I have owned the Lowe Alpine Flash for four seasons of Canadian winters, on both coasts and the middle of the country. The jacket provides what you need and more. the only problem I did occur was "wetting out" complete saturation under extreme humidity and rain on Vancouver Island, but the jacket drys very quickly. A 300 weight fleece and a long sleeve tee should handle any low temperature use. This jackets warms up and cools down effeciently with venting design.

Customer Service

Customer service has been good I also own the accompanying expedition pack and the little questions I had were answered quickly and completely.

The Flash has been a good all around jacket in both the Bay Area and in the Sierras. I have used it in downpours, snowstorms, and some beautiful sunny winter days without a hitch. It was a hard fit at first (I am shorter than average) and I ended up going to the women's size to get the right fit. I would say the only drawback is that it is a bit heavy. A fair trade off for a durable, well vented jacket.

Similar Products Used:

Marmot, The North Face, Sierra Designs, Patagonia.

This is a great jacket. I use it for backcountry skiing and mountaineering. As a backcountry skiing jacket it is excellent. The hood can be cinched down onto your head so you don't even notice its there, and it moves with your head so can ski and see. The pit zips are roomy, so if its snowing and you are skinning along you can wear the jacket and pop your arms out the pit zips to keep cool. The chest pockets fit a skin each, so you can yo yo with convenience, and powder skirt works as intended and also keeps the jacket snug around you while you can leave the front open for ventilation, again good for moving while its snowing. Seems durable enough and about the middle of the pack for weight.

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REI triad- like wearing a tent :)

I've had my Alpine Flash for about 4 years; very durable (I wear it not only in the mountains, but many days to work). It may be cut slim, but I'm pretty skinny anyway, and can layer 2 layers of fleece under it if needed without it binding. I like the hood fit, but the collar doesn't stand up well when the hood is rolled away. It's more water proof than I anticipated (I nikwax it at least once a year), as good as gortex products I have owned, and surprisingly durable for such a light weight garment. Pockets are easy to get to even with a pack/harness. I would have liked a pocket on the sleeve like the North Face jacket, though.

Similar Products Used:

REI

I chose this jacket because of Lowe Alpine's reputation for building quality gear. I have not been disappointed. I think my wife bought it really cheap from Campmor because it was the previous year's style.

I wore this jacket on a climb of Mt. Rainier last June and learned just how perfectly it's designed; pockets don't interfere with pack straps or a climbing harness, the cut allows layering without being bulky, the hood is adjustable to fit your head with or without a helmet, and it's durability is without equal.

It is not as light nor as breathable as some of the competition, but the construction is bomb-proof and the mechanical venting options are better than any other I've seen or tried.

Light, strong, cheap; pick any two! This is serious equipment for serious adventurers.

Similar Products Used:

REI, TNF

I don't really do backcountry sking, but I snowboard a great deal and wanted a waterproof breathable jacket that was light in weight. I can say that I have used my Flash jacket in below zero temperatures and have taken some nasty spills in it. Snowboarding can really abuse a jacket and I am pleased with the quailty and durability that Lowe Alpine has created in their jackets. This jacket has also kept me dry, and it's fairly breathable. For the price I fell I got a great jacket.

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None

Has worked great (4 yrs)until lately. It now wants to leak in the rain(it never stops here!)and rips too easy. Otherwise great fit, but the hood is terrible, you either cant see, or the thing dosent want to go over your head. Its hard to adj. those little pinch things when our hands are cold and the wind cuts right through it.

Customer Service

Nice website, just lacking in the avaiable information.

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Standard issue Army GORE-TEXjacket(tough as all get out!), Columbia (waste of money)

I chose the Flash mainly due to the fact that I has been convinced that it was more breathable than Gortex and also becasue it was so much cheaper than other jeackets. I've had it for 3 years now and to be honest I've been disappointed. The much famed breathability in the wet has never surfaced, and I've found it to be an extremely cold jacket to wear in extreme conditions (Scottish mountains in winter). It also feels like I'm wearing a large piece of cardboard, this despite 3 years of constant use. The pockets, while huge allow wind to get right into the jacket and so in the cold they're pretty much useless. The extra venting here seems a waste of time especially considering the huge pit zips which are excellent. While I'm disappointed I haven't (yet) bought anything else partly because the jacket itself is beautifully built and whatever my complaints has always kept me dry. It's not bad for those who will only do limited climbing and use it in the city but for more serious use it will eventually be shown up by better jackets.

Customer Service

Fine. Pretty standard fare for a big company

Similar Products Used:

Numerous Berghaus Gotex Jackets (Good but expensive), The North Face Mountain Light (Terrible. For posers only)