Mammut Sender IN Parka Review

The Mammut Sender IN Hooded Parka is a synthetic insulated parka made with 100% recycled materials and insulated with recycled climbing rope scraps. The jacket is quite warm with a deep hood that insulates the head well, even though it’s quite large and helmet-compatible. While it has a Michelin Man look, the exterior construction is not sewn-through but crimped, providing excellent windproof and water-resistant warmth at a surprisingly economical price point.

• Gender: Men’s (Women’s available)
• Pockets: 4: Two external zippered, two internal drop pockets
• Stuffable: No
• Hood: Helmet Compatible
• Shell: 9% Spandex, 91% Polyester
• Weight: 17 oz (Men’s large)
• Fit: True-to-size

I’ve been wearing this parka for a few weeks, and I’m quite impressed by its warmth.  I carry it with me on my daily winter hikes and around town; it’s impervious to the wind and has a stretchy 30d polyester exterior that’s proven impervious to vegetation on my on-trail and off-trail explorations. I’m section hiking parts of the North Country Trail this December and I’ve needed the extra insulation to stay warm.

The Sender is a pretty basic parka-weight jacket. It has stretch cuffs, a stretch hem, and a non-adjustable, helmet-compatible hood. While the hood is huge, it’s also quite deep and has a high neck, so you can snuggle back into it to keep your head and face warm.

The Sender also has four pockets: two zippered handwarmer pockets on the exterior and two very deep drop pockets on the interior good for storing and warming up gloves. But the jacket is not stuffable in a handwarmer pocket because its synthetic insulation is too bulky. While it comes with fabric loops you could conceivably attach to a biner, the jacket is simply too large to tow along on a harness.

Despite that, Sender has plenty of room inside for layering and is true-to-size. Lengthwise, it reaches the bottom of my pockets and would be perfectly suitable as a belay jacket if you’re climbing inclined.

I’ve had the opportunity to try a lot of products from Mammut this autumn and winter and I’m impressed with their design and quality. Mammut has fixed their longstanding distribution issues in the US and is making a concerted effort to sell direct. If you’re in the market for climbing or mountaineering oriented gear for winter hiking, I’d definitely give their products a close look. It’s really premium stuff.

Disclosure: Mammut donated a jacket for review.