Marmot Alpinist Power Stretch Suit
MARMOT ALPINIST POWER STRETCH SUIT
CW EVALUATION
Winter wonderwear
WHEN THE MERCURY GRAVITATES TOWARD freezing, do you favor four wheels over a frosty faceshield? Maybe you need Marmot's Power Stretch undersuit.
Outdoor outfitter Marmot Mountain Ltd. (2321 Circadian Way, Santa Rosa, CA 95407; 707/544-4590) knows something about keeping warm. Its current catalog is dedicated to hiking, mountain climbing, skiing and snowboarding, but motorcycling-friendly garments, like the Power Stretch, are also offered. Manufactured from stretchy PolarTec fleece and trimmed with lycra at the armholes, ankles and neckline, the onepiece suit is slick, not fuzzy. Furthermore, it's sleeveless, eliminating the possibility of bunching at the elbows. The effect, when worn as a base layer under leathers or other protective apparel, is uninhibited movement and greatly increased warmth.
Tipping the scales at 16 ounces, the suit features a central, crotch-length YKK front zipper. Two shallow chest pockets, one on each side of the main zipper, capture smaller items, such as cash, identification or house keys.
Shoe-horning yourself into the formfitting suit is easy. Sizing is spot-on; the upper half slips easily over even broad shoulders, and the low neckline doesn't chafe sensitive skin.
Available in black or cobalt, sizes SXL, the Power Stretch does a marvelous job of retaining body heat, all the while providing no indication that you're wearing something reminiscent (at least visually) of a wetsuit. Though it varies with layering, the suit's comfort zone is quite broad-somewhere between 40 and 70 degrees Fahrenheit. Only when ambient temperatures plummeted below freezing did our tester seek the supplemental warmth of an electric vest. Equally impressive, there was no hint of "piling," regardless of the material layered over the suit or the number of times it was washed.
Is the Power Stretch a miracle for snow-bound motorcyclists? Of course not. But at $159, it's an affordable and effective way to prolong the riding season. □
