Vents
The pit vents have single-headed zippers, with a long enough pull tab that they’re easily activated with gloves. They have no mesh lining, and open wide enough to dump some serious heat.
Hood
The hood is a little large without a helmet or hat underneath, but cinches down at the back and each side independently. The brim is stiff enough to keep the hood out of your field of view if you’re wearing it without a helmet, and it adjusts to fit over one well.
Powder Skirt
The Cham 2 has a removable powder skirt, which I appreciate. While I don’t mind jackets like the Trew Wander that don’t feature any sort of powder skirt, including a removable one does make the jacket more versatile, especially if you intend to press it into service for inbounds powder days.
Performance
I used the Cham 2 jacket through late winter and spring here in the Tetons, and it’s seen everything from a couple of late powder days to sunny booter missions. While its more generous fit means it’s not as great for long, mountaineering oriented days (Strafe’s Recon line which I’ll be reviewing soon fills that niche very well), it is my top choice on any day where I plan on walking up to ski bigger, faster lines, or jump off of things.
As I noted above, the cavernous front pockets fit even 192 cm long skins cut for a 116 mm waisted ski very well, and the longer cut and powder skirt do a great job of keeping snow out in my inevitable crashes.
While I haven’t had enough time in the Cham 2 Jacket to make a definitive durability assessment, I haven’t seen any wear or damage. I’ll update this review after our PNW trip if I do run into any issues.
The breathable material + large vents allow me to keep the jacket on without overheating at least as long as any other touring jacket I’ve used, while it’s still weatherproof enough that I don’t anticipate having any issues in more extreme weather situations. And the slight stretch in the material makes it very comfortable.
Bottom Line
While the Strafe Cham 2 doesn’t have the super slim fit of many other touring jackets, I’ve found that the slightly stretchy material and generous cut still allow me to move efficiently in the mountains while never feeling restricted—even when throwing tricks off of backcountry booters.
Polartec NeoShell is still one of our favorite fabrics; it breathes very well and makes this jacket perfect for high output skinning and bootpacking. The features and pockets are well thought out for backcountry use.
We’ve got some other jackets in this category that we’re going to be weighing in on soon, but if you are looking for a touring jacket that doesn’t look out of place hitting booters or skiing inbounds, but that also doesn’t sacrifice skin track utility for that style, the Cham 2 is currently my top choice.