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Ibex Outdoor Clothing — Aire Jacket
I’ve long been a fan of Ibex Outdoor Clothing wool products. For cycling the wool cycling caps can’t be beaten, the Shak or Nomad FZ Hoody is a mainstay, and the Europa Jacket is awesome alone or over a down vest or jacket. Don’t forget warm hands.
Ibex Outdoor Clothing keeps me warm and comfortable, supplemented by the Western Mountaineering Flash XR down jacket and heavenly Sequoia GWS Sleeping Bag.
Along comes the Ibex “Aire” jacket (vest or jacket or jacket with hood). It’s packable, lightweight and warm.
Color
Of particular appeal is the color, especially the “Blue Jay” which is blue on the outside and green on the inside (as shown below, toggle the image to see “Alpine Meadow” which is two-tone green).
The two-color variant is appealing to me. Indeed, it is attractive enough that a friend of mine who enjoys color, upon seeing me in the jacket, immediately asked me about getting one.
Continues below.
Description
Presenting the next chapter in insulated jackets, the WOOL AIRE series.
Warmer than synthetic batting, more functional than down, the AIRE is pure Ibex creativity with its reconsidered use for wool.
Submerge it in water, get caught in a downpour, the wool fill in this lightweight layer keeps insulating.
The AIRE is packable and light and styled for active applications with a semi-fit cut and an interior mesh pocket that doubles as a stuff sack
It isn't just wool fill that pushes the Ibex agenda. The shell is 100% recycled nylon, outwardly reflecting sustainability and durability. With all this, the AIRE rewrites whatʼs expected of an insulating layer. Pull it on for any adventure that requires well crafted warmth
Specs:
- Semi-fit
- 70 g/m2 wool insulation
- Reverse coil zipper at center front and hand pockets
- 7'' Hand warmer pocket
- 6'' Chest pocket
- Adjustable hem and cord lock system
- Elastic cuffs
- Interior mesh pocket that doubles as a stuff sack
- Shell: 100% Recycled Nylon
Lining: 88% Recycled Rip Stop Poly, 12% Regular Poly Double RipStop
Fill: 90% Australian Merino Wool, 10% Ingeo™ (PLA) - Machine washable
Weight
I weighed the Men’s Wool Aire Sweater (no hood) at 404 grams.
In use
I am not tempted to submerge the Aire or get caught in a downpour, but the jacket is amazingly warm (and quite wind resistant), and stuffs easily into my North Face Recon daypack, where it does double duty wrapping a camera body or lens while I hike (until I need warmth).
Of late I have taken to wearing the Aire simply because the color appeals to me, and is a nicely different look from most of my jackets.
The shell is quite wind resistant, and thus makes a very good option for cyclist, say as a pull-over jacket for a descent. But the one drawback is that it won’t easily stuff into a cycling jersey pocket; while it is relatively compact, it is too bulky to stuff into a cycling jersey pocket, so it would have to be carried via other means, such as a any cycing saddlebag, panier, etc.
