sierra designs Archives

After countless soaked walks to work and sloshing around on muddy trails in the past year, I finally decided to pull the trigger on a pair of rain pants. My requirements? Petite sizing!

After scouring the web and procuring a 20% off coupon at REI, the Sierra Designs Hurricane Pants came home with me. I like them. They keep me dry; they get the job done. And they don’t drag on the floor because they come in petite sizes! (I’m five feet tall, for the record.)

The pants have an elastic waistband, keeping them securely on your body. Oh, and the waistband doesn’t give you muffin-top either! Added bonus. The pants have a pocket on the right-hand side of the pants, embroidered with a Sierra Designs logo. The legs of the pants have calf-zips and velcro closures to allow the wearer to get in and out of them without removing boots. These also work as adequate leg vents.

At 7 oz, these won’t add a significant amount of weight for those days where it just might rain. This packs down fairly small, and comes with a stuff sack, though I have since lost the stuff sack.

For 2014, Sierra Designs has updated the Hurricane pants even more with a built in belt, better waterproofing, a front fly, and it zips into its own pocket. They also managed to shave .5 oz off of the weight.

Buy through Sierra Designs, REI, or Moosejaw for $69.

Now that winter is coming and cold weather is near, it’s time to break out my winter clothing for those brisk morning commutes. Say hello to the Sierra Designs Tov Jacket.

About a year ago, this jacket kinda stole my heart when I saw it at REI. Every time I stopped inside, I’d take a photo with or of it to text to the boyfriend. The sky blue with lime green accents was bright and obnoxious. It was fluffy and lightweight and warm. He surprised me with it for my 23rd birthday and I pretty much wore it for three months straight until summer came.

This jacket is constructed with 100% polyester rip-stop and 600-fill hydrophobic goose Dri-Down. The total weight of the jacket for a size Medium is 15.5 oz.

The jacket has a total of four pockets: 2 outer zipper hand pockets, 1 interior dump pocket, and 1 interior zip pocket. The cuffs are elasticized with thumbholes and the hood is fitted and adjustable.

The fit for an XS on a 5′, sub-110lb person is comfortable. It’s fitted, but not too tight. I can layer a hoodie underneath if needed.

This jacket has all the makings of a solid piece of technical clothing, but I am sad to say that it does not meet expectations.

The jacket immediately began to show wear on the trim after a few days of use. There was pilling on the trim around the wrists, thumbholes and zippers from every day activity.

The polyster ripstop shows sign of dirt and wear very easily. I’m not a particularly dirty or disgusting person, but I have stuff that I go for months without washing and it still looks mostly new. Not the Tov jacket. I am terrified of brushing up against anything out of fear of looking like I am homeless.

Lastly, I am pretty sure this thing poops feathers. Any movement means I’m waving fluffies away from my face and picking feathers out of my clothes. The feathers sneak out at the seams, and it’s pretty much impossible to squeeze and pull them back in.

Because of the above three, I haven’t legitimately taken the Tov jacket for an outdoor adventure, mostly just commuting to and from work in the city. Oh, and it makes a great pillow for camping. It just wore too quickly and seems to be too delicate for outdoor adventures. Which is kind of a bummer!

All in all, this is an okay jacket for winter and cold commutes if you can purchase it at a discount. I would attempt to recommend another jacket, but I don’t have much experience with down jackets (they’re kinda expensive!).

I think the Sierra Designs Tov Jacket has been discontinued, but you can still find it at a few places like Altrec and Sierra Designs at a discounted price.