The only justification for this solution is the fact that elbows are
high wear areas and insulation would rapidly loose its properties
when placed there. Carinthia claims that flexible elbows allow
for non-restricted mobility, but the stretch fabric is totally not
windproof and the you can feel the wind blows even with thick
underlayer. Mix wind and cold for warranted rheumatism. Yep,
that's fact, synthetic insulation has way shorter lifespan than
down insulated clothing, so the insulation will degrade sooner
or later, especially in the shoulders area if you carry packs too
often. I have di•erent synthetic insulation layers with Primaloft
or Polartec Alpha and I didn't notice more significant wear near
the elbows.
Finally, my Ultra Jacket became sort of backup jacket stored in
the trunk for all emergency situations on the road. It is
really compact and when properly packed in com-
pression storage bag (Carinthia does not provide
any) or secured with elastic band will take
not much space than Jack Daniels. In the
product description there is note about
storage in the left pocket, but it never
worked for me.
www.fragoutmag.com
