First impression
The shell jacket is available in six different monochrome earth tones. This makes it easy to combine with trousers, backpacks, hats, etc. The jacket's membrane is very robust thanks to its three layers and with a water column of more than 20,000 mm, the jacket promises optimum conditions for a powder day with snow flurries or more soaking type of ski day. With a breathability of more than 16000mg/m2/24h and underarm ventilation, the upper body stays dry even in high humidity. At first glance, the seams look professionally taped and the 6 pockets offer plenty of storage space inside and out. There is a card pocket on the left sleeve for your lift pass. The snow skirt can be conveniently zipped off and the exact description of the Deminzax membrane and care instructions are attached to the inside pockets, so you always have all the important information to hand.
Test subject and test conditions
I'm about 1.60 metres tall and weigh 60 kilos. As I don't feel comfortable in overly tight outdoor clothing and I really like simple colours, I opted for the hardshell jacket in size medium in the colour midnight. I class myself as a downhill-orientated skier and snowboarder and think a powder day with snowfall is 10/10! This means that I tested the 3-layer shell jacket in rain, snowfall, wet and cold conditions, but also in sunshine and spring temperatures. On very cold ski tours I also wore the jacket on ascents, otherwise mainly on descents and for everyday cycling. The test conditions were very mixed in the period from February to March, so the jacket was tested for its robustness in a wide variety of weather conditions and was in use almost every day.
In this review I will share my experiences with the Penguin jacket when skiing, ski touring, cycling and snowboarding.
