Mens Snowboard Jacket - Staying Warm on the Slopes

If you are ready to buy a new mens snowboard jacket there are several things that you need to take into consideration before you end up dropping a large amount of hard earned cash on a jacket that is not going to do the job. As long as you shop by these rules you will stay warm and dry all winter long while you are ripping it up out in the fresh powder or grabbing plenty of air in the half pipe. The three most important factors to look at are the layering system, water and weatherproofing and overall style.

Layering First

The really good mens snowboard jackets use a triple layering system this is not all a part of the jacket however as part of it is your responsibility. You need to wear some form of thermal underwear and then a warm layer of fleece that will wick away the sweat that builds up. The final layer is the mens snowboard jacket this is also known as the shell layer.

Waterproof

Because you are going to be out in the snow you want your jacket to be as waterproof as possible. The fabric used to make your new jacket needs to be at waterproof to at least 125 to 150 centimeters. This means that when a measured tube of water is set on the jacket there is no bleed through to the inside layer. If the mens snowboard jackets you are looking at are not rated this high, pass them by and keep looking. This waterproofing will also help to keep out the wind when you are flying through all that fresh powder.

Style

As in all good things in life, when you are looking at snowboard jackets style really counts. The big difference here is that style is much more than just good looks, although they count too. A well styled jacket will have vents that are located in all the right places to let out the extra heat that builds up when you are really working the snow. These vents also let out the extra moisture to help you stay dry and keep from freezing while you are riding the lift back to the top of the slope.

Rather be Skiing Instead?

There difference between mens ski jackets and snowboard jackets are as subtle as the difference between a mens suit jacket and mens sports jackets. In other words unless you are familiar with what you are looking at you may not even notice.  Ski jackets tend to be heavily padded in the torso and less so in the arms due to the need to be able to use ski poles. Snowboard jackets have extra padding in the arms and elbows to protect them in during frequent falls. The padding is also designed to help the boarder maintain the optimum form while he is carving through the powder.

However, unless you are a dedicated fanatic of either sport you could get away with wearing either style of jacket interchangeably, as long as the real crazies do not give you too much of a hard time.