With the recent cold snap this past weekend, it was perfect timing to try my newly acquired Integrator 2.0 Windproof Fleece jacket from Nomad. For the past couple of seasons, I’ve been casually shopping around by keeping one eye open for the right jacket/parka for the cold weather deer hunting I so much love to do.
First and most important, I am not a field staff member or pro staff. In no way, shape or form am I affiliated with Nomad. I write this only to inform you readers of my personal experience and thoughts on something I have come to think so highly of… my new jacket! LoL.
This bad-boy is a super soft, dead quiet, windproof fleece outer shell. Everything about it is softness. Cuddling soft that is. It is meant to be a part of an entire layering system as the outer windproof shell. It is a pull-over style which I really love. You’d think, as I, that it would be a difficult and cumbersome task to deal with slipping it on and off over your head, but really, it’s not. The side zips make it as easy as grandma’s venison potpie! Those same side zips also can be utilized as vents in regulating body heat.
There are zippers all over covering one of the most unique pocket storage systems I’ve ever seen! And that is primarily because of the over-the-noggin design. So far, I found it usefully perfect for my rangefinder, grunt tube, truck key, mini bleat can and my GoPro remote key. Damn, you can fit a whole chicken in there for a snack if you wanted!
And the best part is, behind all this storage space is a large kangaroo type pouch lined with soft fluffy stuff! Be gone is my waist toting hand warmer muff I’ve hauled for 30 years. There is also a rear zippered port to pass a treestand safety harness through and get this… a center back zip gusset for expansion when layering clothes for the late colder season! No kidding.
This gosh-darn jacket fits too! When you buy an X-Large, you get an X-Large. I’ve tried the other heavily marketed brands where their ridiculous sizing seems to be based on children. The arm length is perfectly long so as when you reach-out for something, the cuffs don’t slide up mid-way to your armpits and those too, can be zippered closed or expanded for layering. The hood is cool too, remove it if you want but just so you know, it is a three-piece master piece with a fleece insert over the ears area to ensure the sounds of mother earth are always ringing in your ear!
And for all us scent conscious hunters, there is a SilverZ Scent Suppression System! Silver is used as an anti-microbial. Scent is then locked into fabric by infused Zeolite (derived from volcanic rock) and released once washed regenerating it to as good as new.
Now, don’t take it from me, just go and check one out for yourself. It might not be for everyone but it sure is for me. I’m more than happy with mine. So happy in fact, that it inspired me to a photograph and this write up.
For us, whom are still chasing to fill our tags, I wish you all a safe, happy and successful season of harvest. -Mike Borovic
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