Full Review of the Cocona Xcelerator Jacket

Jacket:

Good:

The fit of the jacket is amazing. The hood fits over a climbing helmet great and the pull tab in the back of the hood was great for sinching it down when I wasn't wearing a helmet. I really like how the sinch for the waist is in the hand pockets. The lack of pitzips made this jacket much more comfy to wear than my other jackets like Arc'Teryx. The cuff velcro seems very sturdy and really helps keep cold air out when you'r all zipped up.

Bad:

The two front pockets are right where my backpack straps go. So, It's kind of a pain to get RawRev bars out without moving my straps over. 

Fabric:

Good:

It's definitely more soft than other hard shells out there. I like that. It's less noisy. The "C's" printed on the inside look really cool. That definitely is a good way for people to recognize that it's made out of Cocona. Kind of like when you see GORE-TEX on something. You know it's quality (although not very breathable). When I see the C's on something I'll know it's wicked breathable. 

I haven't really had a chance to take the jacket to any extreme climates. I want to see how it holds up self arresting on ice. I did that in one of my jackets that has GORE-TEX PRO SHELL and it didn't get a scratch. I don't think Cocona will hold up as well but the benefits of the breathability really are worth it.  

The jacket breathed like nothing I've ever worn. After our climb last weekend I took off my hydration pack and noticed that the back of the jacket was wet. My sweat had evaporated everywhere else except where the pack inhibited it to. I couldn't believe the my sweat actually worked it's way to the outside of the jacket. I did get a little warm hiking with it zipped up half way. It almost needed pitzips but I tend to hike really warm. I was only wearing a wicking shirt underneath and it was about 35 degrees out.

I was summiting a small peak in the jacket. The winds were about 20-30 MPH and I only had my wicking shirt on under it. I was toasty. It didn't feel like any wind got through the jacket. I'll have to see how it does in stronger winds on Rainier this Summer. 

Bad:

This might be too extreme of a test. Please let me know if I'm expecting too much. I wore a wicking t-shirt from our hike the week before that hadn't been washed yet. The pits smelled a bit already. I wore the jacket over it and by the end of the hike the jacket smelled pretty bad. I had to wash it. Is this not what the jacket is intended for? I need to try it on a multiday backpack trip and see how it holds up. 

2nd Test of Cocona Xcelerator Test Jackets

We hiked up Mailbox Peak again for the second test of our jackets. There was quite a bit more snow this time so we actually got to see how they held up in different conditions.

Again, they were very breathable. It almost feels like this jacket could be your "Jack of all trades" jacket. It breathes like a lightweight fleece or simple windshirt. But it does so much more than these. I'm actually going to use this as my hardshell on Mt. Rainier this summer where temps go below zero and winds can reach upwards of 100MPH.

While we're working hard on the way up, the jacket keeps our body temp regulated like nothing I've ever worn. However, when we reached the top of the mountain the winds were insane. They were right around 30-40MPH with gusts probably double that. I know it's that windy when you can barely stand without falling over. That's what the gusts were like.

Even with that high of wind we were still comfortable with just our Cocona baselayer on underneath. Yes, we were a little cold standing in the wind with no insulation but none of it got through our jackets. That's pretty amazing for jackets that are so breathable.

Check out the video below to see Cocona in action.


Cocona Jacket- Second Test from Kyle Hart on Vimeo.

Cocona Jacket- First Test

Mailbox Peak- Mt. Rainier Training from Kyle Hart on Vimeo.

Last weekend I took my new Cocona Xcelerator Test jacket to Mailbox Peak in WA. First impressions: the jacket has a really nice soft texture to it but feels like it's fairly durable (we'll have to test it glissading this summer on Rainier). There are no pit-zips which I was worried about but they proved to be unnecessary. Without the pit zips the jacket feels so much more comfortable than other hardshells (ie. Arc'teryx).

We started the hike in about 40 degree sunny weather. I usually hike pretty warm but only needed to unzip the front zipper once to cool off. It took us about 2.5 hours to reach the last 700 foot scramble to the summit. We were climbing through waist deep snow in about 20-30mph winds. I only had a wicking t-shirt on underneath and stayed pretty warm. The Cocona fabric is definitely windproof. It keeps your heat in when you need it and lets it out when you're hiking hard and need to cool down.

On the way back from the summit, I tripped over a root and slid on my chest down the trail a bit. The jacket didn't even have a mark on it. I brushed up against many twigs and trees and the material hasn't showed any sign of wear. I doubt it's as durable as Gore-Tex Pro Shell material but it's so, so, so much more breathable.

When we got back to our car I took off my small hydration pack and jacket. I noticed that the outside of my jacket on the back panel was wet. I didn't remember getting my pack wet anytime on the hike. Then I realized that my sweat had passed through the jacket and the pack had prevented it from evaporating. I've never seen this on any other jacket I've worn. If this doesn't show how breathable this fabric is, I don't know a better test. Check out the pics below to see what I mean.
Cocona claims that this new fabric doesn't absorb odors. I decided to put their claims to the test on this hike. I wore an unwashed shirt from a previous hike that had pretty bad pit-stink. After the hike, unfortunately, the pits of the jacket did smell like the shirt and I had to wash it. I'm not sure if this is too much to expect from the Cocona material, but I'll keep you updated on regular use and how it absorbs odor without an already nasty shirt.

RawRev coming to Puyallup

Ok, so maybe Raw Revolution isn't really coming here. But a 20lb package is filled with goodies to help us train better. They donated a few hundred bars for our 3 man team to train with and test on the summit of Mt. Rainier. We'll see if they really "can't freeze". Nothing like breaking a tooth on a frozen cliff-bar. Anyway, the bars are all made with organic fruit and nuts and stuff and aren't processed like other mass produced meal bars. They tasted pretty good when I tried them at SIA, but hopefully we'll get a variety of flavors with what they give us. Check out Raw Revolution to learn more about these nifty little bars that the coldness of winter can't touch.

Ready, Set, Action! With GoPro Cameras

We'll be receiving our new GoPro HD camera shortly. I'm so excited to test it out on our coming adventures. Cliff jumping, surfing, diving, spearfishing, climbing, mountaineering....oh the possibilities. 170 degree wide angle views of our crazy stunts will be up on this site pretty soon. We'll even be using the camera to film our reviews of the product we receive. If you want to learn more about the best HD helmet cam in the world, click here.

Gear testing will begin soon

We just received word that we have another sponsor for our Rainier climb this Summer: Cocona Fabrics. I was introduced to them at the SIA Snow Show in Denver this year. They have new fabrics that use activated carbon made from coconut shells. They claim that these fabrics are 20% more breathable than the competition. I have an eVent jacket so I know what to compare this stuff too. We'll see if it breathes as well well as their claims. The activated carbon from the husks is supposed to repel odors as well. That would be amazing if it really works, because even after a short day hike or overnighter I smell pretty ripe. We'll keep you posted. When we get the jackets and baselayers, we'll post some pics and videos to show you all how it's working. Click here to check out Cocona's site.