Crazy Idea Nitro Jacket

My obsession with Crazy Idea products began with the Century pants (two pairs, hundreds of days of wear) and so I picked up the Nitro as an extra midlayer, mostly for deep winter touring. As with the meticulous, ski touring-specific design of the Century pants, the Nitro is tailored to the sort of movement you make during high output tours, with significant slimming toward the waist (doesn't move around under a pack hipbelt) and more space in the shoulders/sleeves for high pole plants. The breathability is excellent and waterproofing is decent -- plenty for light snow but not a great choice for powder days. Only quibble is that the underarm area is super tight on this jacket and creates a significant amount of chafing/rubbing during longer days. I'm thinking about cutting a gusset to give the area some more room because I would love to keep using the jacket. I'm 6'3" 185 and went for a size L, which fits great apart from the armpit area. PS as with all Crazy Idea stuff, this is way more stylish and has a more flattering (aka Italian) cut than your average ski touring wear (so long as you can overlook the funky contrast panel stitching!)

After about 10 days in the Nitro Jacket, it has become my go-to piece. The breathability combined with perceived durability should make it a regular in my fall-spring wardrobe. I'm 5'10" 135 and decide to go with the medium, since I have rock climber lats. This was a good call. I can still get a heavy fleece on to layer, but it isn't too baggy when I'm just wearing a single layer underneath. For the price, I think it's a great value. The fabric is quiet and supple. I also really like the black center for warming up my core on cold days in the sun. I used it one day in driving snow and stayed dry.