Nike Tech Fleece Aeroloft Windrunner Jacket Review

Last October, Nike released the Tech Aeroloft pack for Men and Women, which included this 2-1 reversible tech fleece jacket that combined a down vest with a tech fleece Windrunner jacket. The design was quite striking, but the high retail price ($350 US) made certain that it would hit the Nike Factory Outlets eventually. Women got the Aeroloft Parka, which looks even more striking.

I picked up this jacket at a nearby Nike Factory Outlet for $175. I was able to take off another 20% off my purchase thanks to seasonal sales. The only colorway available was the dark grey heather/light photo blue/anthracite. The lighter grey version, pictured above, which I would have preferred, wasn’t available.

The anthracite side is tech fleece but it feels extremely soft. It’s softer than all the rest of my tech fleece gear. I wonder how long it will stay like this. Obviously after a few washes, the softness will go away. Nevertheless, for now, it’s very nice to wear and touch. You can peek the light photo blue down-filled vest through the zipper. It’s a nice contrast, since the vest even has a down-filled (800-fill) hood.

There are the usual tech-fleece zippers with their easily damaged or lost pulls. Both of these situations happened to me with two different garments. However I have to say that I like the pulls, you just need to be careful with them. They can get untied, so I tend to make sure that they are tight. Also, zip them into their pockets or remove them completely when you are washing your gear.

The reverse has dark grey heather on the arms, and light photo blue on the chest and hood areas. It’s a nice color combination. The loft of the down warms you up immediately after putting on the jacket. It’s quite nice. I was walking around today wearing the jacket without any problems, just with a T-shirt on underneath. It was 9C (48F). I expect this to work in situations up to 1C or thereabouts. There is plenty of spacing to trap warm air.

The jacket is supposed to be used for running, so it has perforations between the down segments for ventilation. I haven’t been able to test this out yet. I would have liked to have the tech fleece water-repellent as well, or at least have some key sections, like the shoulders and parts of the arms, water-repellent. The jacket is very light, making it packable like most down jackets. For such a premium price, you’d expect to have some 3M, but sadly there isn’t any.

Like most of the Nike Tech Fleece/Aeroloft product line, you’d expect this to have some interesting technical features, but except for the combination of tech fleece and down, it doesn’t.