JakPak Jacket

JakPak Deployed

Looking for a great all-in-one outdoor solution to save on weight without compromising anything? Look no further than the JakPak Jacket, “the world’s first all-in-one waterproof jacket, tent, and sleeping bag”. The JakPak Jacket is one extremely robust solution that upon first sight, looks just like any old rain shell you might find on the rack at your local gear shop. The true secret of the JakPak Jacket is the hidden sleeping bag on the interior of the jacket and the tent on the outside, each in their own hideaway pocket that allows them to quickly unfold to create a durable and comfortable shelter without even removing the jacket.

Courtesy: JakPak

Newly re-designed for 2010, the JakPak Jacket combines three essentials every outdoors enthusiast always has with them into one compact and useful 3lbs. package you can easily carry on your back or in a small daypack. Usually the lightest, most expensive tents, sleeping bags, or rain jackets, when combined easily add to well over 3lbs. Each piece is also detachable from the main portion of the jacket if you only need the 100% waterproof rain shell.

The JakPak was originally designed as a shelter for the homeless that could be conveniently carried on your back. The company has made generous donations in the past toward disaster relief efforts to provide shelters to displaced individuals. They are also working at designing some form of profit model that allows them to donate more JakPak Jackets in the future.

Where to start?

The two-tone fabrics of the jacket are actually different in material. The darker green or black depending on which one you have, is a non-breathable waterproof fabric that allows the user to lay on wet ground without any water permeation. The lighter color green or grey is a breathable waterproof fabric that allows the user to wear the jacket without overheating. Overall, the mix of fabrics, adequate venting, and comfortable fit make the JakPak a great shelter for anyone who likes to go fast and light outdoors.

The extra weight of the sleeping bag and tent on your back feels a bit different at first but you quickly get used to the feeling if you’ve spent any amount of time carrying a backpack around. In order to help even out the weight on your back, the jacket has built-in suspenders that easily clip to any pants or even to the sleeping bag, when deployed, to keep it more securely in place up around your waist.

The size of the sleeping bag portion of the JakPak is more than roomy enough to fit a larger down-filled puffy sleeping bag for when the temperatures start to drop. The JakPak has the added benefit of adding that waterproof layer over your down or synthetic bag in very much the same way as a bivouac bag. I have yet to really get out in a storm to test the waterproof abilities of the JakPak but I already feel confident off of a design standpoint that it will perform admirably.

JakPak Jacket provided by JakPak for review purposes.

JakPak Jacket – $250 – JakPak.com

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