By Jenn K.
Image obtained from the GoLite Website
The GoLite Kings Canyon Wind Jacket is very simple in design but has some great features. The jacket is made of 88% tier 1 recycled polyester and 12% antistatic polyester. It is designed with a relaxed fit and is available in men’s and women’s sizing.
The Kings Canyon Wind Jacket is a nice looking wind jacket. The material has a silky feeling that is not stiff. I have the Jade/Granite color. It is also available in Coral/White, White/Pond, and Granite/White. The color options reference the main body and the color of the zippers.
Key Features Summary: The jacket opens with a full length zipper. It has hand pockets, a hood, and is pocket storage compatible. The stitching of the jacket matches the main body color. On the left lower front side of the jacket is the GoLite name and logo in reflective print. There are also elastic arm cuffs that have enough stretch that they are not uncomfortable around my wrists. I was able to layer the jacket over a long sleeved mid-weight wool shirt comfortably.
Crystal Cove, California
The fabric of the Kings Canyon Wind Jacket has a DWR (durable water repellent) finish. This is a spray-on treatment that is applied during the manufacturing of the material. DWR breaks the surface tension of water droplets, causing them to run off the material. Understanding DWR can be confusing. A new garment with this finish will allow light precipitation to shed off the jacket. It is important to understand that DWR is not a waterproof finish and does wear out. Also even a new garment with a DWR finish will still wet through in a heavy rain. With all that being said the Kings Canyon Wind Jacket is not waterproof.
There are two hand pockets on the Kings Canyon Jacket. They are oriented in a good position for comfortable hand placement. They have a tightly woven mesh lining and measure 6 inches long.
This jacket is very lightweight and compresses down small into the right hand pocket. It weighs in at 5.35 oz. GoLite states on the product hang tag that “it fits in the palm of your hand”. When I compress the jacket in my hand, I can not get my entire hand fisted around it, but I have small hands. I can hold it in my hand and that is fine with me. When the right hand pocket is turned inside out to store the jacket a small hang loop is exposed. This pocket also has a two tabbed zipper pull. This two sided zipper pull allows me to zip the pocket right side out and when it is turned inside out for compression purposes.
The hood of the jacket has a pull cord with toggles on each side that are attached to the jacket. The cord stretches and the toggles lock down on the cording at the desired position. These toggles help cinch down the hood in wind. I cinched the hood on a windy beach walk and the toggles held the cord well. Thus, the hood did not blow off my head.
It is recommended to machine wash the jacket separately in warm water. It should be rinsed thoroughly and tumbled dried on a warm setting. It is not recommended to use bleach or fabric softener.
Update 6/14/10
Walking on the beach in Southern California
I have enjoyed wearing the Kings Canyon Jacket over the past month. It has been worn as a wind jacket and a light weight shell when needed. Most of the time I have worn it in Southern California walking on the beach for my fitness walks or while rollerblading on the beach path. Typically in the evenings it is windy at the beach. I have also worn it while mountain biking as a wind shell. The jacket was handy for evening riding when descending from the peak can be chilly. There are times the jacket was not appropriate to wear due to the weather. I carried it with me in my pack just in case I needed it. I carried it with me on all my hikes at Limestone Canyon and Orchard Hills in Southern California and while hiking in Utah in the Wasatch Mountains. Generally the jacket has been worn in temperatures ranging from the mid 50’s to the upper 70’s. In temperatures in the upper 60’s and above I feel steamy at times inside the jacket. The jacket is not wicking moisture away from my body in warmer temperatures, especially when I am working up a sweat.
What I really like about the Kings Canyon Jacket is that it packs down small and is very lightweight. When it is stuffed in the storage pocket it is small enough that I have no troubles cramming it into my overstuffed day or biking pack. Plus when I wear the jacket it is so lightweight that I can barely feel it. The jacket also does a great job of blocking the wind.
I noticed that when wearing a backpack that the jacket is long enough that it did not ride up in the back. Also the sleeves have not ridden up, thanks to the elastic in the cuffs. The cord locks on the hood cinch the hood down and hold it exactly where I want it. I think that the hand pockets are placed in a location that is comfortable for my hand placement when I want to use the pockets.
One think I noticed is that there are some wear areas in the material of the jacket. When I hold the jacket up to the light I notice some small areas, especially on the hood are letting more light through. There are no holes in the material, but this is something I believe I need to pay attention to in the future.
In the mornings and in the evenings, especially in June we have a marine layer of cloud cover. The moisture in the clouds can mimic drizzle or a misty rain. While wearing the jacket in these types of conditions the jacket repelled the light moisture. However, I got stuck in a moderate rain shower and the jacket wetted out in a few minutes. The Kings Canyon Jacket is not marketed as waterproof. It does have DWR properties, but caution should be used when wearing the jacket in moderate precipitation because it will wet out.
I washed the Kings Canyon Jacket in cool water in a front loading washer. I did not feel comfortable drying it in my dryer, so I hung it up to dry. I will try the dryer next time.
Update 7/13/10
After wearing the GoLite Kings Canyon Wind Jacket for an additional month, I must say that I am very happy with it. During the past month I have mostly worn it in the mornings or evenings while hiking or taking my fitness walks on the beach path. I have also worn it at camp, biking in the evening, and during a fire pit BBQ.
During the past month the jacket has been worn in temperatures ranging from the low 50’s to the upper 70’s. It has also been worn in foggy conditions that the moisture mimics light drizzle. The precipitation was light enough that I stayed dry. The material looked and felt damp, but there was no moisture that penetrated through to my clothing.
I again washed the jacket in my front loading washer and this time I dried it in the dryer. From what I can tell there has been no damage to the fabric. I was happy to see that the fabric did not melt in the dryer on a warm setting. After wearing the jacket for two months the zippers and the hood cord are functioning just fine. The areas of fabric that showed some wear after using the jacket for a month still look the same.
What I like most about this jacket is the weight. It feels like I am not even wearing it when it is on, plus it weighs next to nothing in my pack. I also like it that I can pack it down small into my cycling pack.
I think there would be only one change I would make to this jacket. I would like to see a hem cord added. This would come in handy during windy conditions. Because it would prevent the wind from blowing up into the jacket, especially while cycling.
The GoLite Kings Canyon Women’s Wind Jacket retails for $90.00. For more information please visit http://www.golite.com/.
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