Built in mittens? Built in Balaklava? A Convertible backpack?

Apparently, Loki's Levity is no ordinary jacket. I am highly skeptical of products that tweak the form follows function gospel. Doing one thing well is always job one, but if job two is worth the lattes required to think it up and takes no hair off the back of job number one, well, that's a strong sell. It was impossible to know if this jacket would be more trouble than it's worth (another gospel), but in the end I figured there was only one way to find out.

We'll get to the tricks later, basics first. The unit is slim, handsome and uncluttered to look at. The arms are articulated. No vent zips, no zip storm flaps, a little extra length in the sleeves that you don't even notice. It looks even cleaner than it is because the three vertical, waterproof YKK zips are camouflaged against the black torso panel. Waterproof zips have a stiffer, slightly larger footprint than ordinary zips and are less friendly to the hands going in and out of the pocket. I like a big back pocket on an all purpose parka and while this one isn't, I can still slip a golf disc or a water bottle in easily.

The Levity has a fairly quiet hand, handy for furtive sports or just plain peace and quiet. Made from two-layer, rip-face nylon, the Levity packs down to the size of a JV football. The one they sent me is two-tone mango and black with the shoulders and top of the arms the lighter color. The torso and underside of the wrists/arms are prime areas for dirt and grime to glom and will be less visible on black, a good thing. But the mango shoulder will color up quickly if you're prone to carry dirty skis, shotgun, firewood or such there. There are no plackets or doubling of fabric to protect wear points on the jacket. Loki has gone for clever, quick and light, which is good if the thing holds up. Good news is. the construction and attention-to-detail appear excellent. To date (week three) the jacket has survived frequent bushwhacking, performed daily through the ubiquitous “rough” surrounding our two-mile, thirty hole disc golf course here on the island.

"Overall, the garment is lean, stylish, ergonomic, well-made and vents better than cotton. Thems the basics. Now for the fun stuff"

Thanks to the amazing eVENT fabric breathability is extraordinary. After an hour hiking our rocky course, I have virtually no humidity inside the coat (what little there is hugs my lower back where the back pocket limits vapor transmission). On a parka's breathe/shed water scale, I'm breathing. I don't stand around in the rain if I can help it and I hate clammy.

eVENT, unlike most other waterproof, breathable fabrics, does not have a protective membrane on the exterior of the garment to protect the micro-pores from plugging up. Apparently, they circumvent the membrane by applying a micro coating that leaves the wicking pores wide open. And it works; I'm here to tell you. Loki also uses a “deconstructed” nylon that further enhances moisture transmission. Water repellency is rated “excellent” from independent yada yada, although I have yet to confirm for myself. Overall, the garment is lean, stylish, ergonomic, well-made and vents better than cotton. Thems the basics. Now for the fun stuff. Of the three tricks this pony performs, the Loki-Mitt is the most radical. In essence, it's a mitt that's sewn onto the end of the sleeve. It's pretty nifty and is hands down the trickiest of the three in terms of both design and use. There are two options with the Mitt. “Half Mitt” is as simple as the old trick of turtling cold hands up into our cuffs. Quick and easy, it allows for quick deployment of the hands…something the full Mitt still challenges me to do. My hands are quickly comfortable and warm inside, largely because, like the Teddy's we zip our kids into, core heat circulates down through the sleeves. Cuff creep, due to the extra length to the sleeve can be an issue, but I've had zero problems and I'm often using a throw motion with my arm that would exacerbate the condition. The Mitt surface looks durable enough and a call to the company informed me they've never had one returned worn out. The utility of the Mitt is implicit, but what about a graceful integration with the jacket?