Review: Mountain Hardwear Brono Jacket

Sporting the Brono Jacket while hiking in Alaska

    I purchased the Mountain Hardwear Brono jacket to accompany me on windy days in the field.  It was the highest end Mountain Hardwear softshell I could find so I expected alot.
    Upon its arrival I was somewhat disappointed with how light the jacket was.  I had expected a little more insulation. It instantly reminded me of my old MH Link jacket.  Besides being a softshell it is identical to the Link.  The saving grace for this jacket is the Gore Windstopper liner.  Without this the jacket would be worthless for everything besides playing catch with your kid in the back yard.

There are several pros of this jacket:
1. The wrist liners prevent wind from traveling up your sleeve and heat from escaping.
2. The jacket stretches very nicely so you never get bound up when reaching for a rock or root to climb.
3. The front pocket with zipper access is nice and large for carrying plenty of goodies.
4. Obviously the Gore Winstopper shell!!  Thats a given!

A couple of cons I must mention:
1. The inner pockets are simply a piece of fabric sewn in.  They do not have a velcro or zipper for closure!!!! I don't understand this at all!!  Unless you don't care about losing your gear I wouldn't put anything into these pockets.

2. I would have loved to see this jacket with pit zips!
 
3. The large jacket is not fitted correctly for my body,  5'10" 175lbs, making me look a little chubby around the waist.  It seems they made this coat to fit fat climbers too!!!  Way to go Mountain Hardwear for making a one size fits all jacket!!!   Cinching up the bottom does help for a bit but due to its length it rides up to your waist and balloons out.  I went to REI and tried on a medium but it was way to small in the shoulders and sleeves.   Guess it will have to do. 
  Overall I like the jacket.  I have used it now for almost a year with over 90 days in the field.  It has held up great and is a great mid layer on cold days.  At $215 the jacket is on the upper end of soft shells and worth it if you plan on using it in the field.  If you are a weekender or want a run around town coat you might want to save your money.

Alaskan Ventures specializes in custom Alaska Backcountry Adventures.....and testing out the coolest gear!.  Check us out at www.AlaskanVentures.com