Backcountry Notchtop Gore-Tex Active Review

We were initially intrigued by the Notchtop's low weight and burly hardshell features. However, we were ultimately disappointed by the fit, style, and lack of features, considering the price tag.

Performance Comparison

The Backcountry Notchtop Gore-Tex Active Jacket during early-season testing in Colorado.

Photo: Jackie Kearney

Warmth

The Notchtop is a three-layer hardshell jacket, and it doesn't have any insulation. This means that it is not effective at keeping the user warm on its own. Any warmth must come from insulating mid-layers worn underneath. Backcountry skiers and experienced resort skiers who enjoy high-output activities like mogul skiing and inbounds hiking will consider this lack of insulation a plus, while many skiers looking for a thick and warm ski jacket will want to look elsewhere. Our testers noted that due to the narrow chest, it was difficult to add insulating layers beneath this jacket.

The Notchtop is a thin, three-layer shell jacket that provides zero additional insulation other than the waterproof/breathable membrane.

Photo: Jackie Kearney

Weather Resistance

The Backcountry Notchtop uses Gore-Tex Active to keep wind and water outside of the jacket. All of the seams are sealed and the zippers are all waterproof. There is a drawcord that seals the hem, velcro straps that keep the wrists sealed, and an adjustable hood to keep storms at bay. Overall, these features work together to create an impenetrable hardshell jacket that did not falter during our test period. If we had to pick an area to critique, it would be that the hood could be bigger to provide more coverage.

The hood provides good coverage, but it could be bigger to cover more of the forehead.

Photo: Jackie Kearney

Comfort and Fit

At first glance, the Notchtop seems like a comfortable jacket. The outer shell fabric is softer than other Gore-Tex shells, the material is stretchy, and the inner lining is soft on the skin. However, our testers noticed that the chest is awkwardly tight when spreading or lifting the arms, even when the rest of the jacket's measurements fit perfectly. In other words, we think this is a tailoring issue, not a sizing issue. It is tight enough in the chest to make out testers cringe at the thought of spreading their arms or bending over to buckle their boots. If you have a medium to wide chest, beware.

The front of the Notchtop stretches tight over the chest when our tester reaches wide. This tight fit was very uncomfortable and impacted our mobility when wearing the jacket.

Photo: Jackie Kearney

Ventilation

While the Gore-Tex Active membrane is relatively breathable for a hardshell, this jacket has some unique features that help improve breathability. The armpit vents are long and open completely without a mesh liner, which is great. The front zip has two zip options, one that seals the jacket completely, and one that introduces small holes into the front of the jacket for increased breathability. Finally, the front pockets of the jacket have holes in the lining, allowing them to act as front vents if left open. These unique features are effective, and help the user dump heat in the torso when skinning uphill, hiking inbounds to fresh snow, or skiing in the spring.

Style

While not the most important consideration, our testers like to look good on the slopes and in the backcountry. This jacket has funky tailoring, bright primary color options, and a large logo on the right shoulder, all of which make us cringe. Many of our testers were put off by the style of this jacket, to the point that the weight savings and ventilation options didn't matter. Our testers ended up preferring other, heavier backcountry shells simply because they thought the Notchtop's style was lacking. However, style is subjective, so if you like how this jacket looks, disregard our opinions here.

The Notchtop's style feels unremarkable and generic to our testers.

Photo: Jackie Kearney

Features

To save weight, the Notchtop lacks many features that are standard in other ski jackets, even backcountry-specific ones. There are two well-placed front pockets that provide plenty of storage, and are accessible even a backpack is strapped across the chest and waist. There is a small pass pocket on the left sleeve for RFID cards, helpful for days lapping the sidecountry. There are no internal pockets, which is a bit of a bummer, but it keeps the jacket's weight down, so we tolerate it.

Value

The Notchtop isn't cheap, but it is still more affordable than many other Gore-Tex three-layer hard shells on the market. This jacket lacks the fine-tuned tailoring and useful features of the more expensive options. If you are looking for a Gore-Tex shell and you're on a budget, this is a good option, but there are better ski shells on the market that don't use Gore-Tex yet still perform better overall than the Notchtop.

Conclusion

The Backcountry Notchtop Gore-Tex Active Jacket is a lightweight hardshell that provides great weather resistance and ventilation, but little else. It is more affordable than other Gore-Tex shells, but it also lacks the refinement of these more expensive options. For budget shoppers, we'd recommend other shell jackets that don't use Gore-Tex (which generally reduces the price) and that still perform better across the board.

The Notchtop features a large logo on the right shoulder that flies like a flag, which our testers didn't like.

Photo: Jackie Kearney