Review: Flylow Youth Explorer Jacket

Finding the right jacket to keep your kiddo warm, dry, and comfortable on the mountain isn’t always the easiest task. Complaints abound, from “it’s itchy” or “it’s too tight,” to “I don’t like the color.” Not exactly things a parent wants to hear when running out the door on a powder day. The Youth Explorer Jacket from Flylow, however, not only fit my 11-year-old perfectly, but also allowed her to make it through the most frigid of winter days without a single complaint about cold or comfort.

In terms of features, an adjustable hood fits over a helmet without limiting head movement, style, or comfort. There’s ample room in the pockets for the wide assortment of snacks—a necessity for surviving a full day on the slopes without a meltdown—and even a pass pocket so the RFID card is always, hopefully, where it should be. Additionally, the coat is breathable and lightweight, so my daughter keeps it on all day, even when building parking-lot snow forts after ski lessons. It’s durable enough to endure the rolls and tumbles of the many rounds of King-of-the-Mountain, jumps, tumbles, and wrestling matches without so much as a tear or rip.

The jacket comes in four colors, including the light blue my daughter picked out. “It’s the color of sky, and my eyes!” she proclaimed while taking off on yet another run. Available at flylowgear.com; on sale now for $140.