OR - BA Women's Juel Vest

Dear Editors,

Below is the text for my favorite vest of the year.  The HTML is in the test
folder at:  http://tinyurl.com/zq2pqee.  I look forward to your comments and
edits.

Thanks for doing this important work!

Kathy
________________________________________________

BIG AGNES WOMEN'S JUEL VEST 


BY KATHLEEN WATERS 
April 12, 2016
OWNER REVIEW 

TESTER INFORMATION 
NAME: 
Kathleen Waters 
EMAIL: 
kathy at backpackgeartest dot com 
AGE: 
65 
LOCATION: 
Canon City, Colorado, USA 
GENDER: 
F 
HEIGHT: 
5' 4" (1.60 m) 
WEIGHT: 
125 lb (56.70 kg) 
Living in Colorado and being self-employed, I have ample opportunities to
backpack. There are over 700,000 acres/280,000 hectares of public land
bordering my 71-acre/29-hectare "backyard" in addition to all the other
gorgeous locations which abound in Colorado. Over the past 15 years, my
husband John and I have also had the good fortune to hike/snowshoe glaciers,
rain forests, mountains and deserts in exotic locations, including New
Zealand, Iceland, Costa Rica, Slovenia and Death Valley. My hiking style is
comfortable, aiming for lightweight. I use a tent (rainfly if needed).
Current pack averages 25 lb (11 kg) excluding food and water. 
PRODUCT INFORMATION 
Manufacturer: Big Agnes, Inc.
Year of Manufacture: 2015
Manufacturer's Website: http://www.bigagnes.com
MSRP: US $199.96
Listed Weight: 6.5 oz (184 g)
Measured Weight: 6 oz (170 g)

Other details:

850 fill power DownTekT water repellent down
Insotect FlowT baffles with Flow GatesT 
Ultralight nylon rip-stop shell 
Main zipper with interior no-draft flap and a zipper garage at chin
Adjustable drawcord at hem
Two zippered hand-warmer pockets with textured zipper pulls 
Large interior mesh pockets
Interior chest pocket doubles as stuff sack

FIELD LOCATIONS AND CONDITIONS 

OK, on to the results of my experiences over the winter of 2015-2016 wearing
the Big Agnes Women's Juel Vest!

First off, was 10 days in the northern part of the Lower Michigan peninsula
during a Thanksgiving Day trip in late November. There was lots of hiking in
snow and rain. I don't think we saw the sun the entire time we were there.
Temperatures hovered around the freezing mark with lots of wind to make it
feel even colder. All of my snowshoeing and hiking was done on dirt (or
snow-covered dirt), heavily pine-forested trails with a backpack never
weighing more than 20 lb (9 kg).

Next was our annual Christmas/Anniversary (# 46!) snowshoe overnight at
Rocky Mountain National Park near Estes Park, Colorado. It was unseasonably
warm and uncharacteristically not windy. Even at elevations about 11,000 ft
(3350 m), we reveled in sunshine (when we weren't on the "wrong" side of the
mountain) and 45-50 F (7-10 C).

Just hanging around in my Juel Vest


Trail Ridge Road Break in RMNP


In early February, I spent two weeks in New Jersey, pining for the outdoors
and some sunshine while central Jersey experienced three storms, each
dumping double-digit inches/centimeters' worth of the white stuff. I had to
have my husband ship my winter jacket and the Juel vest to me as I came
directly from an aborted Floridian trip just so I could slog through the
slush on daily walks in my sister's neighborhood - it was the best I could
do. There the temperatures were frigid; 10 to 30 F (-12 to -1C).

Fortunately, between all the horrible weather elsewhere, most of my winter
time in Colorado was bee-u-ti-ful! We had lots of sunshine, little
precipitation and for the most part, the temperatures were above normal.
Daily "highs" averaged between 50 and 75 F (10 - 24 C). In addition to my
daily hikes in south central Colorado - Canon City, where I call home - I
wore the Juel Vest on several snowshoes in the Wet Mountains. Overnight
backpacks were less frequent - 7 nights over the whole of 4 months. AND I
wore the vest often during the day casually while working at my computer. 

FIELD PERFORMANCE 

Over these 5 months, I estimate I've covered 250 miles (400 km)
backpacking/hiking/snowshoeing and walking in the Big Agnes Juel Vest.

This is now my absolute favorite vest. I really like it! Let me explain
why...

The Juel Vest is a contoured women's vest with chevron baffling and princess
seams that follow the shape of my body but doesn't fit too tightly. The
exterior of the vest is nylon rip-stop material that is both water and wind
resistant. The down interior is insulated with 850 fill DownTek. The
combination of the shell and insulation is very lightweight with no bulk and
very comfortable to wear.

