The Nino is here, California. What was once a 65 and sunny winter is now 31 and rainy. Wind chill factor? Gnarly.
Here at SLO Cyclist, we’ve been padding our short sleeved jerseys with thermal undershirts and waterproof outer shells. Not so great for enjoyable spins through the countryside–fantastic for testing The Weatherneck.
Now we’re sure those of you reading this in Minnesota have no pity for us. But that’s OK. You’ll feel plenty of kinsmanship with the Wisconsin folks behind this Kickstarter campaign.
Recently launched, The Weatherneck is a new offering from the same minds who brought you Fix It Sticks and The Backbottle–both of which we reviewed last year. Good stuff.
We were stoked to find a camo blue, made in America, Weatherneck in our mailbox a few weeks back, and equally happy to get the opportunity to try it out in less than California temperatures. Here are the details for backers, and our overall impressions:
The Weatherneck Review Details
Price: Backers can grab one Weatherneck for $20 with an estimated delivery of March.
Colors: Nine different colors come in camo and honeycomb patterns.
Quantities: Backers can order 1, 2, 4, or 9 Weathernecks during the campaign, which ends February 12th (and, yes, they’ve already gone way past their funding goal).
Upsides: It doesn’t get much more user-friendly than this. Two super strong magnets hold the warmer up on your face wherever you find it most comfortable. It stays put at sunglasses level, below your nose, or at your throat. When you get warm enough, just pull on it and it’s off. Super breathable, yet warm, the light fabric keeps you from feeling strangled or unable to get a deep breath. And a mesh strip down the front allows air to escape without letting in much cold.
Downsides: The magnets are super strong, so they have a tendency to stick together when you don’t want them to. No really a problem once you’ve got The Weatherneck all set, but a little hard to put on or adjust while riding. I found that I needed to make certain it was fit properly to my size well before heading out for my ride.
Tester’s Thoughts
The Weatherneck is straight smart, and it’s hard to think that someone hasn’t come up with this idea before. I always hated having to take off my helmet or mess up my perfect hair just to get other styles of neckwarmer off. No trouble here: A quick pull, and it stows in a jersey pocket.
I’ve also used this as a makeshift head-kerchief/ear-warmer that removes quickly from under my helmet. I’d say I’m a genius for thinking of it, but then I saw the video by The Weatherneck folks who had the idea first. I still feel good about myself, though.
Ponytails also get along just fine here–magnets don’t catch your hair the way other materials might, and you can fit this around even the thickest coif.
As for the warmth factor, this keeps your face toasty without being uncomfortably thick. The mesh lining helps air to pass easily through–avoiding that feeling of re-breathing what you’ve exhaled. A little repositioning of your sunglasses also keeps them from fogging, which the mesh panel seems to mitigate as well.
Finally, I first thought The Weatherneck was a one-size-fits-all-the-faces design. And I got a little frustrated when it slipped Down my nose. But the magnets make all the difference here. Fold over one side of the fabric and it will fit a you-sized face perfectly. Genius.
Back the Kickstarter Campaign
To grab your own Weatherneck, head over to the official Kickstarter page here. If you do, be sure to let us know what you think!
To get a better idea of what The Weatherneck does, check out the video below by the Fix It Sticks man, Brian, himself.
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