Reviewed in March, 2020
LONG TERM REPORT
The MontBell Thermawrap Classic jacket has continued to serve me well! I could layer it over a nice warm thermal top when it was around 40 F (4 C) and stay warm without overheating. When it got colder than that I could add a light rain jacket over it. On a few occasions when it was windy and I was outside in temperatures around 20 F (-7 C) I wore a fleece vest with a hood over the jacket and then the afore mentioned rain jacket over everything and was toasty warm. Here are a couple of photos of me day hiking in 50 F (10 C) weather with the jacket. I’m using an upland game style vest and when I warmed up the jacket was easy to stow away in the back of the vest.
from BackpackGearTest
Backpack Gear Test / TEST REPORT BY MIKE PEARL
Reviewed in March, 2020
LONG TERM REPORT
In addition to the outdoor/hiking use I have been wearing the Thermawrap as a casual jacket around town, to work and walking the dog. It has blended nicely into these slightly more formal settings while being warm and comfortable. I continue to be pleased with the fit, warmth and look of the Thermawrap. It has held up well during testing with no signs of wear or tear. All fabric and stitching remain intact. All zippers slide with ease and elastic still springy.
During this round of testing I found the lowest temp I am comfortable hiking in the Thermawrap. I was layered up with a thin wool baselayer, mid-weight wool sweater, Thermawrap jacket and a lightweight windbreaker. At 5 F (-15 C) and this is while moving or stopped for a short time I was warm and comfortable. I tried to wear the same layers at 0 F (-18C), which doesn't really sound like a big difference but I just could not generate enough heat to warm up. I had to add additional insulating jacket to become comfortable. This did make me really appreciate the EXCELOFT insulation. The Thermaloft is a fairly thin jacket but once warmed up it really does an excellent job retaining heat.
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Backpack Gear Test / TEST REPORT BY ROBB PRATT
Reviewed in March, 2020
LONG TERM REPORT
Besides using the Montbell Thermawrap Classic Jacket for a variety of sporting events and getting around town, I used it three times for backpacking. Two of those were day hiking where I was doing shakedown hikes in bad weather conditions to establish my hiking clothes while the third time was an overnight backpacking trip.
Overall, I found the Montbell Thermawrap to be an excellent piece of gear for the conditions. At the start of both day hikes, I used a polar grid fleece sweatshirt and then changed to the Thermawrap after 30 minutes for comparison sake. I found the sweatshirt to be warm, but had poor venting. Once I changed to the Thermawrap, I was able to vent my body much better and control my own internal temperature to my hiking conditions. I also found that for both day hikes, my sweatshirt was wet in several areas - from rain. snow and sweat. The Montbell Thermawrap did a better job of shedding the water on both the inside and outside due to the nature of the material. At the end of both day hikes, the jacket was still dry while my baselayer was only damp near my back where it met my pack.
from BackpackGearTest