Sleeka Elite Parka

Details

Written by JT McAvoy

    Snugpak, when you here the name what comes to mind first.  For most people it is small, light weight sleeping bags.  Most people do not associate the name with some of the other high speed products that they have.  In addition to sleeping bags they make jungle bags, and jackets.  Pro Force was gracious enough to send us a few of the new Snugpak products (coming in future articles), to include the Sleeka Elite jacket.  I know some would say there is no way a jacket made by Snugpak could be any good.  Well they are wrong.

    The Snugpak Sleeka Elite sent to us by Pro Force is to me in a class all its own.  The Sleeka Elite has a unique construction as well as a great design and features.  First of all the colors come in Black and Olive.  For some this might not be important but for those like me the choice is a must, I received the Olive.   The jacket comes with its own stuff sack for easy storage and carrying when not needed.  The Sleeka Elite stuffs down to almost nothing.  It is also very light weight.  The weight varies by size, for the size I received the weight was 800g.  The Sleeka Elite also has stress points in mind.  It comes with reinforced patch covering the shoulders, elbows, and cuff.  This is great because these seem to be the points that have failed me in other jackets I have owned.

                Pro Force sent me this jacket and the first thing that struck me when I received this jacket was the size.  It was in its stuff sack and was about the size two grape fruit.  I pulled it out and it kept getting bigger and bigger, I thought there is no way I am going to make this fit back in the bag.  I found with a little practice I could actually get it smaller than when it arrived to me.  I was also amazed at how soft it was.  My girlfriend who was watching me with some curiosity wanted to know if she could use it for a pillow.  Of course the answer being a curiously agitated no, I did have to admit it was very soft.  The Sleeka Elite has three pockets, the two standard outside and one on the inside of the jacket.  These pockets impressed me because they are big.  They are way bigger than the standard pockets; even the third one is bigger than I am used to.  You can feel the rugged construction behind the whole jacket, so I am not afraid to fill my pockets up at any time and worry about them coming unseemed.    There are also draw strings at the bottom of the jacket on both sides for a tighter fit, which has its convenience.  The Sleeka Elite also has a high collar which flips up to cover your whole neck when fully zipped.  This is especially good in cold windy areas.

                I tested this jacket in several different climates and conditions.  When the Snugpak Sleeka Elite sent by Pro Force impressed me the most was in the mountains, after dark with a vicious wind blowing.   It was a windy day but not terrible, we had reached the peak of a small mountain where we were going to do a camp during the night and hike back to base camp in the morning.  It did not take long for us to realize that we were ill prepared for this adventure.  It was a clear night but there was weather moving in and the wind was vicious.  It was a cold 25-35mph wind that was ice cold and was cutting through every layer of clothing we had on.  It was miserable.  It was decided around midnight that we should not stay and go back to our base camp.  At that point we left but not before I reached into my pack and got out my Sleeka Elite.  I removed a layer of clothing and put the jacket on.  I now had three layers, a t shirt, long sleeve mock turtle neck and the jacket.  I was amazed how this light little jacked stopped 98% off the wind from coming through.  Within 10minutes I was warm (at least the upper part of me) and ready for the hike down.  The trip down was approx. 3 hours at the speed we were moving and at no point were we out of the wind.  I stayed comfortable the entire trek and at one point had to unzip ¼ of the way to let some heat out. When we got back to our base camp site, I was warm and comfortable my partner on the other hand was cold, shivering, and miserable.  I took off my jacket and let him wear it for a few minutes.  He reluctantly gave it back and quickly became the topic of much discussion amongst us and friends.  He now owns one and several of our other friends are looking hard at them with purchase in mind.

                Is there anything that I would change about this jacket?  The answer is not as easy as you might think.  If I were to change anything about the construction of the jacket this would hinder its ability to keep me warm.  That is obviously the main point that impressed me.  I think it is easier to say that there are things I would not do or places that I would not go in this jacket.  I defiantly would not wear this jacket while doing a lot of manual labor; you would burn up in it.  Also I would not wear it while around or working with a lot of sharp objects.  While the outside stress points are reinforced and tough the rest of the jacket is made of nylon and could be ripped.  With that said I would also not use this jacket as an outside layer while hiking through briars or any small underbrush for the same reasons.  I would however wear it under something as a second layer because its ability to keep you nice and toasty is undeniable.

                So how does a jacket this light keep you warm (comfort: -5c to -10c). The answer lies in the unique fill material that Snugpak uses called lightweight nylon fabric.  On the inside of the jacket there are finely constructed fine filament yarns.  Each filament is 10 times finer than a human hair.  There are approximately 34 strands per bundle and about 10,000 metres of each bundle weighing 54 grammes.  The gaps between the fibers allow the moisture to spread across a lager surface area allowing it to evaporate faster.  It has a wicking effect also which means not only does the moisture evaporate more quickly but it also does so without cooling the wearer.  This also makes the jacket highly breathable yet wind proof.  With the outside construction and patches it is also very water repellant that can be recharged by a tumble dry.

                It is my opinion that Snugpak had a real winner with the Sleeka Elite jacket.  It is built tough yet soft to touch.  With its unique construction and filler materials it blocks the wind, is water resistant, yet extremely warm.  The Sleeka Elite is also very light and with its stuff sack can be carried with minimal effort almost anywhere.  This product has proven itself to me as well as others and is definitely on my recommendation list as one of the must have cold weather products on the market.  I would like to thank Snugpak for making a superior product and Pro Force for allowing us the opportunity to try it out.