Hood
The Sherwin’s hood has three adjustments — one on the back, and one on each side. The toggles aren’t especially easy to use with gloves on, but so far, I haven’t found myself adjusting the hood that much. It fits easily over my helmet, even with the front zipper closed all the way, but the stiff brim keeps it out of my face if I’m just wearing a hat, so I rarely find myself reaching for those toggles.
Vents
The Sherwin has 29 cm pit vents with two-way zippers, and so far I’ve been impressed with them. With most jackets, I end up struggling to get the vents open or closed, but the zippers on the Sherwin run smoothly, and the Lycra gaiters on the sleeves help keep tension on them so that I can open and close the vents easily with my gloves on.
Powder Skirt
The Sherwin has a four-way stretch powder skirt that also interfaces with Armada pants via three buttons on the back. While I am using the Sherwin with Armada’s Crest pant, I’ve found that I prefer to use the powder skirt separately, without buttoning it to the pants. That’s due wholly to my body geometry; when I button the skirt to the waist of the pants, it actually keeps the hem of the jacket from hanging as far as it usually would, so my pants actually hold the jacket up. Since the Sherwin is cut long enough that it keeps snow out reasonably well already, I prefer to just use the skirt without buttoning it to the pants.
Performance
I started my time in the Sherwin assuming it was an “inbounds-only” kind of piece, and while it is an excellent inbounds jacket (one of my favorites that I’ve ever used) it is surprisingly versatile.
While it doesn’t breathe as well as a PolarTec NeoShell piece, I tend to overheat in any kind of shell while touring, so don’t tend to wear shells on the way up anyway. And the Sherwin packs down small enough that it fits easily in my 10L pack, so I’ve found myself touring a lot this fall in it. Its pit vents dump heat and moisture well on shorter uphill stints, and I really appreciate having a full hardshell on deeper, wetter days.
Inbounds, the Sherwin is excellent. The C-KNIT with the flannel backer cuts wind better than most other hardshells I’ve used, which I really appreciate on longer lift rides. I haven’t found myself missing any features or pockets; the Sherwin covers all the bases extremely well. I’ve also been very impressed with the hood. It’s big enough that I can easily slide it over my helmet on the lift ride without taking off my gloves, but the stiff brim keeps it out of my face if I’m just skiing in a hat.
Bottom Line
While the Armada Sherwin jacket is an excellent inbounds shell, its versatility is what has really won me over — I’ve been reaching for it every single day this winter, whether I’m doing laps in the resort or heading out on a backcountry tour. Its combination of a full feature set, relatively low weight, generous cut, and packability — combined with the Gore C-Knit material — make it a top choice for anyone looking for a hardshell that’s at home both on the chairlift or the skin track.
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