Gear: The North Face Heathen Jacket; Asolo FSN 95 GTX Boots

I'm cheating a bit today and reviewing two pieces of gear in a single post: The North Face Heathen jacket and the Asolo FSN 95 GTX boot. I've had the jacket for several months, but the boots are quite new, and both were really put to the test for the first time in the last week, together along with the previously reviewed REI Shuksan eVent pants, in the central Oregon back country (Mt. Bachelor area).

Over the course of a few days a range of activities from snowshoeing to snowmobiling allowed me to get a sense of how the aforementioned gear performed in some diverse scenarios. In particular, the generally cold weather is amplified by the speed of snowmobiling (I hit 70mph on one stretch :) and, while hustling a machine of that size is still work, you are sitting and less prone to sweating in that scenario than the more physically strenuous activity of snowshoeing.

So first up are the boots. I recently replaced a pair of beloved Salomon boots that had succumbed to sole dry rot with the Asolo FSN 95 GTX boot.

• Temperature control: I was operating in temperatures largely in the 30s, and likely dipping into the 20s at night. Depending on the day, I wore either REI or SmartWool mid weight merino wool socks. Not once were my feet cold.



• Moisture control: The suede and cordura upper shed water admirably and the Gore-Tex liner didn't allow a drop of moisture in. My pants had built-in inner leg gators that fit over the top of the boots nicely to further keep snow out. The merino wool socks really helped wick moisture away from my feet taboot.



• Comfort/Fit: The fit and comfort was outstanding. Aside from some negligible wear around the home base, I didn't give much of a break in period for these. I've taken that risk before with horrible results, but I could tell on my limited usage beforehand that these would be fine and after some considerable snowshoeing in them that was confirmed. Some folks complain that Asolo's, in general, have too narrow a foot bed. I wear a size 13 and, while I typically wear a regular width, can definitely tell when something is on the narrow side. Not the case with these boots. In fact, I probably had the best possible result from wearing these boots after even a few days of heavy use --- I didn't notice them at all. When you can spend several days in the snow and not once notice your feet that is a great sign.



• The Verdict: A super versatile boot that, with the right socks, will work in any conditions. If you look at any of the marketing materials from Asolo or the way these boots are positioned by most retailers, you're likely to incorrectly disregard this as "just a hiking boot." The hiking designation here primarily comes from the lightweight nature of the insulation in the boot and the fact that the uppers aren't full grain leather from top to bottom. From a rigidity and tread standpoint, while these might not cut it as an extreme mountaineering boot, you can throw much more at these boots....heavy pack and rough trails? Bring it.
  
  

Now on to the jacket. As mentioned above, I've had The North Face Heathen jacket for several months, but aside from some rain exposure in Texas, it had yet to get abused.

• Temperature control: The Gore-Tex ProShell works really well to block the wind. I layered some REI mid-weight base layer and a North Face Denali jacket beneath this and never once felt the least bit cold. In fact, when I started breaking a sweat during a brisk nighttime snowshoe, I opened up some of the lengthy pit zips to get some relief and was able to use the feature to help modulate my temperature effectively.



• Moisture control: The jacket itself has minimal features.....which is one of the reasons I purchased it. This jacket replaced a Moonstone 3-ply Gore-Tex jacket that had a seemingly endless amount of pockets, zippers and adjustment points. And all that added up to a serious amount of seems that could -- and did -- fail. The main, two pit and two pocket zippers on the Heathen jacket are all welded and the adjustment points are isolated to the waist and cobra hood to minimize failure points. The jacket performed flawlessly and looks to hold up over the long haul.



• Comfort/Fit: As mentioned above, I bought this jacket because it is minimalist. The Gore-Tex ProShell is super lightweight, which makes packing this jacket in any situation a breeze. And with the right layering (or lack thereof) it can be a true four season jacket. I'm pretty tall and usually have issues in the waist and sleeve lengths of some shirts/jackets. The North Face doesn't make a "tall" version of this so I was stuck with plain old XL, but the sleeves are nice and long. The jack is cut on an angle so it's longer in the back which is plus, but the front is just on the borderline of "just right" and "could be an inch longer". Also mentioned above where the adjustment points in the waist and for the hood, the latter of which took some finagling to get just right, but I've found that with all cobra-style jacket hoods.



• The Verdict: Worth every penny (unfortunately this one costs a lot of pennies :)
  

So that about wraps up this batch of reviews. Next time your in central Oregon, check out our friends at Elk Lake Resort for some delicious elk chili and snowmobile rentals and 4 Seasons Recreational Outfitters in Sunriver for snowshoe and ski rentals. And while you're in Sunriver you have to stop in Marcello's Restaurant for some excellent northern Italian cuisine and a delicious pint of Deschutes brewery beer.

And for a parting shot, here is some action video of us cutting fresh powder up Sheridan butte on our sleds during a 45-mile circumnavigation of Mt. Bachelor. First sleds of the day on many of the trails....sick!

- sc0rpi0n