It can sometimes be tough to find a modern materials jacket that doesn’t make you look like either a ski bunny or a power ranger. That’s why I was thrilled to see the Kühl Revolt Jacket hanging at my local REI ($175).
The Revolt jacket comes in one color – raven (black) which was fine by me seeing as the 80’s neon revolution seems to have been awakened in some secret lab somewhere. Remember BodyGlove? Yeah, me too [shudder]. The nylon shell has an understated sheen that falls somewhere between a satin and a semigloss and the styling simple and functional.
The filling is PrimaLoft One* which kept me comfortably warm down into the low 40s, but was light enough to wear into the 60s. And speaking of light, this jacket is almost weightless and easily packable. This made it great for traveling as it took up about the same volume as a t-shirt. Another thing I love about it is the cut. It fits me just right through the body while having enough length to accommodate my long arms. This is great as what typically happens is a jacket that fits in the sleeves leaves me swimming around in the body, or the body fits and the sleeves fit like capris.
Other details include a wind flap under the zipper to keep the breezes out, zippered hand pockets and snap closed chest pockets.
Well made, good looking and warm, I found the Kühl Revolt to be a nearly perfect jacket for those in-between days that were too cool for just a shirt, but not cold enough for heavy stuff.
The Good
- Nicely made
- Warm enough
- Zippers and snaps (no velcro!)
- The cut
- It looks damn good on me
The Bad
- Uh.. main zipper caught a little on the wind flap a couple of times?
The Why
- Wish it had one inside pocket.
Would I recommend it?: Yes, without question.
Get it from REI (where it appears to be an exclusive until July 1) for $175
*The More You Know: “All technology is military technology” – PrimaLoft was developed at the request of the US Army as a synthetic alternative to goose down that could retain heat in the presence of moisture.
Photo credits: REI website