K2 : Altitude Vent

Review:
Decent shells are a dime a dozen, whereas good waterproof, breathable jackets that function in all types of weather are somewhat rare. K2 has nailed it with their Altitude line. Very lightweight and minimalistic, the gear still contains enough bells and whistles to pull you through any kind of weather, but without the bling-bling. I've used the jacket in powder, wind, sun, and rain, all with the same level of satisfaction. No matter how wet the snow is, or how much snow you have on you, your inside layers will be dry when you take off your outerwear.

The only thing I could ask for would be a few more pockets, but as K2 makes many other coats with pocket options, and the aim of the Altitude series is more towards lightweight, its hard to complain. The two main front/side pockets are interesting in that they are just space in between the outside waterproof material and the inside quilted layer. At first I thought this weird, but it works well: since there is no pocket material, there is nothing to interrupt the coats breathability. There is also a left shoulder/sleeve pocket for a cell-phone or radio, and a right wrist/sleeve pouch that has a goggle wipe that is velcroed onto an elastic cord. This is an incredible feature, and it functioned perfectly the many times I used it.

Because of its function, this coat will become a mainstay in my outerwear layers.