Wantdo Mountain Hooded - Women's Review

With hefty synthetic insulation, a fleece liner, and a weather-resistant shell, the Wantdo Mountain jacket meets all your basic on-mountain needs. Lacking any ventilation and weighing in at three pounds, this winter basic may not stand out for its technical performance or low weight, but what it provides for its price point is impressive. Especially if you are someone who tends to run cold, doesn't want to spend their whole budget on a jacket, or only skies infrequently, we think you should strongly consider this pocket-filled option from Wantdo.

Performance Comparison

Warmth

Did we mention this jacket is warm? Our testers were extremely impressed with the warmth of this jacket, even shedding mid and base layers to avoid sweating on the coldest of days. The Wantdo Mountain locked in heat and kept our skiers warm even while they were on long lift rides or standing in lines. For those who ski very aggressively or run hot, we suggest that this jacket may be even a bit too warm.

We tested this jacket on both frigid storm days and bluebird powder days alike. We think the level of warmth in this jacket is best suited to someone who prefers peaceful downhill laps and doesn't like to think about adding additional layers. We found that this jacket kept us at a great temperature until we really started charging in the off-piste terrain; then, its warmth became just a little overbearing.

Weather Resistance

With DWR water-resistant treatment and an additional polyurethane (PU) membrane, this jacket was able to keep moisture from soaking through. We found that the shell fabric did have a tendency to show some wet-through with limited pressure, but thanks to the PU membrane, this did not make it all the way through the jacket. We were also impressed with the large, insulated hood and high collar. These two features certainly leveled up the protection level on frosty and stormy days.

As is common with many jackets on the lower end of the price range, this jacket did not sport all water-resistant zippers. The velcro fabric flap over the center zip and the flaps on the smaller feature pockets were not sufficient on the deepest and wettest snow days, and we noticed a bit of moisture seeping into our pockets. Additionally, the velcro had a tendency to ice up and pop open when it was snowing. Despite these small insufficiencies, we were impressed overall with how this jacket performed in inclement weather, feeling like a solid bubble of warmth.

Comfort and Fit

We really like the softness of the lining and the light stretch incorporated into the outer shell of this jacket. The plush fleece lining in both the body and hood of this jacket is some of the softest we've tested. We love how this material feels against even very thin base layers — soft and fluffy.

We did find that overall this jacket runs on the smaller side. There was not one particular tight point in the construction, but overall, the length of both the body of the jacket and the sleeves was a little bit short. It should also be noted that our lead tester is on the longer-limbed end of the spectrum, leaving her with a bit of wrist exposure when extending their arms in this jacket. If this sounds familiar, consider sizing up.

Ventilation

Often, we find that jackets at this amazingly low price point are not the most breathable. Unfortunately, this jacket met our expectations here. In other words, this jacket did not excel in this metric. It does an exceptional job of locking in heat but at the cost of also locking in moisture. This is probably largely due to the PU waterproofing layer, which is known to be less breathable than the two-layer laminated integrated waterproofing employed in more expensive jackets.

This jacket also lacks pit zips for ventilation when the going gets hot. Our testers noticed that as soon as they started working up a sweat, it was very hard to dry off without de-layering and taking a break inside. Overall, we would recommend trying a more breathable jacket in this review if you sweat a lot and need good breathability.

Style

The look of this jacket is fairly basic and classic. It is available in more colors than any other jacket we tested, making it versatile in its style. We like this jacket's monotone look with subtle accents on the pockets in the color we tested. There are also several bright and not-so-bright geometric patterns available if that is more your speed.

The Wantdo Mountain is more of a classic cut than some of the other jackets in this review. This means it doesn't have much taper but has more of a straight cut and a shorter length than some of the more freeride-oriented jackets. While it may not be the most stand-out jacket in terms of style, it certainly has plenty of colorways to match your wardrobe.

Features

The Wantdo Mountain has many of the classic features we look for in a ski jacket. There's a functional powder skirt, large drop pockets, hand and chest pockets, and a dedicated wrist pass pocket. There is also an internal zip pocket that we found kept our phone batteries nice and warm as an added bonus. This pocket features a headphone port, which may be a bit dated with the proliferation of Bluetooth, but it is a nice option.

We did find that the powder skirt tended to feel a bit restrictive as its material doesn't have as much stretch as we would like. We also wish that it was removable — this is one of our favorite features of powder skirts because then we have the option to only use them on the deepest days. The hood, on the other hand, is removable, which adds versatility. The attachment zipper for the hood is also sturdy, and we never had any issues with the hood beginning to detach prematurely. This jacket also sports wrist gaiters that are smooth, spandex material that does not cut off hand circulation, and super comfy when in use. Overall, we could not ask for many more features in a ski jacket, especially at such an excellent price point.

Should You Buy the Wantdo Mountain Hooded Jacket?

This insulated shell impressed us with its strong construction and warmth for an incredibly low price. While we did get a little too warm skiing hard or winter hiking, we love how comfortable and incredibly warm this jacket is on frigid and windy lift days. Its simple style and basic features felt like more than enough for its price point. We think this is an excellent option for a skier who tends to get cold or does not ride enough to justify a pricier jacket.

What Other Ski Jackets Should You Consider?