Airblaster Women’s Sassy Beast Jacket Review: Plenty of Protection for the Stormiest Days
The women’s Airblaster Sassy Beast Jacket is thoughtfully designed with playful aesthetics and pairs perfectly with the Airblaster Sassy Hot Bib for snowboarding at the resort.
After Airblaster was founded 2 decades ago, the snowboard apparel brand launched the iconic Ninja Suit, which holds up as one of the most acclaimed baselayer onesies for snowboarders to date.
The brand followed with its iconic snowsuit and bib designs featuring a unique, well-constructed drop seat for guys and gals. The bibs are made with matching jackets in a fun sweep of color options.
Within today’s outerwear lineup, the Airblaster Sassy Beast Jacket ($300) offers dialed-up weather protection and pairs perfectly with the supremely made Airblaster Sassy Hot Bib, making it one of our favorite kits to wear while carving groomers or exploring glades at the resort in an array of weather conditions.
In short: The women’s Airblaster Sassy Beast Jacket has detail-oriented features from the unique powder skirt to the spacious pockets plus highly waterproof, breathable fabric. Check out our review of the Airblaster Sassy Hot Bib, too, which is a key complement to the jacket.
Airblaster Women’s Sassy Beast Jacket
Specs
- Shell: Two-layer Eco-Vortex stretch fabric with recycled polyester and FC-free DWR
- Waterproof/Breathability: 30K waterproofing/20K breathability
- Weight: Unavailable
- Insulation: Yes; PrimaLoft 60/40g insulation
- Pockets: Five
- Seams: Fully sealed
- RECCO: No
- Zippers: YKK Aquaguard waterproof center front and chest pocket zippers; otherwise, YKK zippers
- Fit: Tailored (but not tightly fitted)
- Gaiters: Lycra wrist gaiters
- Sizes: XS, S, M, L, XL
- Our favorite perk: Two unbelievably spacious zippered chest pockets
- Best for: All-day resort laps
Airblaster Sassy Beast Jacket: Review
Airblaster has long been known for producing functional, durable outerwear that’s packaged in playful tones and a high-five vibe. The women’s Airblaster Sassy Beast Jacket ($300) is no different.
During the spring season at Crested Butte Mountain Resort, I put this jacket through testing rounds in ice-cold morning temperatures, frigid squalls, sun-baked afternoons, and snowfall.
The jacket was cozy and felt comfortable across various conditions — I never felt too hot or too cold. There are also many utilitarian traits and fun aspects to the design.
Fit
The Airblaster Sassy Beast Jacket reaches well below the hips to keep the torso warm. The cuffs reach the wrists (some folks might prefer a tad more length in the arms). But all around, the length and width of this jacket are just right: not too boxy, baggy, or long.
The cut is not form-fitting or restrictive, which lends itself well to big moves in powder and through the trees, or playing on jibs around the resort. When bending over to tighten my bindings, the jacket’s nicely articulated shoulders and back never felt tight, either.
We like the slightly tapered cuffs, too, which are a bit longer on the outer edge of the hand.
Fabric
The Sassy Beast Jacket is the most waterproof outer shell that Airblaster makes with 30,000 mm of waterproofing and 20,000 g/m breathability. The seams are fully sealed to keep out moisture. With compressible PrimaLoft insulation integrated into the jacket, too, the design aims to keep riders both warm and dry.
The two-layer fabric is Eco-Vortex with an outer layer that’s 100% recycled. An FC-free DWR finish adds even more protection against heavy snowfall. And the waterproof YKK zippers down the center front and on the chest pocket block moisture.
Overall, the smooth fabric isn’t loud or crunchy. And it barricades biting cold wind and repels moisture super well. Adding a fun garnish in Airblaster style, the shiny interior taffeta lining is printed with bats.
Pockets and Vents
One of the most unique features of this jacket are the two huge chest pockets. The opening is a whopping 12 inches, and the length is closer to 18 inches in total. The pocket is shaped like a triangle that tapers toward the top, so the width varies but is nearly 9 inches at its widest point. These two gargantuan pockets are a tradeoff for not having traditional hand pockets.
