Wander into any Western mountain town and you’ll immediately notice that almost everyone’s wearing the same thing: a blocky, brightly colored, sometimes downright ugly jacket, jam-packed with technical details so obvious you can spot them from a mile away. We city-slickers have our stereotypes too, of course, but that doesn’t make this — call it mountain bro style — okay. Luckily, there are a handful of brands making jackets with the best of both technical mountain performance and city sensibility.
Fisher + Baker Greenwich Anorak
It’s based on a traditional Inuit design, built to withstand frigid, wind-swept days fishing atop frozen lakes — a climate that the founders of Fisher + Baker know all too well, having grown up in Minnesota. Yet this anorak contains no shortage of modern upgrades: a densely woven Ventile cotton waterproof shell (not swishy or loud, like ordinary nylon), side zippers (for easier entry) and suede details near the hem.
Goldwin Mountain Jacket
In Japan, Goldwin has for years been an established outerwear and lifestyle brand; recently, they’ve made the jump overseas to the U.S. and beyond (in fact, Goldwin was one of our favorite new brands at this year’s Outdoor Retailer Winter Market in Utah). The Mountain Jacket, made of GoreTex 3L, nylon and fluorine, is one piece of a nascent collection available to non-Japanese consumers.
