Nothing worse than farting while wearing Gortex and having no zips.
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pit zips when are they effective?
- Thread starter murphysf
- Start date
Mary Katherine Gallahger needs pit zips..
Any kind of jacket sans pit zips is mostly a deal breaker for me nowadays.
Mostly ski with my pit zips open. Only close them on the rare occasion that I get a tad chilly. Would never buy a shell without them.
That's my bottom line. Same with zips on pants. Zips on the inside of the thighs are amazing for dumping heat.
It's like most things, you don't miss them until you need them. I'd say that if 2 jackets/pants are otherwise equal - choose the one with the zips. I made the mistake of buying my son a jacket without pit zips, and I will never make that mistake again!
- Joined
- May 12, 2017
- Posts
- 146
ditto
MurphysF, no question is stupid - at least you're asking so you can learn. My shell + liner has "pit zips" and, as the other folks indicated, they help keep your heat balanced. Yes, opening the front main zipper will help cool you down - perhaps quickly - but pit zips help in fine-tuning the cooling. My shell/liner were originally purchased for hiking in the White Mountains [of New Hampshire] in winter. So, the shell has Gore-Tex(R) - it's essentially rainproof and has a hood that fits over helmets. That may be another thing to think about when looking for your "ski jacket" - is a snow-resistant jacket sufficient, or is something highly water resistant necessary? There are a lot of different ski jackets out there, so have fun trying different ones on. Then again, some coats may be just too expensive to bother with... Good luck.
I will not buy a shell, jacket, or liner without pit zips.
- Joined
- Dec 19, 2015
- Posts
- 2,644
lol. Yes there is. Back in the pre goretex era I used to don my sailing foul weather gear in big storms. Super thick nylon, no breathability, water and air tight. I felt like I was skiing in a space suit, impervious to the outside environment. Inside I was a ball of sweat and stink.
Haven't skied in my "foulies" since 1980 though.
Not sure if it's still the case because they certainly make breathable foul weather gear these days, but salt water would break down earlier generations of waterproof/breathable membranes.
- Joined
- May 2, 2017
- Posts
- 4,344
If you get hot you can just unzip your jacket. The vents are more for strenuous exercise in conditions where unzipping your jacket would expose you to the elements. If you were hiking a mountain in the northeast this time of year you would want a winter grade shell which would keep you dry in the rain or snow without sweating too much.
If you plan on keeping the jacket for 5 years the kids will be skiing harder trails in no time so spending the money on something breathable and waterproof might be worth the extra $100.
If you plan on keeping the jacket for 5 years the kids will be skiing harder trails in no time so spending the money on something breathable and waterproof might be worth the extra $100.
Thigh zips. Spring skiing. Sometimes in the spring I am not even wearing a shell. How do I cool off? I wear shorts (no base layer) under my pants and open the thigh zips. NOTHING will cool you off like cool air blowing . . . well, use your imagination.
Plus I can strip off the pants and walk around the village in shorts after skiing.
Plus I can strip off the pants and walk around the village in shorts after skiing.
Think of walking 50 yards up the hill to one of your kids who fell and needs help getting ski back on --- that kind of exertion makes you hot in any weather, so having the ability to quickly let some heat out is needed.
You may have just explained the demise of the one piece suit.
For hard shells pit zips are basically a requirement. Especially if it will work dual duty for multisport use.
Also pit zips work better when the insulation underneath has them too.
For softshells or hybrids they usually breath well enough with out zips. Depending on fabric.
Also pit zips work better when the insulation underneath has them too.
For softshells or hybrids they usually breath well enough with out zips. Depending on fabric.
You probably don't need them on a soft shell or hybrid if it's constructed to dump heat in the right places. If you sweat at all you need them with any hard shell. The dirty little secret on Gore Tex: it doesn't breathe well enough to obviate the need for venting.
You've obviously never spent much time inside neoprene fishing waders, talk about a slow burn.
Pit zips, thigh zips, base and mid layers that allow for cooling. I'm an eastern skier so I can freeze in the morning and be all schweaty by noon and cool off again as the sun starts to set - or a variety of this during the day.
However, remember to remember your pit zip positioning.
A couple of years back one of them freak storms came in off the Atlantic and lashed Nova Scotia. My outfit was paying me to be in the city on a course and the course got cancelled the night before, but I was already hotel bound. Rather than rush home, I thought that since I had my planks with me (rarely travel in winter without them), I'd hit the local molehill.
Two runs down the single groomer track to warm up and I was HOT. Unzipped the pits on the chair and felt relief. Decided to go nail a fresh powder line, got some speed, promptly wiped out and absoeffingloutely rammed my jacket right full of fresh powder. Full on face first jobby, helmet even rammed full. The lifties were beside themselves laughing at me when I gingerly made it to the bottom trying not to move lest I get a pow/melted powder bath down below.
My wife loves that story.
However, remember to remember your pit zip positioning.
A couple of years back one of them freak storms came in off the Atlantic and lashed Nova Scotia. My outfit was paying me to be in the city on a course and the course got cancelled the night before, but I was already hotel bound. Rather than rush home, I thought that since I had my planks with me (rarely travel in winter without them), I'd hit the local molehill.
Two runs down the single groomer track to warm up and I was HOT. Unzipped the pits on the chair and felt relief. Decided to go nail a fresh powder line, got some speed, promptly wiped out and absoeffingloutely rammed my jacket right full of fresh powder. Full on face first jobby, helmet even rammed full. The lifties were beside themselves laughing at me when I gingerly made it to the bottom trying not to move lest I get a pow/melted powder bath down below.
My wife loves that story.
- Joined
- Oct 22, 2017
- Posts
- 4
Worth it. Nice feature to have on your pants to. Try to find one without any mesh backing. Waterpoof zips are nice but regular zipper with a fabric storm will be good enough if your game is mellow.
I usually have them partially unzipped and then just raise my arms to cool off a bit or keep them close in to warm up. Works great
