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Flylow Iceman
- Flylow Ice Man
- Flylow Ice Man
What It Is
The Flylow Iceman is a 700-fill down insulated jacket encased in a hard shell for the coldest conditions.
Retail Price: $400
83
- 95-100 Extremely high recommendation.
- 90-94 Enthusiastically recommended. Exceptional.
- 80-89 Highly recommended - few reservations.
- 70-79 Recommended. Standard performance.
- 60-69 Fair. Recommended for certain uses.
- 50-59 Poor. Not recommended in general.
The Good |
The Bad |
The Verdict |
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The Flylow Iceman is totally waterproof, making it very versatile, and is very light for the impressive warmth and weather protection it offers. It’s so warm you can leave a few layers behind, and if things get overheated on a slackcountry hike, the huge pit zips help dump heat in a hurry. It’s durably built and eschews bells and whistles in the name of simplicity and weight savings. |
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Materials
The outer shell is a two-layer Intuitive waterproof breathable with taped seams—essentially a rainshell, which was helpful on a big powder day in Oregon that was ruined by rain. It’s very windproof as well. The two-layered shell is preferable to a 3-layered version because less fabric means less weight to compress the 700-fill feathers, meaning more loft and therefore warmth.
Features
The hood is huge and fully adjustable along with a high, wind-blocking collar. I hunkered down snugly on Jackson’s Sublette Quad on a 10-degree day with 50-mph gusts. The powder skirt is removable, which saves some weight of you don’t like those things. The hem is long for extra protection slashing through deep snow or sitting on a chairlift getting pelted by big, wet flakes. I like that there are only four pockets—it helps keep weight down and makes fewer perforations in the outer shell to create leaks. Some people might want more pockets though.
How We Tested It
Six different testers skied slopes from Whistler to Snowbird, to Jackson Hole. Wet weather testing went down at Oregon’s Mount Hood Meadows.
The products featured in this test have been loaned to the Gear Institute. For more on our policies regarding editorial objectivity and sample returns, see here.
About the Author
Frederick Reimers
Frederick Reimers was the editor of Canoe and Kayak Magazine from 2007-09 and has been writing for Outside, Men's Journal, Skiing and Powder ever since.
Ratings
Durability
10
10
Weatherproofness
10
10
Bells & Whistles
5
10
Fit
6
10
Breathability
7
10
Value
5
10
Gear Institute Rating (Total Score)
83
100
Specs
- Pit zips: large
- Waterproof: Yes
- Helmet Compatible Hood: Yes
- Gender: Men's
- Fall 2012
Weight
1 lbs , 15 oz
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