What I like about this jacket is the substantial warmth it provides, I was not cold at all on the chairlifts and the hood came over my head and cleared my ski helmet with plenty of room to spare. It’s removable but I’m keeping it on as sometimes I out the hood up if I’m standing around.

Zips

The zippers are waterproof and critical seam sealed, which felt great against the elements and the rating is 20L / 20,000 mm  (water repellent), which means 20litres of water can sit on the fabric before there’s any leaks, it’s a good rating and means it’s built for heavy snow and wet conditions .

Sleeves

I like the sleeve lengths, they came just over my wrists and were not too short and they went over all my gloves, i have several that are bulky in the sleeve area and that was no problem.

Pocket

Pocket placement is good, I like the lift pass pocket and the two pockets at the hips, i was constantly opening and closing all my zips to get my phone out for videoing and blowing my nose that streams constantly in freezing weather so I was constantly getting tissues out.

Body region

The jacket has a removable powder skirt, but with temps that low I like to button up the powder belt so I don’t get wind whistling, for extra warmth (not that I tested if the wind was whistling as the powder belt firmly done up). The back of the jacket has a slightly longer section at the tail, which is a thoughtful and clever touch for sitting on snow or sitting on ice-encrusted chairlifts and not getting a cold butt. My back was super warm and I noticed that inside the jacket is a ‘quilted look’, for extra warmth but the exterior has a sleeker appearance and the breathability mesh sections in the underarms is great too. 

Any negatives?

Not really, it was good sizing and a great colour, I like the contrast it made with my black backpack. Nothing negative about the jacket I could find, maybe it would be great with matching green pants. I’m into the matchy-matchy this season.The colour is slightly subdued, which is lucky as I think if it was a louder colour it would be too bright. It struck the perfect note. It comes in black as well if you prefer black to colours.

The jacket is a pilot for 2027 and comes from Rip Curl’s new Search Series collection, which has Rip Curl’s most technical and innovative products spanning jackets, performance swimwear, boardshorts, wetsuits, and travel accessories. Ask about it in Rip Curl stores. 

The jacket reviewed was a pilot version of the S-Series Relax Jacket 20K/20K from Rip Curl’s new Search Series collection, encompassing Rip Curl’s most technical and innovative products. This jacket will be available from October 2026 in the Northern Hemisphere and March 2027 in the Southern Hemisphere. It shares many core features with the Rip Curl Anti Series Relax Jacket 20K/20K, which will be available online at ripcurl.com.au and in stores from March 2026 in the Southern Hemisphere.

The post Rip Curl Jacket from the Search Series Collection appeared first on Chillfactor.

“A great all-round jacket that I would recommend to anyone”

Jake Wilson took this XTM jacket for a spin on Mount Perisher on a freezing cold but bluebird minus 2 degree morning during the last days of June 2025. Mount Perisher mornings are known for being especially chilly and prone to a lot of wind. “The jacket is great and fits well and looks really good. It’s a proper full ski jacket and not a shell so even though it was freezing cold I was really warm inside the jacket. I had the XTM Marengo 1/4 Zip Neck Men’s Seawool Fleece underneath with a t-shirt and I felt really snug”.

“The positioning of the zippers was good for storing personal stuff. The inside pocket was good for storing my car keys as I didn’t have my backpack with me. The arm pocket was perfect for my Epic pass. The length of the jacket went down over my pants so if I’m skiing in powder I know won’t get any snow in and keeps my kidney area warm on a chairlift”. 

Jake tested the Size M Lava Waterproof rating 15,000mm.

This jacket is made from REFLEX DURO, 100% recyclable materials and has a stretch for increased range of movement. The 15,000 breathability rating helps remove moisture from the body. No PFCs are used for waterproofing as these are found to be a huge health hazard. XTM is a certified carbon neutral company. 

This XTM jacket also features taped seams, a YKK main sipper , which is stronger and tougher , a powder skirt, sleeve pocket, pit vents, internal pocket and comes with a 10 year warranty. For more info and purchase info click here. 

“Good fit, non-itchy, kept me warm, great colour”.

xtm.com.au       instagram @xtm_performance     facebook XTMPerformance

The post XTM Jacket Review: Warm, Weatherproof and Built to Perform appeared first on Chillfactor.