Summer has steamrollered into town with triple-digit heat and some fun work guiding. I had a super client this past week, a med student from Arkansas who wanted to improve his trad-climbing skills. We spent a couple days out, placing gear, building anchors, and talking about strategies for putting it all together for leading trad climbs…and eventually multi-pitch routes. He was such a cool dude we ended up climbing an additional day, just as buddies.
During the week our kind and generous letter carrier delivered a featherweight package from Westcomb–their new “Shift Hoody”, an 11-ounce hard-shell crafted of Polartec NeoShell–SCORE! The thing is crazy light and at first glance looks well constructed–narrow seam-taping to save weight, a single Napoleon pocket to the same end, waterproof zips, clean cuff detailing. I’ll be climbing, hiking, riding in it in the coming weeks and give you guys a full report.
This is the first superlight NeoShell garment that I know of–and I’ve loved my Rab Stretch NeoShell jacket thus far: check out the review HERE. Rab says they’ll be delivering a lightweight version (their current iteration is about 18 ounces, if memory serves). I LOVE the Rab fit at present, so we’ll see how the Westcomb differs at seven ounces less (woh!), if at all. Westcomb still manufactures in Canada, which is cool. They’re a great brand, innovative, durable, comfortable. I’m psyched to get out in the Shift.