Inside there’s a streamlined mesh goggle pocket, which could also fit gloves but it’s a squeeze. A key clip is inside the right front pocket.
The exterior has a small upper-left chest pocket, where I can easily slide my large phone. A fifth pocket with a Velcro closure is integrated into the powder skirt for a ski pass. I think it’d be great for Airblaster to add an interior zippered chest pocket.
The 11-inch-long underarm vents feature a mesh liner, which we like, and two thoughtful, narrow columns of fabric prevent the mesh from getting caught in the zipper.
Hood and Face Guard
The articulated hood easily slides over a snowboard helmet. A slightly more rigid brim provides a visor to prevent moisture from dripping down.
Two elastic cords in front tighten the hood rim. A third elastic drawstring in the back of the hood tightens the hood’s circumference and overall snugness.
Airblaster doesn’t skimp on face love. Lining both sides of the interior chin guard and zipper is a thick, wide patch of super-soft fleece. The fabric is 3 x 4.5 inches on the right side and another 4 x 5 inches on the left side.
Powder Skirt and Wrist Gaiters
The Sassy Beast Jacket comes prepared with a removable powder skirt that quickly zips out if needed. The closure has two double-snaps to secure the skirt closed.
To keep the powder skirt slightly more svelte, there’s an interior snap near each jacket corner (near the center zipper) where the two lower snaps on the skirt can be secured. The lower edge of the powder skirt has a wide elastic band that’s lined with narrow strips of grippy material to help it stay put when on.
Another one-of-a-kind trait that’s worth mentioning a second time is the integrated ski pass pocket in the powder skirt. The pocket is clear, so you can see the photo ID. There’s a Velcro closure with a tab, so you can easily pull open the pocket and slide in your pass.
The powder skirt is less important for keeping out snow when the jacket is paired with the Airblaster Sassy Hot Bib but can always help keep out gusts of wind.
To help protect the wrists and upper hands, there are two Lycra wrist gaiters integrated into the arms. Thanks to the thumbholes, the gaiters are nice to use while doing tasks — like lacing up my boots — when I’m not wearing my gloves.
Otherwise, I found the gaiters a bit too snug-fitting to wear layered beneath my mittens or gloves. I typically wore them pulled up and around my wrist rather than pulled all the way down my hand. I also appreciate the functional wrist cuffs, which have an elastic stretch fabric on one side plus wide Velcro closures.
Conclusion
The Sassy Beast Jacket is a stellar choice for lady shredders who venture to the resort whether it’s sunny or blasting frigid wind — or the winter storm warning might shut down the lifts at lunch. This jacket is built to withstand tons of moisture while each run is refreshed with fresh snow. But it also allows breathability, so you don’t get too hot while getting a quad workout on the powder pillows.
For even warmer conditions, the underarm vents help regulate heat. Despite being constructed with great materials, the jacket is not as expensive as other, more technical products.
We like that the jacket has astute, exclusive attributes like the two cavernous chest pockets, integrated pass pocket in the powder skirt, and the softly lined chin guard. While Airblaster notes that the front chest pockets are big enough to fit splitboard skins, we wouldn’t recommend this jacket for backcountry days.
Firstly, the shell is insulated, and we prefer layering in the backcountry with a base layer, midlayer (typically a fleece or active insulation), and a noninsulated shell for the most adaptability. When it starts dumping or we reach a windy ridgeline, sometimes we need to pull on our shell on the uphill, and we’d overheat quickly with an insulated shell.
Secondly, while the insulation is lightweight in this jacket, the layer itself is not the most compressible, which is key for limited space in a backcountry pack.
This jacket is really perfect for resort days across a range of conditions. Plus, the design has a fun vibe with the interior print and matching bibs.
For ladies who need a well-built snowboard layer, the Airblaster Sassy Beast Jacket is a top contender without breaking the bank.
Check Price at evoCheck Price at Airblaster
'Fleeting Time': Snowboarder & Director Ben Ferguson Debuts First Film
Splitboarding the 'Ring of Fire': Gear We Used to Shred 12 Volcanoes in 30 Days
The post Airblaster Women’s Sassy Beast Jacket Review: Plenty of Protection for the Stormiest Days appeared first on GearJunkie.