The alpha 2 is actually really high quality and a great jacket, but I wore through it in 2 seasons, and their so much money to buy full price.
I recently moved from eastern skiing to the PNW and I've heard that its wet, but it could be warm or cold. Ideally I would buy a shell, but shells are so much and then I would also need to buy a decent midlayer. I really can't afford a midlayer + shell, so insulated jackets or 3 in 1s are my options.
I am leaning towards The North face:
Men’s ThermoBall™ Eco Snow Triclimate
https://www.thenorthface.com/shop/mens-thermoball-eco-snow-triclimate-nf0a4p7m-en-ca?variationId=1B3
It has their very popular midlayer and pretty decent looking shell. I read about why you should not get 3 in ones, but this jacket seemed to solve all the problems. For the fact that there is only one zipper between your body and outside, you can just unzip the liner and zip it up as a mid layer. The ventilation problems you would have are the same things that other shell + midlayer combos would have as well. Are there any huge reasons not to get this?
If you think this is a terrible idea, what would you suggest for $460 CAD or less that is good wet weather protection, warm, and wont make me miss my helly hansen jacket. (layering is a bonus)
**This thread was edited on Nov 12th 2021 at 3:30:39am