Apparel Review: Dynafit’s Mercury DST jacket

 

Just as real skiers have a quiver of skis, at least two, so goes the wardrobe of backcountry skiers. You need two jackets – one that is more waterproof for when it’s puking rain, and one that is more breathable for when it’s not. Of course, the goal is always to have one that does both but anyone who has been around the block knows, you can’t really have both. Pick one, and optimize it for one side or the other – waterproof or breathable. Or, in this case, pick both, but a different shell for each. On most days, a softshell like Dynafit’s Mercury will be the better choice.

Breathable, not as Waterproof

For the sunny side of touring, you will be hard pressed to beat the performance of Dynafit’s Mercury jacket made of SilverShell. It’s a a dense weave of nylon and lycra that makes it fairly resistant to moisture absorption – no membrane required. Wind resistance is a default feature, where it rocks. You certainly wouldn’t want the Mercury in the rain but as long as you could stay warm by moving, which is where this jacket excels, breathing like a fish when the inside and outside are moist, you’ll stay dry and the snow will just pill up on the outside. It’s waterproof enough as long as it isn’t a drenching of the liquid variety of water.

Soft and Simple

There are two other benefits to the Mercury’s SilverShell design. The hood isn’t noisy, making it easier to communicate with friends on the skin track, or hear the subtle sounds of nature. The second is the hand of the inside of the Mercury is soft enough, and deep enough to offer a bit of comfort and warmth if worn with a short sleeved T, or next to skin on a warm, windy spring afternoon.

There aren’t a lot of pockets and zippers and adjustments to this jacket, but I like the simplicity of it. There are two zippered hand pockets, no stupid pit zips (in this design that would only add clutter and weight, not functionality), a zippered chest pocket, and for venting – arm zips. The hood is large enough for a helmet, and easily cinches down with a single draw string at the back of the head. You could ask for more, but again, it would only add weight and clutter. That would detract from what a first impression suggests, and closer inspection confirms, that the Mercury is a stellar example of functional simplicity.

Dynafit
Mercury DST Jacket
MSRP: $ 200

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