Outdoor Ventures Packable Lightweight Hooded - Women's Review

The Outdoor Ventures Packable Lightweight Hooded jacket is a warm, relatively lofty, compressible synthetic insulated jacket that effectively repels water. It packs down into its own pocket or into an included stuff sack and features hood cinch cords that adeptly seal out the wind.

Warmth

The Outdoor Ventures lightweight jacket is just that overall--fairly lightweight. It's not the loftiest or the warmest insulated jacket in the lineup, but it does get the job done on moderate winter days. For a mid-weight jacket, we were able to stay quite warm in moderate winter temperatures between 20-30 degrees Fahrenheit while stationary, or colder if we were on the move.

While this jacket isn't the loftiest option, it does have some features that really maximize the warmth. The cinch hood, in particular, works incredibly effectively to seal out cold gusts from around your head and face. On the interior of the jacket, there is a solid, seamless layer of nylon fabric that prevents wind from getting in any weak points at the seams and helps to more effectively trap in body heat.

Comfort

This jacket is overall quite comfortable, although it doesn't knock our socks off. It's pretty average as far as insulated jackets go, with no features dedicated specifically to improving the comfort. It has a roomy enough fit to accommodate a decent range of motion, although it doesn't have much adjustability aside from the hood toggles. Unlike some jackets in the lineup, it doesn't have stretch panels to improve mobility.

As we mentioned, this jacket fits relaxed for the size - verging on baggy on a few of our testers. This could negatively affect comfort for slimmer women, leaving quite a bit of extra material that can bunch up beneath a shell or rain jacket.

Weather Resistance

Weather resistance is the greatest strength of this jacket. While we can't speak to how the water-resistant coating will hold up after years of use, it easily repelled rain, sleet, and snow during our testing period. It even refused to let any water through while holding the sleeve under a running faucet for several minutes--which was very impressive!

In addition to the robust and effective DWR coating, the Outdoor Ventures jacket has a few other features working in its favor to ensure the best possible weather resistance. As previously mentioned, the interior of the jacket is backed with a single sheet of nylon with no sewn baffles; this creates a consistent barrier to prevent any wind or moisture from getting through and ensures that the jacket has no weak points. Even with a high-powered fan, this single backer prevented this jacket from allowing much wind through. The lynchpin for its performance in this metric is the adjustability in the hood, allowing you to seal out all wind and moisture effectively with two adjustment tabs.

Portability

The Outdoor Ventures comes with a stuff sack but also easily packs away into its own pocket. While it isn't the smallest when packed into its pocket or the stuff sack, it packs into both without any trouble or forcing. Though it can't match the compressibility of down, it's quite good as far as insulated jackets go.

Overall, the weight of this jacket is in the middle of the road when it comes to our testing lineup. While the manufacturer claims that this jacket weighs 11.5 ounces, it came out to 12.5 ounces when we weighed it. Even still, it's pretty light as far as insulated jackets go--especially for one this warm and water-resistant.

Breathability

Because of its supreme weather resistance, this jacket lacks breathability. While it does well in other metrics, breathability is definitely one of its weakest aspects - this is also where we noticed the caliber of the materials falls short compared to higher-end jackets that can both breathe well and repel moisture and block wind.

Should You Buy the Outdoor Ventures Packable Hooded?

The Outdoor Ventures is an affordable option that will work well for a budget-friendly everyday winter jacket. It may not be the most technical, breathable, or flashy, but it'll get the job done for most people and most winter climates.

What Other Insulated Jackets Should You Consider?

The Outdoor Ventures Packable Hooded is a great insulated jacket for wetter winters and those looking to save money compared to higher dollar options. If you're looking for another budget-friendly jacket that's cozier, check out the Columbia Heavenly Hoody. For a more casual option, check out the Amazon Essentials Lightweight Packable Puffer.