Because the vest is a very comfortable article of clothing I wore it at
least several times a week whether casually or while playing outdoors
throughout the winter (and now into spring) months. Actually, I wore it
constantly, both outdoors and sitting at my desk while working the computer.
I hated to take it off. (I actually have it on right now as I type this
review!)

Though I have a couple of Big Agnes' jackets, I did check the size chart on
their website and it was spot-on. The Medium fits me just as it should. The
vest's hem "hits" me just about mid-derriere, about 25 inches (64 cm) from
top to bottom.

The Juel was worn both as a mid-layer under both hard and soft shell
jackets. Even more often, in the exceptionally mild weather we had here this
winter, or when backpacking and snowshoeing hard, I wore it solo over just a
wool or synthetic base layer. Depending on the temperature, the base layer
was either a mid-weight or heavy-weight long-sleeve top. 

While I can testify as to the wind resistance of the Juel - it's pretty darn
good - I can't say anything as to its water-resistance. Never had to worry
about inclement weather, fortunately, when wearing the vest solo. I think a
vest is sort of useless when the weather is nasty! 

In the very windy conditions I encountered, I was appreciative of the Juel's
wind-resistance as I could definitely feel the difference between my core's
warmth and my more thinly-clad arms.

I particularly grew fond of the three inch (8 cm) stand-up collar of the
Juel Vest. It did a stellar job of keeping my neck warm, body heat in and
cold blowing air out! The collar is not so tightly constructed as to be
constricting, but closely-fit enough to be snuggly. When I needed to vent
and cool down a bit, unzipping the vest to just below the collar allowed me
to fold it down neatly.

The Juel sports a multitude of pockets, both on the outside of the vest and
the inside. The two outside front pockets are very roomy. They are easily
large can accommodate my cellphone, a small digital camera (Canon PowerShot
A520), my mid-weight winter gloves, a lip balm and even an energy bar! Not
all at the same time of course, but close. These two pockets are zippered
with an easy-to-grip zipper pull that I can manage even with my gloves on.

Overflow items can be stashed in the inside zippered chest pocket - also
good-sized (actually huge) - and two interior front open-top mesh pouches. I
rarely used the interior chest pocket because it felt (and looked awkward
when anything thicker than some tissues were stored there, but I did mesh
pockets for my cell phone and camera IF I wasn't wearing a backpack.

I know that carrying battery-operated electronics in cold weather closer to
body warmth helps with battery life. However, when backpacking, my packs'
waistbelts made these pockets impossible to get to. 

Big Agnes Juel Vest in Pouch Form

The quality of the Big Agnes Juel Vest is readily noticed and appreciated. I
encounter lots of clothes-destroying, snagging pine trees, juniper trees,
cactus plants and rough boulders. Not to mention, the constant rubbing of
shoulder and waist belt straps on the nylon shell. And I'm clumsy to boot!
Despite numerous contacts with said obstacles, I have yet to (knocking on
wood) snag the fabric, pull out stitches or - quelle horreurs - torn the
vest. 

I have not had to wash the vest but am happy to know that when I finally
spill that hot cocoa down the front of it, I can machine wash it in warm
water using my favorite Nikwax Down Wash (or any other down-specific
cleaner) on a gentle cycle. I will even be able to machine dry it on a low
heat setting, but will not be able to use bleach or iron it (fat chance!).

The zippers have continued to be easy to operate - have not caught on the
linings - and even with all but my bulkiest gloves on, I can maneuver the
front zipper closed.

Like a lot of my down and synthetic outerwear, the Juel vest can be squished
into a pouch (interior chest pocket) for use as a pillow or just for storage
purposes. 

But unlike many of my winter wear garments, the vest will not be stored away
for the summer. I am planning on taking it with me on some of my upcoming
backpacking trips at higher altitude where that extra warm will be just what
I need even if just for wearing at night while sleeping which I have done on
more than a few occasions.

STARRING ATTRACTIONS 

1.) Perfect weight for wearing solo as well as mid-layer.
2.) Keeps me nice and cozy warm.
3.) As stylish as it is functional.
4.) Doesn't need to be coddled, can stand non-gentle treatment. 

MINOR DISTRACTIONS 

1.) Only comes in two colors which given #2, is probably not a bad thing!
2.) Too pricey for buying one in every color. 

SUMMARY 

I'm a big fan of down clothing, vests and Big Agnes in general, so the Juel
Vest was a welcome addition to my winter wardrobe. It's practical for both
rugged outdoor pursuits as well as casual wear. I often forget I have it on
(good excuse, eh?) and wear it throughout the day while working at my desk.
The Juel's lightweight warmth and stylish good looks insure it will continue
to be one of my favorite "go-to" articles of clothing for the foreseeable
future!

Kathleen (Kathy) Waters 
This report was created with the BackpackGearTest.org Report Writer Version
1.5 Copyright 2016. All rights reserved.