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Outdoor Research Refuge Air Hooded Jacket Review

Outdoor Research Refuge Air Hooded Jacket Review
The Outdoor Research Refuge Air Hooded Jacket is water and wind-resistant jacket insulated with OR’s Vertical X. Designed for cold weather wear, it claims to incorporate thermo-regulating technology that keeps you cool, dry, and comfortable during high-exertion activities.  Named after its VerticalX Air technology, the Refuge Air is designed with adaptable insulation to keep you warm when you need it and rapidly move moisture away from your skin when you start to perspire. We found the actual performance to be adequate, but short of expectations, and wonder why companies keep trying to reinvent active layering when you can achieve better results with a combination of thinner and simpler garments.

Outdoor Research Refuge Air Hooded Jacket

Warmth
Weight
Compressibility
Moisture Resistence
Hood Adjustment
Features

Not that Great

If the purpose of therm-regulation is to keep you cooler and drier so you don't sweat in winter and to eliminate the need for active layering in the process, then the Outdoor Research Refuge Air Hooded Jacket falls short of the mark.

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Specs at a Glance

  • External Fabric: Pertex Quantum Air
  • Interior Fabric: 100% polyester 50D warp knit tricot lining
  • Insulation: VerticalX Air 100% polyester 75D insulation, 75 g/m2
  • Center/Back Length 31” / 79 cm
  • Fit: Trim, but not as trim as you’d expect
  • Weight: 17.4 oz in a men’s XL

Intended Use

The Refuge Air Hooded Jacket can be worn as an outer layer or as a mid-layer under a waterproof or windproof shell. I normally wear a thin long sleeve base layer inside the jacket. If you believe the temperature regulation marketing, the Refuge Air is designed to keep you warm during periods of inactivity, while moving perspiration from your baselayer to the outer surface of the jacket during periods of high exertion. In other words, it’s designed to eliminate the need to stop and take off or put on clothing layers that most people find annoying during start and stop cold-weather activities like winter hiking, mountaineering, ice climbing, or XC skiing.

The Refuge Air Hooded Jacket has a non-adjustable hood
The Refuge Air Hooded Jacket has a non-adjustable hood that lets cold drafts enter.

Construction

The Refuge Air has two layers that are sewn together: an external Pertex Quantum softshell fabric and a woven tricot liner. The appearance and feel is similar to a component raincoat with a mesh liner, like the ones your mother made you wear in elementary school.  It’s not entirely clear where the Vertical X insulation is located because you can’t feel a noticeable insulation layer.

The jacket has two zippered side pockets that are not hip belt compatible and a zippered chest pocket that is convenient for holding a phone. There are also two large interior pockets where you could store gloves or climbing skins.

Finally, the jacket has an elastic hem adjuster to help block drafts from blowing up your torso and chilling you.

Hood

The Refuge Air Hooded Jacket does not have an adjustable hood, which we consider a non-starter for winter use because it’s too drafty. While the hood fits well under, say a climbing helmet, or stretched over one, it lets in too much cold air along the side and neck if you don’t wear a helmet at all. The hem of the hood does have built-in elastic but stretches very little and not enough to seal out cold air around the face.

The Refuge Air Hooded Jacket has elastic wrist cuffs
The Refuge Air Hooded Jacket has elastic wrist cuffs

Wrists and Arms

The wrist cuffs are also elastic and not adjustable so drafts can find your wrists. They are loose enough however that you can pull them up your arms to cool down. The arm do have thumb loops that pull the wrists closed when used.

The arms don’t have a very good range of motion and feel constraining when you reach up or overhead, for ice climbing or XC skiing for instance. Personally, I prefer using a Powerstretch hoody as a mid-layer for both of these activities because it has so much stretch and conforms well to my body. Using a fairly long jacket like the Refuge Air that drops below my waist feels much more constraining and awkward.

Insulation

The Refuge Air Hooded Jacket is a surprisingly cold jacket for winter weather. The best way to compensate is to add a mid-layer underneath the jacket, which seems like it undermines the jacket’s reason for existence since it’s also trying to be an “uber” mid-layer.

Winter hiking with the Outdoor Research Refuge Air Jacket
Winter hiking with the Outdoor Research Refuge Air Jacket

There are times during extended activity like snowshoeing, that the back of the jacket and in the armpits, particularly, gets noticeably wet with perspiration.  This coupled with the jacket’s “cool” character becomes a bit concerning in colder temperatures below 10*F degrees. (Luckily I always carry a puffy layer.) Warmer than 20*F, the perspiration is less noticeable, probably because it’s just less uncomfortable.

Assessment

If the purpose of therm-regulation is to keep you cooler and drier so you don’t sweat in winter and to eliminate the need for active layering in the process, then the Outdoor Research Refuge Air Hooded Jacket falls short of the mark. It’s not a terrible jacket and it’s quite stylish-looking, but it doesn’t even come close to being as effective at the layering you probably already do. If you’re a winter hiker or snowshoer, you’re likely to be too cold in this jacket when standing still and too warm and sweaty when you’re working hard.

See Also: 

Disclosure: Outdoor Research gave the author a jacket for this review.

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9 comments

  1. Sounds like something made for the sporting goods stores that sell The Northface and Columbia clothing, where people are looking for name recognition and looking good “out on the town”.

  2. I bought this jacket at a pretty good discount direct from OR. I agree that it really doesn’t fit the bill for winter hiking. It isn’t very warm, but it is lightweight and not bulky. I am very happy with it as a general purpose winter coat. I usually have a fleece vest on underneath it and when the wind is whipping the hood is warm and cinches down nicely.

  3. Like all companies they will tell any lie to sell their product. One way is saying they reinvented the wheel. In fact lying is so pervasive I am surprised gore has not been run out of business. Waterproof but not on this planet. I am sorry that “outdoor research “ with that kind of name didn’t come out with a better jacket ie reference your review .

    Do you ever consider reviewing companies like wiggys . A cranky owner. But I would bet my life on his extreme temp clothing. . I own marmet , north face and well half a dozen others . But when I am not certain how conditions will fare I reach for my hunting jacket and bibs by wiggys.
    There also kifaru . The former mountain smith back pack owner. His sleds are great and his tepee tents work well.

    There are other names out there. I think Parker backpacks is one.

  4. You were bang on with this review. I have this jacket and couldn’t agree more. Wearing this jacket winter hiking I was not warm AND not dry. In fact, my ancient fleece jacket liner works better. I have some other great OR gear, but this jacket was disappointing. I’ve been pleasantly surprised at how my relatively uncool, but deep-discounted, Eddie Bauer ignitelite stretch hooded jacket has performed. Have you considered giving ignitelite a review?

  5. William Stallings

    There are two different jackets that have similar names, Outdoor Research Refuge and the Outdoor Research Refuge Air. They can be confused within each other because of the names, as far as I know the “Air” version is much lighter and doesn’t have the features and insulation as the “Rufuge”

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