Initial Report  - Integral Designs Dolomitti Jacket

Tester Information:

Tester: Andrew Claus
Age: 46
Gender: Male
Height: 5 ft – 9 in (175 cm)
Weight: 150 lb (68 kg)
Sleeve length: 32 in (81 cm)
Chest size: 40 in (102 cm)
Email: andrewclaus@yahoo.com
Home region: Evergreen, Colorado (Front Range foothills of the Rockies)
Date: January 7, 2004

Backpacking Background:

I live and play in the Colorado Rockies.  I have section hiked the entire Colorado Trail.  I hiked Mt. Washington to Mt. Katahdin on the Appalachian Trail in ’02.  I have been backpacking, backcountry skiing, and bike touring for the past twenty years.  I have climbed all 54 of Colorado’s “14ers” (14,000 ft/4,260 m peaks).  I get out on day trips into the high country at least once a week, year ‘round, and on backpacking trips several times a year, including at least one in the winter.  I also do a lot of outdoor travel as a wildland firefighter.

I am a recent convert to a lighter weight style of packing.  I’m not a fanatic ultra light packer yet.  My pack base weight is about 16 lb (7 kg) and dropping.  I use a tarp, a bivy, or no shelter at all.

Product Description: 

Manufacturer:  Integral Designs
Product:  Dolomitti Jacket
Year of manufacture:  2003
URL: www.integraldesigns.com

The manufacturer markets this jacket as an “all-season lightweight jacket” to be used alone, as part of a layering system, or even as part of a “Sleep System”.

The jacket I am testing is size medium, color cobalt, with detachable hood.  The shell material is Pertex (made in the UK by Perseverance Mills).  The insulation is Primaloft.  The inner lining is also Pertex, but black in color. 

When applying for the test, I used the sizing guide on the Integral Designs website.  This was easy to follow and worked fine.  In the past I’ve had problems buying clothing on line.  Sometimes size large works better.  I was relieved to find this jacket a good fit.  The sleeve and jacket lengths are fine.  The body is sized generously enough to fit well over my down vest and fleece sweater.

There is no baffling for the insulation on the body or arms.  The jacket has a relatively seamless appearance.

The hood is made with three panels.  The zippered seam has a flap to shed water.  The exterior and interior fabric and color match the jacket body.

There is black “Taslan” nylon reinforcing on the exterior of both shoulders and on the distal posterior (rear lower) arms.  There is a trim piece of the same material over the external pocket zippers.

There are two zippered pockets for hands on the outside of the jacket.  There is one inside zippered breast pocket.  Pocket zippers are nylon coil type, single pull, no fabric ties.  There is insulation on both hand pocket surfaces.  The pockets are not ventilated to the inside of the jacket.

The main jacket body zipper is a nylon tooth type with a double pull.  There is a nylon cord tied to the upper pull but not to the lower pull.  The hood zipper is the same type and gauge with no ties on the single pull.  The main zipper has a flap on the inside and none on the outside.

Other than the main jacket body zipper there are no ventilation options on this jacket.

There is one drawstring at the bottom hem of the jacket (at finger-tip length, for me) and one around the front edge of the hood.  Each drawstring is elastic shock cord and is adjusted using a plastic toggle.  Each toggle is anchored to the garment with a short leash.  This anchor system appears to allow one-handed operation of the drawstring.  By pulling stiffly one can pull the cord through the toggle. 

Wrist cuffs are a black neoprene type material (“Spandura”). 

Listed weight is 1 lb – 8 oz (670 g) with hood.  Listed packed size is 5 in x 12 in (12 cm x 30 cm) (in Silcoat stuff sack).

Weight as tested is 1 lb – 10 1/2 oz (740 g) with hood.  The hood alone weighs 3 5/8 oz (100 g).  The stuff sack weighs 5/8 oz (20 g).  Tested packed size is 5 in x 14 in (12 cm x 35 cm).  I used my kitchen scale, “GoodCook” from Walmart, which measures ounces in eighths. 

The jacket hangtags identified the fabric and insulation but did not include any instructions on fabric or insulation care.  The neck tag gives laundry instructions.  Information on Primaloft is available on the Integral Designs website.  The site warns against excessive compression.  (I could not access the Primaloft website.)

From the Integral Designs website on Primaloft:

“Down is more thermally efficient than Primaloft and will outlast it many times over. However, down bags are expensive, they need to be treated with care, kept dry and are difficult to clean.

“Primaloft is manufactured in sheets so it needs less baffling than down. It does not settle as closely around you as does down, so it does not feel as warm as down initially.

“Primaloft does not compress as much as down, so you can get away with a lighter insulating pad.

“Some people are allergic to down. Primaloft is hypo-allergenic.

“Primaloft Sport is a soft durable high loft 100% polyester microfibre insulation. It is thermally efficient, lightweight and compressible, fast drying and water resistant. Primaloft Sport has a warmth to weight (clo) ratio of 0.65. Primaloft is manufactured in sheets of different thicknesses which are serged to the inner and outer shell fabrics and sewn along angular lines to stabilize the insulation. The thicknesses of Primaloft are measured in ounces per square yard (3.0 oz = 0.6" thick; 4 oz = 0.8" thick; 5 oz =1.0" thick).”

