AllOutdoor Review: Outdoor Research Obsidian Jacket – “Feature Packed”
Patrik Orcutt 06.01.23
Outdoor Research is a Seattle-based manufacturer of technical apparel and gear for outdoor sports. They were formed back in the 1980s after a climber was attempting a summit of Mt. Denali when he and his team had a failure of a set of gaiters that sent them packing back down the mountain. That climber was Ron Gregg and after just over a year, Ron would have started his own outdoor brand, Outdoor Research (OR). Back in 1980, their flagship product was an improved pair of gaiters, fixing the problems Ron had with older pairs. Today, OR’s product line includes everything you would need for alpinism, rock and ice climbing, backpacking, paddling, and backcountry skiing and snowboarding. This particular review will focus on the Outdoor Research Obsidian Jacket as part of their old-generation tactical line.
I have been wearing the OR Obsidian Jacket for the last 9 months as a daily jacket, it has sat in my pack as my go-to bad-weather layer. I took it to Iceland this past December and on a few trips to my local ski mountain. Lastly, it have worn it to the range a number of times.
The OR Obsidian Jacket was independently purchased and reviewed by myself and OR has not been allowed to preview this review. I would like to preface this review that there is virtually no information online about this jacket at this point in time. OR discontinued them several months ago as their Tactical line has been a mess in regard to consistency for the last few years.
Specs – Outdoor Research Obsidian Pants
- Fabric: Tweave Durastretch® SuperFabric
- Manufactured in: Bangladesh / United States
- Weight: 19 Oz or 530 grams
- MSRP: $400
Comfort and Mobility – Outdoor Research Obsidian Jacket
The primary material that the Outdoor Research Obsidian Jacket are constructed of is Tweave Durastretch® SuperFabric. The Durastretch® brand encompasses a range of stretch wovens manufactured to stringent technical specifications. Ranging in spandex content from 10 – 50%, these styles are blended primarily with nylon. Fabrics in this range offer excellent shape retention and great durability with low weight/bulk.
This is the same material that can be found in many of the military/law-enforcement products offered by Arc’teryx so you know it’s some top-notch stuff. The Obsidian offers a great amount of comfort in that it is designed to be very stretchy, but also durable. I had no problems running up and down ranges or going for hikes in this jacket. The overall cut of this jacket is also very good and will not be restrictive to any of your movements.
Breathability and Venting – Outdoor Research Obsidian Jacket
While this jacket is water resistant, Outdoor Research did not skip out on the breathability and venting. Again, the use of the Tweave Durastretch® fabric comes in very clutch as this jacket is highly breathable when you are working up a sweat. The Obsidian really works well in all environments and weather conditions. I have worn it on hot days at the range and taken it to the cold landscapes of Iceland and I have not been disappointed with his performance. When it’s warmer out, this is a great single layer, but when it’s colder this jacket acts as a fantastic outer layer to keep the wind and rain off you if you do end up getting too warm. There are adjustable cuffs on the arm sleeves to help you self regulate your body temperature.
Weight – Outdoor Research Obsidian Jacket
Coming in at 19 ounces or 530 grams approximately, the Obsidian jacket is not competing to be the lightest jacket in your collection. With that being said, I had no problems, rolling it up and throwing it in my backpack as a backup layer for more inclement weather conditions.
Features – Outdoor Research Obsidian Jacket
The Obsidian jacket is packed with all kinds of great features so let’s dive into them. I’ve already talked about the Tweave Durastretch® which is both water resistant and wind resistant. This fabric is also incredibly abrasion resistant which I will get into more in the next section on durability. Outdoor Research has also packed into this jacket a helmet-compatible hood. I like seeing these larger hoods on the more tactically-oriented jackets as it just makes sense. The hood also has integrated cord locks so you can cinch down the hood to however tight you prefer. I find this very handy when not using a helmet and only wearing a beanie. All the zippers are a YKK including the hand pockets. The main zipper is DWR treated so you don’t have to worry about water and moisture seeping through the front opening of the jacket.
The outside of the forearms have reinforced “super fabric” and while finding information on what these are actually made of is difficult, I can tell you that they are incredibly abrasion resistant. Some additional functional details of the jacket are that there are stretch panels at the base of the hood and arms to promote movement. The pocket placement is high which makes it easy to access them if you were wearing any sort of climbing harness. Also, as mentioned before, there are hook-and-loop closures on the arm sleeves. Overall, this jacket is packed with really cool features and tech. For the price, you would kind of expect features of this quality.
Durability – Outdoor Research Obsidian Jacket
I can 100% say that the durability of this jacket is phenomenal. My litmus test for the durability of any jacket is to take it snowboarding. Before this winter I hadn’t snowboarded in close to three years so I was bound to take a couple of spills while wearing this jacket. I’m happy to report that after a close inspection, I can’t find any wear marks on the jacket after taking many falls on the mountain. The water-resistant aspect of the jacket seems to be holding even after nine months of use so that’s good to see. Overall, the durability of this jacket is fantastic and I think the only way I can put a hole in it would be with a knife.
Likes
- Great Breathability
- Tweave Durastretch®
- Very Comfortable
Dislikes
- Overpriced
Wrap Up – Outdoor Research Obsidian Pants
The Obsidian jacket is a great piece of kit. I think it is an incredibly versatile piece of clothing and can be worn for a multitude of different activities. Of course, this is an old gen Outdoor Research tactical line product just like the Obsidian pants. This jacket is going to be virtually impossible to find brand new. There are a few of them floating around on eBay so if you’re really interested, that would be a good place to check. Lastly, the price of this jacket is pretty steep with this being a Military/Law Enforcement-oriented product. The price is always going to be highly inflated, the MSRP of this jacket when I purchased it was $400, but thankfully I was part of the Outdoor Research Pro program and snagged it for $200. At that price point, I think this jacket is an absolute steal. If you can find one for this price, I would pull the trigger on the Obsidian.
