Mountain Hardwear: Men's Synchro Jacket

54 Reviews

Price: $189.95
Discontinued Colors: $121.97

Shipping: FREE SHIPPING is available on this item.

Fit Tip

Fit Tip for the Men's Synchro Jacket: Fits true to size. I am 6'2" tall 170lbs and a Large fits perfect. Enough room to wear a sweatshirt underneath.

Description

Mountain Hardwear: Men's Synchro Jacket - Altrec.com Product Description:

A sleek soft shell for cool weather action, the Mountain Hardwear Men's Synchro Jacket thrives in rapidly changing conditions. Whether a sunny days turns to snow showers, or a shaded valley approach transitions to a breath-robbing steep ascent, this versatile piece laminated with Conduit™ waterproof and breathable membrane technology sees you through in comfort. Welded chest, hand, and arm pockets with water resistant zips provide handy storage for electronic gadgets, a wallet, snacks, or a trail map. A microfleece lining adds a touch of warmth, further contributing to the Synchro's versatile comfort.

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40 denier, 50% nylon, 50% polyester Synchro NylonPoly face with supple, quiet, and lightweight Conduit™ waterproof and breathable membrane
Microfleece lining for lightweight warmth
Exterior taped water resistant seams
Interior zip pocket
Welded chest and hand pockets with watertight zips
Welded arm pocket with water resistant zip
Lightweight, laminated front zip flap offers enhanced weather protection
Micro-chamois lined chin guard protects from zipper chafing
Hidden Power Stretch® cuff
One-handed hem drawcords and neck drawcord seal out cold winds
Average weight: 1 lb. 4 oz. (577 grams)

Seattle Area Customers: This item is AVAILABLE ONLINE (may or may not be available in the Sturtevant's Bellevue/Puyallup stores).

Customer Reviews (54)

Mountain Hardwear: Men's Synchro Jacket - 54 Reviews

2006-01-02
just great a great jacket works well in the rain, and is very comfortable. If you like your jackets a little bit longer than I would suggest getting one size larger than normal, other than that it is a great jacket.

Was this Mountain Hardwear Synchro Jacket Review Helpful? - Yes - No

Niki - 2007-01-27
4 1/2 STARS I really really want to give this jacket 5 stars but 3 minor things bother me. First, the insulation is on the thin side for a jacket that's both wind/waterproof. On days with temps in the 40s, I'd still need a mid-weight fleece vest to keep warm while inactive. It's sufficient during a walk/hike or other activities as the body generates more heat. If used to replace my Marmot Precip rain shell, the pack weight would increase by 1/2 pound. Second, the waterproof chest and arm pocket zippers are stiff in its motion and the zip pulls/tabs are on the small side. Third, MHW should make a zip-off hood as the more functional hooded version doesn't look right due to the fashionable and sleek lines of the jacket. These issues aside, the jacket is very attractive and high quality in both material and fit & finish. I'm keeping it as it's still a very functional and handsome jacket... and I got it during a steep discount. Thanks Altrec!

Is this Handy? - Yes - No ( 3 of 3 found this review helpful.)

DtEW - 2007-01-24
Designed for ice climbing, but also great for skiing. For on-piste skiing, The Mountain Hardwear Synchro jacket is the best shell that I have ever used. I also own the North Face Mountain Light (2-layer Gore-Tex, circa '90s) and Paclite (Gore-Tex Paclite) shell jackets, and a few DWR-coated "water-repellent" shell jackets. Aesthetically, the MH Synchro is a very good-looking jacket and flatters the wearer. One part of this is the fact that the stretchy softshell material allows the jacket to be cut to a more fitted profile without restricting range-of-motion. Another part of this is the matte and somewhat neoprene-ish nature of the "sharkskin" fabric, which isn't anywhere as crinkly on the wearer as the nylon-faced Gore-Tex. (The look of hardshell "crinklyness" is inherent due to the motion-permissive cut of the non-stretch fabric, and sometimes exacerbated by shiny nylon face fabrics.) Waterwise, the MH Synchro's Conduit membrane is indeed windproof and waterproof. That said, the matte "sharkskin" face fabric seems less water-repellent than the shiny nylon face fabrics of Gore-Tex shells, so treatment with water-repellent (Nikwax TX.Direct) is more important. I personally treat mine upon every washing. The MH Synchro's Conduit membrane does not seem to be quite as breathable overall as Gore-Tex, but that works quite fine for the cold and dry environments that the Synchro was designed for. (FYI, the Synchro jacket & pants were conceived as an ice-climbing outfit, hence the lack of a hood in the original jacket. Ice climbers wear helmets, making a hood much less critical.) Even when aerobic exertion (uphill skiing) produced overheating, any dampness was quickly dispersed from the interior. The Synchro jacket is also equipped with two front-facing vent pockets that are very easy to use single-handedly, even with a pack on. That said, large items (like a balaclava) in the vent pockets will defeat the venting. Performance-wise (on-piste skiing), the more fitted profile cuts cleaner through the wind with less fabric movement (flapping, waving). This fitted profile also keeps me warmer than the looser-cut hardshells, since there is less "pumping" of the trapped air between the shell and the insulating layer as I move. That said, your mileage may vary on this, since I'm a regular rock climber (pretty close to the Synchro's target audience/physique) and use fitted/semi-fitted layers. The Synchro is warm for me because it fits me perfectly. Aside from the large vent pockets, the MH Synchro jacket has a small Napolean pocket that's perfect for a cellphone, and a smaller bicep pocket that's difficult to access, for which I store cash and a few cards (won't fit anything but the most minimal of wallets). The MH Synchro jacket has a non-elastic collar-cinch and a thin, elastic hem-cinch. I can understand the non-elastic collar-cinch from an ice-climbing perspective (a just-right fit at the expense of comfort for maximal shielding from the constant fall of ice chips), but if there was anything I would improve on this jacket, it'd be a burlier elastic hem-cinch. I positively love my MH Synchro jacket for skiing (and it probably works very well for ice climbing, not that Ive done that yet). Whether you might love a Synchro jacket will probably depend upon how close you are to Mountain Hardwears original conceived usage and target audience. For more aerobic activities and/or in more humid conditions and/or in temperatures that might vary away from cold/snowy/icy, I would probably opt to use one of my Gore-Tex hardshells.

Is this Useful? - Yes - No ( 2 of 3 thought this was useful.)