This jacket, according to the catalog, uses 5 oz Primaloft (1 in (2.54 cm) loft).  (Note: I believe the “ounces per square yard” unit is an international standard, so no conversion is provided.)

A small stuff sack, made of silicone-impregnated nylon, was included (Integral Designs’ Silcoat Stuff Sack, size small).  Stuff sack dimensions are 5 in x 14 in (12 cm x 35 cm).  The jacket with the hood is a pretty tight fit in the stuff sack.

Field Test Report: 

I have used the jacket so far in temperatures from –5 to 30 F (-20 to 0 C), winds from calm to 30 mph (50 kph), and elevations from 7,000 to 11,700 ft (2,100 to 3,500 m).  I have used it in cold light snow (10 F/-15 C, less one inch (2.5 cm) of snow per hour).  I have used it under periods of exertion for up to one hour at a time, and rest periods of one quarter to one half hour in all the above conditions.

Under the above conditions the jacket performs very well.  It breathes well if not under too much perspiration load.  I have not yet experienced any ice build-up inside the jacket as I have with non-insulated breathable shells.  It’s not enough insulation for me in temperatures below 0 F (-20 C) (calm winds, clear night).  In those conditions, I did get chilled when inactive for one-half hour when wearing one Polartec 200 fleece sweater as a base layer.  I also got chilled in the same time frame with the same base layer in +20F (-5 C) in 30 mph (50 kph) winds.

I am accustomed to outer shells with at least a couple of ventilation options (pockets, extremity zippers).  This jacket only has one—the main zipper.  So this jacket really is not my best choice for periods of exertion.  The jacket tends to go back in the pack.  If it were snowing, I’d still need a shell.  I don’t think it will replace the outer shell for trips involving climbing or other types of exertion.  It is fine by itself for shorter, easier walks.  My friend Jeff, marginally associated with the garment industry, immediately exclaimed upon seeing the jacket, “Where’s the ventilation?”  He lifted my arms to look for zippers and added, “You need ventilation.”

This jacket has replaced the old down vest I’ve carried in my pack for decades.  The jacket works well as a lunch/hot water insulator.  I usually put my lunch and a bottle of hot water in my pack, wrapped up in the jacket, and I get a warm lunch and hot water to sip on for at least half the day.  The other night, with temperatures below 0 F (-20 C), I put this assembly outside all night for about ten hours.  The water was room temperature in the morning.  I was pretty impressed by that.  I made me feel that if that were me out there all night, at least I would not have been frozen solid.  That increased my confidence in the jacket.

I’ve also used the jacket on cold nights while responding to incidents as a volunteer firefighter.  Having one warm layer to don and doff quickly has made a difference in my response time.  It’s much warmer sitting in the cold vehicle than any other system I’ve used.  Most of the incidents I respond to are located downhill, so it takes the vehicle a while to warm up.  I have not had to shiver while wearing this jacket.

The jacket has had the opportunity to contact the sharp cut edge of a metal mesh fence.  It has been used while carrying light loads of firewood.  It has contacted very dirty surfaces such as a winter-glazed automobile.  It seems to be a statically charged magnet for pet hair.  Despite all this, the jacket shows no sign of wear or abrasion.  I’m especially pleased at the rip resistance the Pertex has shown.  The Pertex remains clean without having been laundered.  The black Taslan shoulder and elbow reinforcing is showing some soiling.

This is definitely the warmest jacket I’ve ever owned.  I’ve never purchased an insulated parka, though.   I’ve always used multiple layers to achieve this jacket’s level of insulation.  A real bonus is the hand warmer pockets that are insulated on both sides.  This is a very nice touch.

I’ve always preferred a drawstring located at the waist instead of at the bottom of the jacket.  The waist drawstring seems to make it easier to conserve core body heat when moving one’s limbs.  Backcountry ski turns require a lot of simultaneous leg, waist and arm movement.

The drawstring toggle system works very well.  It’s the best I’ve seen yet.  It can be tightened and loosened easily with a gloved hand.  I guess that’s one advantage of the drawstring being placed at the waist—it’s easily accessible without opening the jacket.

I have not yet used it overnight or for periods of inactivity longer than one half hour.  I will report on this later.

I have not yet used the jacket in the rain or wet snow.  There has not been any rain in my area since I received the jacket.  Spring snow may be my first chance for this type of use.

I have not put the jacket in the stuff sack since it first arrived.  I use the stuff sack, though, for other purposes.  It’s a very nice silnylon sack.  I plan on using the stuff sack at the end of the test period as a “gauge” for how well the Primaloft is holding its loft.

I have not yet had the opportunity to test the jacket in deep powder.  Opportunities will arise as the snow in my area gets deeper later in the season.

Pluses are: a) the jacket is warm, b) the insulated hood and pockets are very nice, c) it’s a quick way to add insulation at a rest stop, and d) details like the drawstrings are nicely done. 

Minuses are: a) limited ventilation options make this more a “rest-stop and descent” jacket, and b) the drawstring is at the bottom of jacket instead of at the waist.