Clothing Arts Cubed Travel Jacket

The line between travel jacket, rain jacket and performance shell has official been blurred. The Clothing Arts Cubed Travel Jacket combines the style and utility of a businessman’s travel jacket with the technicality of a proper outdoor adventure shell. You’d be hard pressed to find an adventure where this jacket isn’t a good choice.

I’m pretty much in perpetual travel mode, moving between motorcycles, 4×4 overland adventuremobile and airplanes. I travel in order to get outside and experience new and exciting things, whether that be skiing in Italy, exploring the grounds of the Biltmore Estates or climbing a mountain in Borneo. Versatile gear that can work in a wide range of climates and during an even wider range of activities is key to my style of travel, as well as staying light and nimble on my adventures.

I’ve been traveling the globe with the Cubed Travel Jacket for over a year now, on a crazy wide range of adventures. The key to this jacket is that it looks low key while walking the back alleys of third world cities, stylish enough for a night out at the world’s top cocktail bars and is also perfectly suited for a climb up a mountain during monsoon season in SE Asia. I’ve used it myself in all of these situations, and many others. I’ve also tried, and own, a variety of other similar jackets, but always seem to grab this one when I’m headed out on a proper adventure.

One of my favorite aspects of this jacket is how truly waterproof and durable it has been, even after extensive use and abuse. It features an eVent DVStorm waterproof/windproof/breathable membrane, waterproof zippers with garages and is fully seam taped. I’ve done nothing in the way of upkeep on this jacket, and it looks like new today.

The Cubed Jacket is also feature rich. It offers a very adjustable and quickly removable hood, which is great because I generally hate hoods, but also find them necessary for some adventures. The velcro wrist closures and cinch waist also help seal out the rain and keep the heat in, if desired. I found the wrist closures to be a lifesaver when scootering down highways in monsoon rains in Bali recently.

Of course this travel jacket also features a ton of pockets, as you have to carry a ton of stuff when traveling. The two chest pockets are accessed from both inside and outside the jacket, and are used for active venting. There are four interior pockets that offer secure storage, as the zippers have clip style locks on them. The two lower interior pockets are quite large, which is useful when carrying paperwork, camera lenses, etc… There are also another two exterior hand zippered hand pockets that offer big volume and a warm place for your hands out of the elements.

While this jacket is pretty lightweight, at about 1lb 11oz, it for sure could be lighter. All the features, along with the durable materials, all add up to a slightly heavier jacket than some of the competitors. The Cubed Travel Jacket also doesn’t pack down super small. Again the thicker more durable face fabric, along with the zippers, pockets, hood, velcro, etc… all hinder it’s compactness. With that all said, it is only very slightly heavier and has a slightly larger packed size than other options out there.

PROS:

Versatile, Durable, Stylish, VERY Waterproof (20,000 MM), VERY Breathable (20,000 G), High Quality Materials, Lots of Pockets, Removable/3-Way Adjustable Hood, Velcro Wrists, Cinch Waist

CONS:

Pricy! ($380), Could be Lighter, Could Pack Smaller

CONCLUSION:

It’s hard to argue with the tag line; “A waterproof shell for everyday.” The Clothing Arts Cubed Travel Jacket is sure to be a tool in my adventure travel gear quiver for some time. Combine it with a quality insulating jacket, like the Sierra Designs DriDown Hoodie, and you have the ultimate go anywhere do any adventure jacket system.

(Disclaimer: Clothing Arts supplied this jacket to Exploring Elements for review consideration.)