Hi I would like some insight about my Kor Airshell. Disclaimer I’m sort of new to hiking and this was my first time actually buying gear with purpose.
I brought the jacket on my first hike and it performed excellent, the breathability and feel of the jacket is amazing plus it’s really light too. The only thing that made me really sad is that once after I washed it I noticed that it was pilling really badly on the right armpit area and back hip area (I wanted to wash it instantly as I was pretty sweaty from the hike and I didn’t want to wear it as is for my next hike, was this a mistake?). Note that this was my first time using it and I didn’t expect it to wear this much already, this was upsetting as it’s not a cheap jacket.
For context I was carrying a 30L backpack which had a decent amount of load inside and I wore the jacket the whole 5 hours of the hike.
Im still constantly learning and figuring out what works for me so I just took it as a lesson that:
-Ultra thin wind jackets shouldn’t be worn the whole extent of the hike especially with heavy bags thats constantly in friction with the jacket causing wear (I should maybe only use it for its intended purpose which is during windy situations)
- I also learned from this hike that a wind jacket really isn’t necessary for hikes in late spring Japan as you don’t really need the extra warmth as it isn’t really cold and you get pretty warm from all the movement and activity, so from here on I think I’ll only be hiking with a base layer.
-From here on out I think I’ll only be using the jacket for light hikes where I’m not bringing a large bag (for now I only have the 30L) and for city use in bad/windy weather
Anyways the reason why I wanted a wind jacket instead of a rain jacket is because I don’t plan on hiking on days where it will rain and I just wanted something light that could add an extra bit of warmth when needed.
With that said what wind jackets would you recommend that have good breathability, are light, and are decently durable meaning it can withstand being in friction with a backpack and other items you carry on a hike, I ask this because I plan to hike Mt.Fuji later this year and I think temps are going to be colder so I want to bring a jacket with me. (Also wind proofing/resistance is not a priority)
I really like the Kor Airshell and I plan to use it until it’s completely worn out but after that I think I’ll be looking for a more durable alternative so I would really appreciate some advice.