Outdoor Research Snowcrew - Women's Review

The Outdoor Research Snowcrew is a synthetically-insulated resort ski jacket. It is constructed from a 2-layer polyester DWR-treated fabric, a silky-smooth taffeta backer, and synthetic insulation. The construction is fully seam sealed and is intended to balance breathability and weatherproofing. This jacket has an excellent warmth-to-weight ratio. It also has one of the most generous, full-coverage fits of any jacket we tested; if you prefer a slimmer fit, we'd recommend sizing down.

Warmth

The Outdoor Research Snowcrew features Vertical X-Eco insulation, made from 85 percent recycled polyester. It has an excellent warmth-to-weight ratio, weighing in at only 1.2 pounds for size small — much less than other insulated jackets, but just as warm.

Aside from the insulation, the Snowcrew keeps you warm with the full-coverage fit. The extra-long drop hem completely covers your backside. When sitting on snowy chairlifts all day, this pays big warmth dividends. With its loose fit, you can also pile on the layers underneath, ensuring you almost never get too cold. In most temperatures, we felt comfortable wearing this jacket with just a wool base layer underneath.

Weather Resistance

Outside in real-world conditions, the Snowcrew performed well when temperatures were cold and precipitation was frozen. However, during our shower test, we could get the face fabric to wet through with constant water. Despite this, moisture never made it through to the interior of the jacket — even when fully saturated. After being thoroughly soaked, the 2L Ventia fabric also dried very quickly, in less than ten minutes.

Waterproofing aside, the full coverage fit and features of the Snowcrew will keep you cozy on the windiest, coldest, and deepest of snow days. We especially love the extra-long drop hem that covered our backside and added extra protection on cold days. With the full coverage storm hood, we were able to easily batten down the hatches and keep wind sealed out, even while wearing a ski helmet.

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Comfort and Fit

The Outdoor Research Snowcrew is an incredibly comfortable jacket. However, the fit can be a bit polarizing. The Snowcrew runs at least one size larger in fit compared to other jackets we tested. It has a very generous, loose cut with a long drop hem that fully covers your backside. Our lead tester raved, “I don't know about you, but my booty gets colder than anything else. This jacket fixes that!”

It's not just the oversized fit of the jacket that makes it so comfortable. Outdoor Research snuck cozy additions into the Snowcrew in spades. All of the pockets are lined with an extra-soft fleece. The high chin guard also benefits from a fleece backer to help keep your face cozy. The insulation never felt too cumbersome, and this jacket is able to move with you. The silky liner material easily slides over thick base layers. Occasionally, when the front pockets are loaded with snacks, this jacket can have a bulky look — but hey, that's the price you pay for staying fueled on the slopes!

Breathability

Plain and simple, this jacket isn't supremely breathable if you tend to run hot on the slopes. While the insulated design takes the guesswork out of layering, it can be overkill on mild days, or if you're a backcountry gal who likes to hike for your turns. That said, the Snowcrew does have some ventilation tricks up its sleeve. Under each arm, you'll find easy-to-grab, 10-inch-long, open-backed vents with two-way zippers, which make it easy to quickly release excess heat. The 2L Ventia fabric is constructed to breathe as well as possible while maintaining waterproof and windproof protection.

While Outdoor Research has included some thoughtful design elements to promote breathability, overall, we found this to be a very warm jacket. Unless you run cold, it may be too warm for days when the thermometer creeps above freezing. If we were working hard, hiking for our turns, or pushing the speeds in moguls, we tended to overheat. For casual skiing on most days, though, the Snowcrew strikes a fine balance between breathability and warmth.

Style

The style of the Snowcrew might depend on who you ask. In fact, we listed the fit of this jacket as both a pro and a con, depending on your personal preference. Our testers agreed that it runs at least one full size large compared to the fit of other ski jackets. For those who like the ability to add layers as they wish and who like a full-coverage, comfortable fit, this can be a benefit. However, if you prefer a slimmer, athletic fit, we'd recommend either sizing down or choosing a different jacket.

Fit aside, we like the understated color block design that matches perfectly with the corresponding Snowcrew Pants (which we also tested). A slight downfall here is that the light-colored material of this particular color was prone to easily showing stains.

Features

The Snowcrew has just about all of the features you could want in a resort ski jacket. Our favorite element of this jacket is the extra-large fleece-lined pockets, perfect for carrying all of your essentials. The hand pockets are tailored slightly upward to prevent objects from falling out as easily. Bonus: We found that you can fit a full-size bag of gummy bears for your chairlift snacking pleasure. You're welcome!

A minor qualm: We like when resort jackets include a handy integrated goggle wipe; the Snowcrew does not. While there is a bit of fleece backing on the chin guard, a jacket this cozy, in our opinion, could use more. These are minor issues, however, and don't detract from the overall high functionality of this jacket.

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Should You Buy the Outdoor Research Snowcrew?

If you love pockets, then yes, this is your jacket. We fit all the day's essentials (and then some) in its cavernous pockets. It's also built with warm, lofty insulation that delivers plenty of heat for chilly days riding chairlifts, and its loose fit never feels cumbersome or restrictive. That said, if you tend to run hot or regularly find yourself shedding layers, an insulated jacket like this may be more warmth than you need. And though we know it's nobody's goal to ski in the rain, if you live in a particularly wet climate like the Pacific Northwest, the Snowcrew's waterproofing may not be enough for storms that involve rain. If you opt for the Snowcrew, be sure to size down, as it runs large.

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