Howler Brothers Voltage Jacket Gear Review
Last winter I had the opportunity to test a free sample of the Howler Bros.’ Voltage Jacket. A midweight synthetic puffy, the Voltage kept me plenty (and impressively) warm no matter the temperature level, thriving in a low aerobic environment. And while the jacket didn’t perform as well at higher levels of aerobic activity, it is a great choice for resort skiing, cool-weather belays, and summit rest breaks. If you’re thinking about getting the Voltage, here’s all the beta.
Testing Conditions
I used the Voltage Jacket for about 100 days across a host of activities—hiking in the Blue Hills and on 4,000 footers in the White Mountains, ice climbing in New Hampshire and Massachusetts, winter rock climbing and bouldering in Southern New England, ski patrolling in Greater Boston, resort skiing in New Hampshire, and bolting new sport routes at a local crag. I also used it extensively for commuting, both to work and to the crags and mountains. After that, I gave the jacket to Luke, who loves Howler Brothers’ gear and who has continued to put it through the wringer.
I tested the Voltage in just about every weather condition during the course of the testing period. I wore it on raw, rainy days in the mountains (one day on Mt. Tecumseh stands out; more on that below), mild but windy afternoons and evenings at crags like the Blue Hill Slab, Quincy Quarries, and Hammond Pond, and snowy ski days in New Hampshire and Greater Boston. Temperatures ranged from just chilly enough for a lightweight puffy (50s) to quite cold (10 and below). About the only weather condition I missed during the testing period was heavy snow, because we didn’t have much of that during winter 2022.
For testing purposes, I wore this jacket in temps from the mid 50s to low single digits. In warmer temps, I was wearing the voltage with just a long sleeve baselayer. In colder temps, I often combined this with a shell, a tee, and a layer like the Patagonia R1. On super cold days, I sometimes added a vest, either an Arcteryx Proton or a more traditional fleece vest.
The Voltage’s Warmth is Excellent
The Voltage’s 60 grams of Primaloft Gold insulation is wonderfully warm. I loved pulling the jacket on between burns at the crag, rappelling, after winter trail runs, and while building local sport routes. I also loved wearing it as an insulating layer at the ski resort. Essentially, any activity where the aerobic activity was low, it was great!
However, the Voltage is not breathable at all, and with any significant activity, moisture starts to accumulate on the internal lining. One day on Mt. Tecumseh in New Hampshire stands out—it was rainy, raw (low 30s), and windy. Given the conditions, I was chilled at the summit and put the Voltage on under my shell for the 2.5 mile descent. Although I warmed up significantly, about 1.2 miles into the descent the Voltage’s internal liner was drenched because moisture doesn’t move through the jacket. If we’d had to stop at all for any substantial period of time, I’m pretty sure the coat wouldn’t have kept me as warm as similar weight puffies due to the internal layer of swamp. This trend repeated itself on activity after activity over the course of the winter, with the warmth being fantastic, but the jacket starting to get swampy if I did anything aerobic.
The Warmth to Weight Ratio is Good
The Voltage compresses into its own chest pocket, packing down to the size of a nice camp pillow. It fit easily into a small daypack and, size-wise, could readily come along on a summer or fall backpacking trip in New Hampshire’s White Mountains like the Kilkenny Ridge Traverse. Overall, its size when compressed is about average for a primaloft puffy with 60 grams of insulation, and that feature alone wouldn’t stop me from bringing it into the backcountry.
Weather Protection
The Voltage’s wind protection is quite good. Notably, it protected me from cold, late-November gusts as we worked to finish up bolting some local sport climbs. As well, the weather protection is solid, faring well as an outer layer in light rain and snow. Heavier rain does start to soak into the jacket, but that’s not unreasonable for a layer like this one.
Moisture Wicking and Breathability
Whether I was climbing or hiking in it, the Voltage’s breathability was below average during any aerobic activity of significance. In each instance, the moisture would begin building up on the jacket’s internal liner, requiring immediate venting (or removal) to avoid moisture build up. And this was true no matter whether I was wearing the Voltage as a midlayer or as an outer layer. And once wet, the liner took significant time to dry out.
Features, Fit, and Design
The Voltage has two internal zip pockets at chest level and two external stash pockets at waist level. The external stash pockets are great for warming your hands up, but lack zippers, so you can’t put anything of consequence in them. That said, the internal chest pockets are quite large, able to hold a phone, wallet, and keys with no problem. Additionally, one of the two internal zip pockets doubles as a stuff sack.
In terms of fit, the Voltage is not cut for tall, lanky people. The arms in the XL are quite short; so short that Luke made a habit of snapping photos of the sleeves of my Burgeon Flume base layer poking out of the Voltage’s sleeves when we were rock and ice climbing. Meanwhile, the jacket itself has a boxy cut, and an XL could easily accommodate a wider, heavier person than me.
The sleeve and fit issues made turning in the jacket somewhat uncomfortable when I was carrying a 30L or bigger pack. The poor fit and the moisture management issues often contributed to the Voltage being left in the car for higher consequence missions in the mountains (e.g., guiding the Winter Lion Head on Mt. Washington or ice climbing Shoestring Gully).
The Voltage’s insulated hood is fantastic. It easily accommodates a climbing helmet and it kept me warm on all sorts of climbing days. One other note on the hood—the drawstrings to batten down the hood are more style than substance; I have tag lines for climbing that are thinner.
Durability
After putting the Voltage through the wringer last fall, winter, and spring, I can honestly say that its durability is fantastic. It held up to significant abuse during multiple days of bolting sport routes in late fall, then transitioned seamlessly into being a midlayer for much of my ski season (including many sessions ski patrolling at Blue Hills Ski Resort). After 100s of days of use and multiple washes, it shows very little wear and everything works great.
I wore the Voltage day-in, day out for weeks on end and it never had an issue with smell. And it held up fine to regular washing (i.e., 1x per month).
Best Uses
The Voltage is a versatile puffy for low aerobic activities like resort skiing, car camping, belaying, and moderate-paced hiking. It was also a wonderful layer to wear for commuting to the mountains. However, as mentioned, due to the moisture management and fit issues, the Voltage stayed in the car for any high consequence mission.
While I told all my friends about the Voltage’s warmth, the jacket would not be the first puffy in this category that I’d recommend to a friend, especially a fellow guide or a hard core outdoor athlete. But if somebody were looking for a puffy that they’d wear primarily for commuting, at the ski resort, and/or in low aerobic environments , they’ll likely be pretty pleased with the Voltage.
Words by Doug Martland. Photo by Luke Foley
