Vast Gear Review

Is there a difference between outfits
made for snowmobiling vs. skiing?

What you wear can make a difference between fun or frostbite.
Kent Gardner, VAST News Manager
First published – Vol 41, Issue 4, December 2007

I admit that I had never given it much thought – a good jacket is a good jacket – right? It all depends on how you are going to use it. To answer this question I decided to go directly to the source – the creators of snowmobile outfits (garments in industry terms). One of our VAST News advertisers (Choko Design) makes snowmobile garments and is just north of us near Montreal, Quebec, Canada. I made arrangements to go there and met with each of the three owners, as well as several of their designers, and saw their operation.

Snowmobilers have special needs
The clothing that you wear while you ride protects you from the elements. If you go out without sufficient clothing you can become very uncomfortable at best and frostbitten or dead at worst.

So what is the difference between snowmobile and skiing outfits?
Skiers exert energy as they ski, snowmobilers by contrast move very little. A ski jacket is designed to be warm but also to allow heat and moisture to escape. Snowmobiling is all about keeping all the warmth in and the cold out.

(Article continues below illustrations)

Examples of features found on good snowmobile jackets.

Garments
It is important to understand what you will be doing and how you will do it to determine the best outfit for you to snowmobile in.

Fit is important
It is important that the garment fits right and this is not only for comfort. Too big and you will collect extra air and your body will not be able to create enough warmth for you to be warm. If the garment is too tight you will be cold as well because the heat will not circulate.

Pick the garment based on the type of riding that you will be doing and your body temperature.
For example in snowcross you work more so you might want to choose a lighter jacket. Most women seem to want a warmer suit.

Snowmobile design can impact your clothing
As windshields have gotten smaller Choko Design has found that they have had to increase the insulation to the upper chest and arm area.

Extra warmth
For more protection wear thermal underwear which can wick away moisture and evaporate. Layering clothing works well. Cotton is not the best, the first layer should be synthetic or wool.

Two-piece jackets
The warmest jacket will be a one piece but with a two piece you can take advantage of using the jackets elsewhere. Unfortunately fit comes into play here as the inner shell should fit right but the shell usually will not when worn by itself.

Ventilated garment
For fast riders and warmer days vents allow you to let heat out. Check a garment to see if it has this feature.

Testing.
I enjoyed hearing how one of the owners of Choko Design has tested snowmobile garments in the past. He would put on the outfit with minimal other clothing and tear across a frozen lake north of Montreal when it was very cold. He would then return, remove the outfit and look at himself in a full length mirror for red spots that would indicate areas that were not protected well enough. Simple but effective, (don’t try this at home – he is a professional).

Choose the right outfit
You want a warm riding suit and a cold riding suit. One pant can do but a lighter weight jacket for when it is “warmer” and one for the cold.

East coast riders are different than those in the west.
Here in the east we ride trails and experience more extreme cold weather. Some very expensive, waterproof, breathable garments do not do as well in the east as they are not meant for extreme cold weather.

Materials
Areas to check for quality.

• Check the zipper – is it heavy duty? Zippers are hard to replace and can be one of the first areas of a coat to go bad. This is an area that manufacturers can cut down on the cost of creating the garment.
• Insulating materials
  • High end microfibers are lighter weight and thinner with equal warmth. They cost more but the garment will be lighter weight and still keep you warm.
  • Middle of the road – Part microfiber and part regular
  • fibers. It is still possible to obtain proper insulation without a lot of extra weight.
  • Lower cost – regular fibers.

 

How Choko Design creates garments for different price points.
Their philosophy is to maintain the quality and warmth of the shell and make the difference in the trimmings – extra pockets and decorative stitching. It makes sense that putting in extra pockets and zippers cost money. They claim each jacket is made for 40 below (where Centigrade and Fahrenheit meet).

The snowmobile pant

The snowmobile pant
Things to check for:
• Are the seams taped? (So wind and water can’t get through stitching.)
• Are there extra materials for important areas like around “the bum” and knees (wind exposure).

How to take care of snowmobile garments

Look for garments that can be washed at home. Wash and then drip dry – the heat from a dryer will destroy waterproofing. Once drip dried, put the garment in the dryer – tumble dry (no heat!) with three or four tennis balls to get the materials in the garment to “fluff”. Air equals warmth and as the coat is fluffed the materials get back to the proper density for you to stay warm.

Vermonters are not the only ones with an interesting sense of humor.
When I was leaving the Choko Design office they asked me if I needed directions to get home. I assured them that I could just go backwards on the Google map directions that got me there. Alas, I missed one of the turns and by the time I checked I was at least ten miles off course. It took me another ten to fifteen miles to find an exit that I could see that there was a gas station near the exit where I could stop. I stopped at a Shell station and tried to ask directions of the two women that were behind the counter, no English... A nice gentleman came in from getting his car filled and asked where I needed to go. He told me that it was not a problem– no need to backtrack at all – I could just continue on the interstate going east and it would connect to 55 south and it would hook me back via 10 to the interstate in Vermont. I should have looked at a map. By the time I had cruised “a little way” down the interstate I started to suspect that I wasn’t going to be entering Vermont near Highgate Springs and I-89 from whence I came... I was right. Lucky me, I ran into a Canadian with a sense of humor, he indeed did send me back to Vermont – via Stanstead, Quebec which is across from Derby and Newport, VT! Fortunately for me I have had plenty of experience getting home from this area as I had driven my son to hockey games at Rock Island, Quebec which is right across from Derby Line. Aside from the longer distance and the extra time, it all worked out, although my wife had long since gone to bed by the time I got home.
I had a great time and learned a lot from my venture to the land north. I started out thinking that skiing and snowmobile garments would be pretty much the same. There is a big difference and where and how you ride will determine what is best for you. I hope this helps you select the “right” outfit for you. Good Luck.
See you on the trails!