Powder Review: Outdoor Research Snowcrew Jacket and Bibs.

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In a nutshell

Outdoor Research’s Snowcrew insulated jacket and bibs is a weatherproof, supremely warm kit, perfect for inbounds skiing in cold areas.

• Size Tested: XL

• Materials: bluesign® approved Ventia® 2L 100% Polyester, VerticalX Eco 100% Polyester (85% Recycled) Insulation 80 G/M2 Body, 60 G/M2 Sleeves and Hood

• Pockets: Two hand pockets, chest pocket, forearm pocket, interior zippered pocket, interior drop-in pocket

• Vents: Underarm zip vents

• Features: Helmet compatible hood, fleece chin guard, adjustable hood and hem, powder skirt, thumb gaiters

• Weight: 1038 g

• MSRP: $349

The Outdoor Research Snowcrew Jacket is available now.

• Size Tested: Large

• Materials: bluesign® approved Ventia® 2L 100% Polyester (56% Recycled) 75D X 150D Plain Weave Mechanical Stretch Shell, VerticalX Eco™100% Polyester (85% Recycled) Insulation 45 G/M2 Seat And Thigh

• Pockets: Chest stash pocket, chest beacon pocket, two thigh pockets

• Vents: Inner thigh vents

• Features: Adjustable suspenders, scuff guards, gaiters

• Weight: 787 g

• MSRP: $299

The Outdoor Research Snowcrew Bib is available now.

Intro

The Snowcrew collection is Outdoor Research’s insulated, inbounds-oriented outerwear line. It skews towards the more affordable end of the spectrum, and uses recycled materials in many of the garments. It’s been a few years since I spent significant time in insulated outerwear, but this spring an inversion and its accompanying cold snap provided the perfect opportunity to try out the Snowcrew kit, and I came away with a fresh appreciation for insulated outerwear.

Fit

If you read every outerwear review I write, in order, by this point you should be very familiar that my 6’1” 200 lb frame gets along really well with Large pants, and Large or XL jackets from most brands. And the Outdoor Research Snowcrew kit was no exception. It definitely fits a little more on the baggy side, which I appreciate. I really don’t like the stuffed sausage look that more fitted insulated layers sometimes have. Instead, the Snowcrew kit drapes pretty naturally, and from a distance I don’t think anyone would guess it’s insulated.

Pockets and Features

If you’re going to make an insulated inbounds kit, make it full featured! Luckily, Outdoor Research agrees. The Snowcrew jacket has an adjustable, helmet-friendly hood, an internal phone pocket, with passthrough port for headphones, a big mesh drop-in pocket, and a permanently attached powder skirt. At the end of each sleeve is a generous wrist gaiter with a thumb hole. They’re thick enough to be warm without hampering movement, and they’re long and stretchy enough that they never yanked on my thumbs, even when I got a little flaily. The chest pocket is big enough for modern phones, and is insulated both inside and out, a nice touch that should help with battery life. The hand pockets have thick, soft, warm liners, the pass pocket has an integrated lanyard, and the pit vents are huge.

Similarly, the Snowcrew bib has removable and adjustable bib straps, which make it easier to open up when nature calls. It’s also got belt loops, a full length fly, and mesh-lined inner thigh vents. Its thigh pockets are voluminous for any snacks and accessories you might want to carry, and the right chest drop-in pocket has a velcro tab that brings a little security. The left chest beacon pocket has a nice integrated lanyard. I would usually have more beef with the placement of this pocket, since it’s right below the phone pocket on the jacket, which places your beacon inside the radius of electronic interference. But the Snowcrew kit is an unapologetically inbounds-oriented kit, so we’ll let it slide. Just be sure to be aware, if you do end up skiing in the Snowcrew with a transceiver.

Performance

The internet is full of articles written about the importance of layering your base layer, your insulating layer, and your shell, carefully combined for max performance. Heck, I’ve written some of those articles. What the internet is not full of is articles about how wonderful it is to get out of bed in your wool or synthetic boxers and shirt, and slip directly into an insulated kit and go skiing. Seriously, the Snowcrew is warm. I ended up spending most of my time in it wearing just my lightest base layers. Yes, if I was walking uphill, dealing with changing temps and my usually sweaty body, the Snowcrew isn’t the ideal kit. But for purely inbounds days, where I’m riding a chairlift, in the cold, wow, a bunch of synthetic insulation built into my jacket and strategic parts of my bibs is really nice.

This is the most heavily insulated kit I skied in last year, and that’s part of what made it my favorite. If you’re going to insulate your outerwear, you might as well go all the way and make it really warm, like Outdoor Research did here. Even the hood of the jacket is insulated, which adds a shocking amount of perceived warmth when worn over a helmet. That instant warmth made the Snowcrew kit a favorite for errands around town, just slip it on and head out the door, instead of wondering if I needed just a puffy, just a shell, or some combination of the two. Seriously, there were times where I felt like I could ski naked under the Snowcrew shell, like some sort of demented flasher.

Of course, that warmth comes with its downsides. On warmer days and in more challenging terrain I found myself opening up all the vents just to maintain a comfortable temperature. Luckily those vents do a decent job of dumping a lot of heat fast.

Similarly, this isn’t the most weatherproof kit out there. If your skiing regularly involves temperatures that hover right around freezing, where the precipitation flirts with that rain/snow line, you’ll probably be frustrated by how warm you get, and the Snowcrew's two layer construction and softer face fabric make it feel like it wets out a little quicker than some other hardshells. But if you deal with a lot of dry cold, the Snowcrew is a great choice.

Who is the perfect skier for the Outdoor Research Snowcrew Jacket and Bib?

You’re either the sort of person who runs cold, or you live somewhere that’s just plain cold. You do most of your skiing off chairlifts. You’re looking for a kit that’s warm, instantly comfortable, and looks good. If that sounds like you, check out the Snowcrew.