REI Swiftland Insulated Running Jacket

An average piece of gear. Nothing ultra special except good for between cold and warm seasons. Aimed at runners, but also good for hiking on cool days and X-country skiing on sunny days.

This is a very lightly insulated jacket and if you look at it you can see the difference in fabric. It has insulation down the front and along the shoulder on the back. The DWR finish is good enough that I've extended the usage as a light jacket for hiking on in between weather.

Last winter I used it for X-country one day and with some layers found it to be awesome on a sunny winter day. It's almost like putting on a vest with a shell or over a sweater, but just a bit lighter and cooler, plus it's water repellent. Just a different choice—it's best when used for active sports or when the sun is out when cool.

The con I listed is the sleeve compartment. It's such a light stretch fabric that you need to hold that sleeve taut to be able to do the zipper. It would have likely been better on the chest. The teal color is discontinued, but REI still sells this jacket for now in other more subdued colors.

Background

Have bought gear for running, cross-country ski, and cycling.