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Overall this suit is the one to have. It's a perfect suit for riding both park and pow, and super steezy to boot! The jacket and pants combo have pretty much ever feature known to man, and seem like they would keep you warm and dry in even most of the colder, snowier weather A styley, comfortable, warm, and well constructed suit that doesn't cost an entire months salary has always been on my skiing wishlist. Thanks to David as First Drop, it's been made available! Pros: -Pockets, Pockets, Pockets! -Great Look -Mix and Match color combos -Very Warm -Removable Bibs - Pit zips and Pant vents -Thummies and a hood snap! - Affordable - Perfect phone pocket (top "mini" pocket on jacket)Cons: -No real "easy access" Ipod/MP3 pocket. (though the pocket on the front of the bib works great. - Might be too warm for spring sessions - The "Duck into the woods to go pee" method has been lengthened by limited access to undergarments. As with any bibbed ski pants, give yourself plenty of time to remove layers after getting into the restroom.
Performance
I've spent a day in the suit, and the best way to describe it is "Warm"! I was very impressed that the suit is insulated, and not just a cheap shell. Armed with just a pair of basketball shorts and the First Drop tall tee under the outerwear, I found myself almost sweating in the 15 degree cloudless weather. Normally, with my Bonfire/Quicksilver/Sims/Salomon outerwear that I've owned in the past, I would be bundling up and still shivering. Luckily, the pit zips and pant vents were easily opened and I was able to keep my personal climate however I wanted. On the actual skiing performance, the First Drop suit was very easy to make however baggy I wanted the pants using the suspender adjustments, and it was nice to have something so baggy and still wouldn't fall down, no matter if I had a belt or not. Though I'm not one to prefer bibs over pants, I decided I wanted to try the suit out with the bibs on first. I was surprisingly comforted by not getting snow all up in my stomach while skiing in deeper snow, and I never had to adjust/pull up my pants ever time I got off the lift of headed towards a feature. I don't think I'm going to be wearing these pants bib-less. Now on a slightly more negative side, even with minimal base layers, it is a warmer suit. So I see myself switching back to more of a shell when spring does come around. Performance: 9/10
Design
The design of the Suit is what really made me make the choice to pick First Drop as my outerwear this season. I'm a big fan of pockets. So David's design of having about 14 full zip, with magnetic zip cover pockets was like a mini wet dream for me. Not to mention two inner (GIGANTIC) Mesh pockets in the jacket (and a secret stash pocket) .... The only downfall to having so many zipped storage units is remembering which one my chapstick is in. The big middle pocket covering the zipper is a very creative idea, and makes the suit look awesome, but it doesn't really serve a lot of purpose besides making a hassle. The magnetic snaps aren't extremely strong, and are a bit of work to get them to stick. Also, if you have anything heavy (Phone/Wallet/Ipod) in it, it seems to come off very easy... especially when spinning. But it's worked great as a pass/cash/chapstick pocket! I have been told though, that the magnets are being worked on, and will change for later, similar modeled jackets. As well as the hood snap. One of my biggest pet peeves is when I am landing switch and my hood comes up over my head and I completely lose my bearings, The Jacket does have a snap for the hood so that is stays down in the downright and locked position while I am flying. The snap though, is a little tricky to work with, and may take a little getting used to... another issue that David has confirmed is being worked on. After one day of wearing the suit on the hill, and one night of wearing the Jacket to the bars, I got about a dozen compliments. Lots of people want to know where to get it.. I've also overheard a couple liftline comments as well... most people just want to know how the middle pocket works though. The built in "Thummies" on the sleeves are something I won't buy a jacket without anymore. No more "numb wrist" from getting snow between your glove and coat sleeve. They are sewn in a little short though, so being able to hide half of your glove in your sleeve isn't a possibility... not really a downside, just awkward for me personally. Plus... you can't really sneak an open can of beer on the lift by hiding it in your sleeve unless you take the thummies off... not that i'm promoting drinking and skiing. Also, with only a limited amount of color combinations, and with the suits already being close to sold out.. you might not end up being the only one on the hill with the suit. Design: 8/10
Value
This is the best valued, highest quality outerwear I can think of. Most "suits" or Jacket/Pants combos will range in the 500-700 dollars.. where you can can get a steal of a deal for the full suit only $420. Though this is a fairly new company, and obviously hasn't make enough of a name for itself yet to be charging customers the same way as some of the larger companies can, I've been assured that these prices won't be changing much at all for future products. Being as the theory of First Drop was to create quality, comfortable, and decent priced outerwear that wasn't going to cost an arm and a leg (or the usual Newschooler's summer employment savings). Value: 10/10
Fit
I'm 6'0 and have a pretty average build, and usually go with Large jackets and Pants, so I was a little nervous about going with the XL size for the Jacket and Pants combo, even when I tried it on after opening the box I thought it was going to be a bit too big... but to my surprise, after making some minor adjustment (i.e. suspenders and draw string pulls on the jacket) it ended up fitting extremely well, and was still as baggy and comfortable as I could imaging.. Fit: 10/10
Durability
Having the suit out for only a day, I can't really comment on the durability of the suit. But I can comment on the material used... The whole suit seems to be very well constructed. Stitching seems to be right on key, and the thickness of the material seems just strong enough to resist tree branches, boxes/rails, and random run-ins with walls and/or door frames... but it's not too thick to prevent breathabilty. So far: 10/10 for durability.
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