THE ALPHA-LITE BOMBER
Reading through the technical properties of the Alpha-Lite Bomber, you’d be forgiven for thinking that you’re holding an item of clothing from NASA that just happens to look like a stylish jacket.
The Alpha-Lite features performance materials including Japanese water-repellent ripstop nylon, Polartec Alpha insulation, and YKK waterproof zippers. Polartec Alpha insulation was created for use in U.S. military Special Forces gear, allowing it to adapt to a wide range of activities and environments without the wearer having to shed or add layers. The insulation is made of low-density fibres that keep moisture vapour moving freely through the fabric, resulting in super-efficient regulation of warmth and transference of moisture.
And the jacket feels amazingly good to wear. You hardly feel it, it is so light and thin, but notice immediately in colder temperatures its excellent insulating properties.
Specifically the combination with the Kunnak Shirt Jacket has proven to be ideal. When these photos were taken, it was just above freezing and even after a long period of rest, the cold had not seeped in. Normally I would have already pulled out my thick down-jacket. Every time, I continue to be fascinated and impressed by materials like Polartec that despite taking up so little space can store so much warmth.
Also nice are the details such as the narrow, rubber zipper-pulls with velcro inside.
And if the weather turns sour, you can combine it with a rain jacket and the Alpha-Lite becomes a warm mid-layer.
It’s difficult to describe Coldsmoke in just a few words. With the Kunnak Shirt jacket and the Alpha-Lite Bomber, Coldsmoke proves again that it is possible to seamlessly combine fashion and functionality. The pieces are timeless enough to not be just a passing fad—so you’ll keep coming back to them over many years—and they’re so well designed as to avoid the cliché of functional outdoor clothing. Whether in sneakers or hiking books, the jackets will complement your look.
Coldsmoke knows how to elegantly bridge the gap for us big city people with a passion for nature; they are urban and outdoor at the same time. Why buy lots of different clothes when one piece can be worn in so many ways?
I’m really happy to see how Coldsmoke has developed, and the recent opening of their flagship store confirms my feeling that the brand is continuing on the right road.