Gear Review: Icebreaker Sierra/Cascade Full-Zip
This baseslayer packs a lot of warmth and versatility into a sub-one-pound package that scrunches up small
Up until this season, the wool midweight jackets we’ve tried have been woefully heavy—nice for around town, but too much to lug in your pack. Enter this game changer: It packs a lot of warmth and versatility into a sub-one-pound package that scrunches up small (about the size of a mini Nerf football).
The Sierra (Cascade is the women’s version, pictured) is made of buttery soft, stretchy, 21-micron merino that has a lofty, brushed, heat-trapping inner surface with a smooth, pill- and snag-resistant outer surface. “The wool breathes really well, even under a shell, so I found myself keeping this on through a wide range of conditions and exertion levels,” says one tester who also wore it solo on dry days up to 60°F, and under a shell down to freezing.
The fit is all performance with a body-hugging torso and a to-the-butt hem. Gripe: Zippered handwarmer pockets fall directly under a pack hipbelt.
$200 (Sierra)
$180 (Cascade)
14 oz. m’s S-XXL, w’s XS-XL
icebreaker.com