Don’t let its humble silhouette fool you. The Jackaloft insulated shirt-jack punches way above its weight. Ultralight, highly compressible, and super warm, the Jackaloft uses fully synthetic PrimaLoft® Gold insulation with Cross Core technology. This high-tech insulation combines PrimaLoft's top-of-the-line fibers with aerogel (google ‘aerogel’ for more info!) to provide 52% more warmth than the same weight of PrimaLoft® Gold alone. This enhances warmth and decreases weight, resulting in a highly packable, ultralight garment.
Originally developed by NASA, aerogel is composed of more than 95% air and is the lightest solid material known to man. It’s also one of the most effective insulation materials ever made. When integrated directly into synthetic fibers, aerogel dramatically enhances warming. This isn’t just something you see in charts and stats. You’ll immediately feel the effects yourself when you wear the Jackaloft. On a moderately cool evening, you might be surprised to find yourself leaving the Jackaloft partially unzipped, which is surprising given its size and weight. We packed as much warmth as we possibly could into this very small package.
The size of the Jackaloft is important not only on warm days when it’s packed away on the bike but also on cold days when you’re wearing it under armor. With insulation, body armor, and an outer shell, one of our biggest challenges is how to layer up without making our riding kits so bulky that we can’t move around. Another challenge is that body armor, a shell, and constant wind pressure on a non-windscreened enduro bike can compress your insulating layer, removing its loft and reducing warmth. That’s why the Jackaloft uses synthetic insulation rather than goose-down. Synthetic fibers will maintain their loft even under pressure, keeping you warmer on the bike.
We styled the Jackaloft as a shirt-jack for a very practical reason: we want this to be the only insulating layer you need on your trip. If we can disguise a highly technical insulated riding layer as a badass garment that you’re stoked to wear around camp or on your next Tinder date, then that’s one less thing you have to pack. Wear it everywhere.
