets on the side (as a photographer I appreciate these—I can fit a small lens in there when I’m shooting on cold days).
This coat has endured many scary and trivial times in the mountains with me and has served me well throughout. I would not hesitate to recommend it to a friend, and strongly suggest that every outdoorsman and outdoorswoman own one."
The Good: This jacket is warm, light, durable, and good looking
The Bad: None
The Bottom Line: This is a fantastic jacket
The Full Review:
"You know that moment when you reach the summit of that mountain you’ve always wanted to climb and you take a sip from your Hydro Flask that you got at Next Adventure, and you realize that because you’re no longer puffing and huffing to ascend that steep chute, you’re really cold? What about that moment when you get in the car on a Portland December morning and realize that your car is brutally cold? I’m sure you’ve stepped out of the car at the ski lodge on Mt. Hood and realized that the weather was far colder than you had expected.
We all do the same thing in these moments: We pull on our down jacket. For me, that’s the Mountain Hardwear Nitrous. I’ve been rockin’ the Nitrous for two years now, and been absolutely loving it. With 800-fill hydrophobic down, this jacket is light, warm, comfortable, and most importantly stylish.
When I buy a piece of gear, I want it to be something I can use throughout my life, and that’s exactly what this jacket is. I wear it to school, I wear it around town, I wear it skiing, I wear it mountaineering, I wear it climbing, I’m even tempted to wear it to bed. In typical Mountain Hardwear fashion, this jacket is well made. I’ve literally not had a single problem with it. When it gets dirty, I wash it with some Nikwax Down Wash and ta-da, I have a totally new jacket. This jacket compresses to roughly the size of my two fists. I pair this jacket with a hard shell (the Marmot Minimalist) to make the ultimate dynamic duo and block the rain, wind, and cold.
In terms of added features, this jacket is pretty straightforward. This year’s version has a breast pocket (mine does not), is has a drawstring at the bottom of the coat, and two sizeable zipper pockets on the side (as a photographer I appreciate these—I can fit a small lens in there when I’m shooting on cold days).
This coat has endured many scary and trivial times in the mountains with me and has served me well throughout. I would not hesitate to recommend it to a friend, and strongly suggest that every outdoorsman and outdoorswoman own one."
The Good: This jacket is warm, light, durable, and good looking
The Bad: None
The Bottom Line: This is a fantastic jacket