Features & Design
With their relatively light shell construction, the Drone and Clone are quite comfortable and can perform sufficiently well in a wide range of weather conditions, but it makes me a bit worried about how durable the stuff is, particularly around the Clone pants’ hems.
The pants are very straightforward. They have a fit that is straight, not overly slim, not all that baggy, with zippered front and back pockets.
The pockets are laid out just fine. But the pants don’t have anything in terms of cuff guards, and the face fabric seems very likely to tear if hit with a ski edge. Maybe this is because Sessions calls itself a snowboard brand (snowboarders don’t usually need or want cuff guards on their pants), or maybe it’s a result of the lower price-point on the Clone. In any case, it didn’t seem hard to nick and cut the Clone’s cuffs given their lack of any reinforcement, and at times it would have been nice to have at least one larger sized pocket to quickly stuff a pair of gloves or a hat.
There is one small stash pocket on the pant’s lower right leg, but I never found it all that useful or practical. Even if I’m out in the backcountry, looking to save weight in any place possible, the Clone pants seem overly simplified in these ways, and would have me looking for other options. But if you’re into the simplicity of the Clone, maybe these things aren’t such a deal breaker for you.
Along with the Clone, I’ve also been taking a look at a lower priced pant from Sessions, the Gridlock, and while it is slightly better in terms of functionality, the pant has some design issues of its own. You can stay tuned for an update to this review with information about the Gridlock, but know that the story will ultimately be the same: I would rather invest in a different pant.
The design and features of the Drone jacket frustrated me more than those of the pants, even in terms of basic functionality. On this front, the jacket doesn’t compete with higher-priced shells. I think it should suffice to list a few irritations that, to me, would have to remove the Drone from consideration.
• The front zipper has split open from the bottom on a number of occasions, causing me to have to carefully back it out and re-zip the jacket.
• The Velcro / hook-and-loop material on the jacket’s wrist cuffs seems really cheap. The loops on the straps is part of their molded plastic construction, not a kind of fabric backing that is sewn into the jacket. As a result, they won’t stay secure for very long at all. Every time I’ve cinched down the cuffs over a pair of gloves, I’ve found them loose and dangling a few minutes later. They just didn’t work.
• The Drone’s storm hood won’t fit over any helmet I’ve worn with the jacket—including the R.E.D. Mutiny and Bern Watts, two of the lowest profile helmets on the market—and still allow it to be fully zipped up. If I put the hood over my helmet, the zipper gets stuck (without enough loose material on either side to let it close fully) right around my chin and lower lip.
• There is one fully taped chest pocket on the Drone, and while the inside of the pocket itself is sufficiently large, the zippered opening is frustratingly tight and small. Often times I found it difficult just to work my hand into the pocket, and fitting even a spare goggle lens in there always took some finagling. Besides the hand pockets, which could be bigger themselves, this is the only exterior pocket the Drone offers. I constantly wished the opening was a little bigger, at the very least. Compared to something like the Trew Cosmic, which has two big chest pockets, the Drone doesn’t come close to matching it in terms of ease of use and functionality.
The same goes for the zipped mesh pocket on the inside of the jacket. While I understand why Sessions might look to save weight with a smaller pocket (some manufacturers go without them to save weight), the Drone’s is very small, and I never used it for anything except a Clif bar. It would be nice to have a place to stuff a pair of gloves or goggles to free up your hands.
Bottom Line
At the end of the day, I was happy with the way the Drone and Clone an kept me dry on the mountain, but given the pieces’ potential durability issues and shortcomings in both design and features, I can’t recommend them. Even if you’re looking for more technical outerwear and you’re on a budget, I would consider other options.
As for the Clone pants, I think the North Face Cargo Fargo pants offer comparable weatherproofing but have a more practical set of features and are $50 cheaper. Or, you could save your money and look for a technical pant like the FlyLow Stash (for only $45 more retail), which will last you a number of seasons, has much more to offer in terms of pockets / features, and is very reliable against the elements.
As for the Drone shell, while $270 is a great price, I would still look around for a jacket with a higher retail price-point—something like the Lethal Descent Eagle, the Trew Cosmic or the North Face Enzo.