Outdoor Research Snowcrew - Review 2023

Rating: 4.6/5

DiveIn Score: 4.5/5

Quality: 4.5/5

Comfort: 5/5

Performance: 4/5

Price/Quality: 5/5

Affordable Performance Gear

As a gear junkie, one thing I’ve always been passionate about is finding the best pieces of gear on a price/performance spectrum. Outdoor Research has always stood out to me as a great brand that creates high-quality products at an approachable price point.

The Snowcrew Jacket is no exception to my expectations from this brand.

I was immediately impressed upon receiving this jacket. Out of the package this jacket is soft and pliable–comfortable on the skin with just a t-shirt. A far cry from the stiff, crinkly, and uncomfortable fabrics used to make some of the higher-price-point or techier outer layers on the market.

Eager to get into it, I put the jacket on over my sweater. I was happy to find that even while wearing a bulky layer, this jacket‘s fit wasn’t too tight. This bodes well for what I call “whole-season-viability”

The ability to comfortably fit layers under your jacket is vital to have that jacket be the only outer layer you need.

In fact, I was able to layer a base layer, mid-layer, and thin puffy with the Snowcrew Jacket with ease. It’s not unreasonable to expect to be able to use this layer in the early, deep, and late seasons of winter since it layers so well.

In the world of outdoor gear, it can be quite difficult to find well-made, functional pieces without a wallet-gouging price tag. Bravo Outdoor Research.

Features

Outdoor Research did a great job packing the Snowcrew Jacket with functional features without making them obtrusive.

Pockets

I am a bit of a snob about pockets. Too often in the outdoor world, products are laden with pockets, mistaking a surplus of them for increased usefulness.

The Snowcrew Jacket checked my pocket box by including all of the pockets you need, perfectly sized and in the right places. I didn’t feel at any point like I was wanting for more storage in this jacket.

A feature I haven’t had on a jacket before but came to find quite nice was the pass pocket on the left arm. No more flapping in the wind for my season pass on a lanyard around my neck.

One last note on the pockets: the hand pockets on the front of the jacket feature a brushed tricot lining. Nothing is worse than trying to warm your hands up in the pockets of your shell only to find they are unlined and ice-cold against your skin.

Hood

Moving on to the hood, I was quite happy to see that the hood is actually big enough to fit your helmet without becoming tight around the neck. Complete with multiple adjustment points on the hood, you can really fine-tune it to block out the weather.

Pit Zips

If you’re anything like me, skiing is sweaty business. The Snowcrew Jacket answers this problem with pit zips that measure over 13 inches long and feature a bidirectional zipper. Perfect for getting a breeze in when you’re running up resort laps.

Powder Skirt

A final point on the Snowcrew’s features, the powder skirt is great. It has four snaps on the male side and two receiving snaps, meaning you can adjust the tightness of the powder skirt. I always opt for the tighter setting as I like to ensure I keep dry under my outer layers.

Waterproof

Waterproofing has a lot of buzzword recognition behind it–GORE-TEX and “3-layer”. Being that the Snowcrew didn’t have either of these words attached to it, I wasn’t sure what to expect.

In my waterproof testing method of choice, where I try as hard as I can to saturate the jacket, I put on the Snowcrew Jacket and hopped in the shower!

I was unfamiliar with Outdoor Research’s proprietary Ventia waterproof fabric, so I was quite curious to see how it would hold up!

The Snowcrew really impressed me! After 5 minutes of battering this jacket with a steady stream of water in the shower, I was bone-dry! Not only was I still dry, but the jacket had very little saturation of moisture in the fabric, surely not enough that the jacket would wet-out for quite some time.

The bottom line is this: even on the snowiest of days, I’m quite certain the Snowcrew Jacket would keep you protected from the elements.

Warmth

Being that the Snowcrew is an insulated jacket and not just a shell, it will likely be too warm for any athletic endeavors like touring in the backcountry. This isn’t much of an issue as I found the jacket to be just right on a day in the high 20-degree Fahrenheit range while wearing just a t-shirt baselayer.

On colder days in the low teens, the insulated Snowcrew Jacket, when combined with a fleece mid-layer kept me quite warm.

Unfortunately, I was not able to test the jacket in truly frigid conditions. I did, however do some research and learned that many users of the Snowcrew jacket found it to perform extremely well even below 10 degrees Fahrenheit.

You will want to leave this jacket at home if you’re going for a tour, however. The Snowcrew doesn’t pack up small, and there’s no option to remove the insulation and turn it into a shell only. Of course, Outdoor Research advertises this jacket as a layer that is dialed for resort performance, so touring capabilities weren’t to be expected.

On the more technical side: Outdoor Research advertises an impressive warmth-to-weight ratio of their VerticalX ECO insulation. I found this to be accurate in my experience, as the jacket comes in at only 899 grams and is exceptionally warm.

Freedom of Movement

The Snowcrew Jacket fit me just right–Of course that’s more anecdotal, as all bodies are different, but I found that it had a nice silhouette while also not fitting too tight at the areas of high movement. I was able to freely articulate my arms with comfort.

Durability

Upon receiving this jacket, I did some looking around to see if there were any points I should be on the lookout for. Not surprisingly with Outdoor Research gear, I found very few.

Some users warned about the durability of this jacket – naturally, I thought I’d see what I could do. I didn’t go easy on it. I hit the trees with the Snowcrew jacket, and after some high-speed glancing blows with tree branches (which I would’ve expected to tear the fabric), I found no signs of damage.

A small scuff, sure, but nothing that would indicate the jacket had any intention of giving out on me.

For a resort-oriented outer layer, I think found the Snowcrew Jacket pretty bombproof.

Price/Quality

The Snowcrew Jacket is being offered at an impressive price-to-quality point.

With certain colorways of the jacket going for as little as $250 USD, the Snowcrew Jacket is a definite winner. The more popular colors of the jacket can cost as much as $329 USD, but even at that price point, the Snowcrew is a steal for the quality.

More expensive does not always equate to better quality in the outdoor world. Many pieces are sold at a higher price due to perceived brand importance. The price-to-quality standpoint of this jacket really represents Outdoor Research’s dedication to honest business and producing solid goods and pricing them accurately.

It goes without saying you can absolutely find cheaper jackets than the Snowcrew, but I think that the price point for the Snowcrew is an extremely solid valuation considering its performance.

Do We Recommend It?

Yes!

For a mid-range resort-oriented jacket, the Outdoor Research Snowcrew Jacket is a great product, and it comes in a good range of colors. It knows its limitations and excels at what it’s designed for. Outdoor Research is a reputable company with a strong track record of producing quality outdoor equipment.

The Snowcrew Jacket is competitive, and may be even leading the pack, among other jackets in its price range–For the resort skier, you can’t go wrong with this one.