FEATURES
All of the features of the Cosmic Jacket are well thought out and designed to maximize efficiency and durability. What impressed me most, as Will and Jonathan both highlighted, is the jacket’s tough construction. Not only is the sturdy nylon material bomber, but all of the seams and zippers are sealed and reinforced. In fact, I was actually frustrated initially with the main zipper because there was so much resistance that it was difficult to zip up. Thankfully it eventually softened, but I definitely prefer burly zippers to ones that split constantly.
Another problem I’ve had with virtually all my winter jackets is that the Velcro around the wrist cuffs wears out, so the cuffs flap around and are no longer adjustable. The Cosmic’s Velcro is much more sticky, and I don’t foresee this being a problem in the near future.
The Cosmic’s large hood allowed for a seamless fit with a helmet, while still providing enough room to rotate my head. When used with just a hat, though, the hood was a little tall and tended to fall down.
The fleece-lined collar can be zipped up to rest high on the face, which worked well in conjunction with the hood to protect against wind and snow on colder days. Usually there are few days that I don’t wear a neck warmer, simply because other collars were too insubstantial to offer enough protection. With the Cosmic’s hood/collar combo, however, I had enough protection to ditch the neck warmers more often.
Pockets are another key feature to any jacket, and it’s important that their placement and sizing be spot on. To maintain a sleek, clean look, the Cosmic has only six strategically placed pockets: two deep chest pockets that are useful for holding iPods, extra liner gloves, or tasty lunch burritos; two standard side pockets; a large inner mesh pocket (for skins, perhaps); and a small one on the sleeve. In other words, I found the Cosmic to have just the right amount of storage.
After plenty of traveling, skiing through tight trees, and shouldering sharp-edged skis this season, the Cosmic still looks new. (Well, almost new. The light green color I had tended to attract dirt.) I can imagine that even with considerable abuse, the Cosmic Jacket would last for many seasons. Trew certainly has held their promise of “functional and highly durable gear.”
STYLE
In terms of their commitment to an “original and inspired style,” I would say Trew did a pretty good job, too. Personally, I loved the cut and looser fit of the Cosmic, even though it is technically a men’s jacket. The colors definitely stand out as well, and I received many compliments on my “really cool” jacket, both in the lift line and around town. I was also surprised at how many people recognized it as a Trew jacket and asked specifically what I thought about its quality. For a small, up-and-coming company, the Trew name is certainly gaining recognition.
If you’re looking for a quality product, you’d be hard-pressed to find a jacket with equal durability and functionality to the Cosmic. The Cosmic isn’t cheap, but you can rest assured that you are paying for what you get. Props to Trew for proving that a small, grassroot company can produce just as good—if not better—products than the retail giants.