Jack Wolfskin JWP ATMOS JKT Review
The Jack Wolfskin JWP ATMOS JKT is made for the outdoors. It’s a lightweight, slightly puffy, packable jacket that’s ideal for cold winter runs or as a mid-layer for downhill skiing. It’s even nice enough to wear on its own.
Company
Jack Wolfskin is a German outdoor clothing brand with a focus on precision and attention to detail.
The Jack Wolfskin brand was actually created by a German company called Sine, in 1981. It was founded by Ulrich Dausien, a former boy scout with a passion for adventure and outdoor experiences.
He came up with the idea for the Jack Wolfskin brand while sitting around a campfire in the Yukon Territory, listening to a wolf howling in the distance. Dausien began imagining how a wolf has nothing but its fur to keep it warm, which gave rise to the idea for warm, protective outdoor clothing.
After seeing a lot of success, the brand separated from Sine and was bought by Johnson Outdoors in 1991. Dausien’s second passion, the environment, has also been incorporated into the brand and it remains an eco-friendly brand.
Main Features
The Jack Wolfskin JWP ATMOS JKT is a lightweight, insulated jacket that can be packed handily to a small and manageable size.
It has a modern, contemporary style and is available in a range of colorways.
Material
The JWP ATMOS JKT is made from the brand’s Flex Shield Ecosphere ripstop material. This polyester nylon fabric is extremely tough and durable, the perfect fabric for outdoor adventures.
The outer layer is constructed in a grid design, which makes it very resistant to tearing. You can wear this jacket in most conditions and be confident that it will come out intact.
Lining this jacket, and responsible for the insulation, you’ll find synthetic fibers that have an element of stretch to them.
As well as being very light and easy to wear, it’s also resistant to both wind and water. There’s a slight stretch in it, which enhances the comfort factor.
For the environmentally-conscious outdoor adventurer, the polyester used to manufacture these jackets is recycled. So you can feel good about purchasing these products.
Insulation
The insulation is a combination of Microguard Stretch Migration Free Ecosphere 60 g/m² fibers, and Microguard Stretch Migration Free Ecosphere 40 g/m² fibers.
These fibers are made of recycled material and are able to stretch. This helps them to retain the shape of the jacket when it’s unpacked again after being packed down.
They are extremely light and don’t add any bulk to the jacket at all. But they do a good job of retaining your own body heat to keep you warm in cool weather.
Design
The Jack Wolfskin JWP ATMOS JKT is light and looks sporty. It’s a solid color and features reflective detailing on the logo, which is situated on the left chest area.
There are two hand pockets, one on either side, which are zippered to allow for the safety of valuables.
The front zipper comes up high to protect the front of the neck from wind and rain. A small flap covers the zipper to stop you from scratching or hurting your chin on the metal.
It also features a full, fixed hood. The hood can be folded down to fit inside the collar. It’s quite close-fitted when worn, covering the ears effectively. Elasticated cuffs and an elastic hem also help to keep the cold and wind out.
The jacket is designed to travel easily and packs into itself using one of the side pockets. Rectangular in shape and compact, the bag is easy to slip into a gym bag or backpack.
Colorways
The Jack Wolfskin JWP ATMOS JKT comes in a choice of four different colors.
The men’s and women’s have similar several neutral, muted colors that include black, night blue, and grape leaf (darker gray). For those who like some color, they also offer it in bright yellow, named Lemon Curry for men and Corol Red (pictured in these photos) for women.
Sizing
This jacket comes in six different sizes, so there’s an option for everyone. You can choose from small up to 3 X-Large (men) and X-Small to XX-Large (women).
Although the jacket is insulated and not specifically intended to be worn as an outer shell, if you want to layer it over other things then you may want to choose a size larger than your usual size.
If you want to wear it as a jacket without layers beneath it, then it seems to fit quite true to size.
Weight
This jacket is quite lightweight. A medium-sized men’s jacket will weigh 14.4 ounces (12 ounces for women’s small), so it won’t weigh you down while you’re wearing it.
That means that when it’s packed down, you can easily hang it on a backpack or add it to a bag and it won’t add a lot of extra weight.
Hands-on Review
We found the ATMOS Jacket to be comfortable, stylish, and quite warm.
Putting it on for the first time, it was lightweight and very comfortable. The material, both on the inside and outside of the jacket, is soft and feels good. Even wearing a short-sleeve shirt, our arms felt good – no sticky fabric or stitching against our skin.
It was definitely warm enough to wear around town on warm winter days. Testing it out in snowy Ithaca, NY, the jacket held up against the weather. We didn’t test it in hard rain to see how waterproof it is, but it did fine in snow and mist.
The packable design was nice, although the final bundle was maybe too big to carry around like that. Better to pack it up and throw it in a duffel bag for long weekends.
Our biggest gripe was the lack of pockets. That seems to be by design, per Jack Wolfskin, to keep the jacket simple. But an interior pocket, chest pocket, or rear pocket would have been welcomed. For us, it lacked enough storage.
Our other minor gripe is that the jacket is almost too warm for running. Unless it’s below freezing, then it would probably be ok. The jacket itself breaths well but it does have quite a bit of insulation for running on mildly cold or cool days.
But in a way, we don’t mind. The jacket is almost too nice to run in anyway. We’re just as happy to wear it casually or while ice skating (worked perfectly!) or as a downhill ski layer.
Best For
The Jack Wolfskin JWP ATMOS JKT is an excellent outdoors jacket. The brand offers mainly outdoor apparel and equipment, so the jacket is designed to withstand the elements and keep you safe and warm when outdoors, no matter what you’re doing.
It’s an excellent choice for runners who run in cold weather. The lightweight nature of the jacket makes it easy to run with, and it doesn’t restrict movement.
It insulates body heat, and if the runner does get too warm, it can easily be packed into a backpack. If you run without a backpack or a bag, then you may find it difficult to carry the bag with you, even though it is fairly small.
