Fantasy Fitness Fashion: New Balance High Visibility Beacon Jacket
This jacket is just so cool!
 |
| Source: New Balance |
Of course, the price tag is crazy, which is what makes it fantasy fitness fashion. $174 for a running jacket that doesn’t seem to be ready to handle much weather? Ouch!
The colors are really cool, and I don’t think I’ve ever seen a jacket that adjusts for how dark it is outside in multiple ways. It says that the jacket has to be charged (charged!) for at least 10 minutes before wearing, which sounds like kind of a pain, since the reflective surfaces are on both the front and back of the jacket. I guess you would have to hang it up in the middle of the room somehow? I’m not sure.
I like that it has a drop hem, which is good for people with a little extra junk in the trunk, if ya know what I mean.
One person who reviewed it complained that it doesn’t have thumbholes, isn’t dry fit, and doesn’t have enough pockets. I don’t know why they would think it would have had thumbholes, since it’s clearly not showing any in the pictures online (and brands love to show thumbholes when they’re available). I was originally a fan of thumbholes, but now I just think it’s because I thought it was cool. Practically speaking, I’d rather have a jacket with sleeves that converted to gloves or mittens. Thumbholes are kind of irritating on longer runs, for me at least. I think two pockets is more than enough, as I don’t like to weigh myself down with a bunch of extra stuff. That just means there is more dead weight on your person while you’re running. Not fun. The complaint about it not being dry fit is actually one question I had about it, especially since it’s mostly polyester. I guess I’ll have to stop by a store and check it out for myself!
All in all, I doubt I would ever save up for this jacket. BUT, if I had oodles of cash lying around, I think I would take this jacket out for a dusk-to-late night run. You know, for science.
What do you think of this jacket? Is it worth the price tag? What would make it a good choice for you?