Recently purchased the Homeschool Dangermare jacket and received the base layer as a gift. I had read about Cocona fabric before and ending up getting a killer deal on the jacket. Saw the company name tossed around a few times in outerwear talk here so thought I'd do a review:
The jacket:
Aside from what you may read, there's no insulation in this jacket. For myself that's a non-issue, as I wanted a shell, but some of the sites you'll find this are a little off on that. This review is of the Homeschool Dangermare in "Night" color. The "night" color is black, with maroon accents under the zipper flap, and the jacket logo. I had originally picked the Misty, however the color is a much more light blue than what you'll find pictured on the interweb. The jacket material is a much softer feel than I've had before. I'm guessing this is from the Cocona, but it's definitely not your traditional shell feel.
Overall it's a great jacket, no crazy color schemes, and a really nice fit. All seams are fully taped, and no issues at all with stitching or quality. While I don't ride the PNW, we do have quickly changing weather conditions and it really works well. The breathability is outstanding.
Base Layer:
I received this as a Christmas gift from a family member and love it. Again this is Cocona fibers blended in. It's very light, but very warm. It is not a compression fit, but rather a semi-close to body fit. The odor resistance really surprised me on this too, few park days on it, still no smell whatsoever. From going from the slopes to the (way too warm) bar, normally I'd be a sweaty mess. This stuff works better than I expected. The base layer is also longer than most I've had before, tucks in and hasn't come out. The colors are a little loud, so it's not something I'd wear by itself while hiking or biking. As with the jacket, a size medium fit my height and weight.
The jacket:
Aside from what you may read, there's no insulation in this jacket. For myself that's a non-issue, as I wanted a shell, but some of the sites you'll find this are a little off on that. This review is of the Homeschool Dangermare in "Night" color. The "night" color is black, with maroon accents under the zipper flap, and the jacket logo. I had originally picked the Misty, however the color is a much more light blue than what you'll find pictured on the interweb. The jacket material is a much softer feel than I've had before. I'm guessing this is from the Cocona, but it's definitely not your traditional shell feel.
- Zippers - It's Riri zippers on this jacket, the zipper pull is actually on the left. Underarm zips have a meshed lining, and have had no issues with snagging or getting stuck.
- Fit - Relaxed but not overly baggy by any means, there's most certainly room to layer, but it doesn't have the "park rat" style to it at all.
- Breathability - Legit. This thing really does breathe like they say it does. I've read varying specs of 25,000 to 30,000 rating, but I'm extremely impressed by how well it works.
- Sizing - I'm 5 foot 8, about 155 and the medium fits me well, with room to layer.
- Hood - Aside from the breathability of the jacket, the hood is great. It's what they call a "wind hater" hood, there's raised flaps that extend up to your cheek with a lowered area in the middle so you can breathe easier. Based on my experience it does a great job of keeping the wind off your face when it's coming from the side. It also comes up to the base of my goggles. The hood has a nice cut to it, so that it's not in your peripheral vison when you have it up.
Few things that may affect your decision if you're purchasing this. There's no wrist gaiters. Personally I never cared one way or the other about them, so this is a non-issue for me. There is a powder skirt and has jacket to pant connections. There's only a couple interior pockets, a goggle pocket and pass pocket. The exterior has 5 pockets, including a chest pocket with an hole to route your headphones from the inside. Wrist closures kinda tuck back into the sleeve when you don't have them pulled tight.
Overall it's a great jacket, no crazy color schemes, and a really nice fit. All seams are fully taped, and no issues at all with stitching or quality. While I don't ride the PNW, we do have quickly changing weather conditions and it really works well. The breathability is outstanding.
Base Layer:
I received this as a Christmas gift from a family member and love it. Again this is Cocona fibers blended in. It's very light, but very warm. It is not a compression fit, but rather a semi-close to body fit. The odor resistance really surprised me on this too, few park days on it, still no smell whatsoever. From going from the slopes to the (way too warm) bar, normally I'd be a sweaty mess. This stuff works better than I expected. The base layer is also longer than most I've had before, tucks in and hasn't come out. The colors are a little loud, so it's not something I'd wear by itself while hiking or biking. As with the jacket, a size medium fit my height and weight.