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Planks Charger Jacket and Bib | Review

Style meets function with the all-new Planks Charger Jacket and Bib

Why we chose the Planks Charger Jacket and Bib: A very nice fusion of style and functionality that allows you to enjoy the backcountry and look rad while doing it. 

Price (Jacket): £370 / 400€ / $450

BUY HERE

Price (Pants): £300 / 330€ / $370

BUY HERE

Over the years, Planks have built up a reputation as one of the cool new kids on the block. You know the type; smoker, listens to obscure punk EPs (‘They’re unsigned mum, you won’t have heard of them’), and lives for hitting boxes and rails at the snow park. We don’t mean this as a criticism of Planks, far from it in fact. It’s just a comment on the fact that, to the uninitiated at least, the brand is more likely to bring to mind freestyling youth over couloir-chasing backcountry explorers. 

This greater association, in the public’s imagination at least, with flips and tricks over out and out freeride is probably, in part, down to Planks close ties to Britain’s extremely rad slopestyle extraordinaire James ‘Woodsy’ Woods; a man more than capable of tackling all aspects of the mountain but one who’s clearly best known for his work in the park.

“It’s a combo that’s got all the street cred-boosting style you’ve come to associate with the brand, but one that also packs some top freeride functionality”

All of which leads us, in a pretty roundabout way, to Planks Charger Jacket and Charger Bib. It’s a combo that’s got all the street cred-boosting style you’ve come to associate with the brand, but one that also packs some top freeride functionality for those skiers who like nothing more than escaping the resort boundaries and having an adventure. 

Planks Charger Jacket

When the climbs are gruelling, the snow is dumping, and you’re out in the middle of a snowy alpine wonderland you could do a lot, lot, worse than Planks Charger Jacket. It’s a love child of 1980s mountaineering gear and British streetwear. More importantly, for a product targeting off-piste terrain, it’s also bursting at the seams with pure functionality. 

Materials

RIDEdry20 is highly waterproof and breathable (20,000mm waterproof / 20,000g/m2 breathable, no less). It’s a premium three-layer fabric that will keep the wearer dry and comfortable when they’re working hard and the weather is at its least hospitable. The inside is finished with a soft mesh backing and, all in all, you’re looking at a durable 3L fabric that’s perfect for a piece of technical mountain outerwear. 

“RIDEdry20 is highly waterproof and breathable”

Shoutout also to Planks for the eco-minded implementation of 45% REPREVE recycled polyester here. The lightweight face fabric made with Repreve recycled polyester yarn is bonded to a technical membrane. What’s more, solvent-free DWR coating is applied to the outside of Planks’ fabrics to aid water beading. The fabrics are Bluesign approved.

Features

The features on the Planks Charger Jacket underline the extent to which it’s been designed for backcountry enthusiasts. There’s lots to get through so bear with us. 

Two-way mechanical stretch fabric provides a little extra stretch for the properly active skiers out there, centre zip venting will help you to unleash a refreshing blast of cooling air when you’re heating up, backpack venting will make hauling a bag around a little more comfortable, dual-use pocket venting gives you another way of boosting airflow (and stashing your beer), while large front dump pockets provide the perfect place to store family heirlooms, gloves, phones, and that framed photo of Auntie Moira you like.

“The perfect place to store family heirlooms, gloves, phones, and that framed photo of Auntie Moira you like”

The lightweight removable snow skirt with drawcord will keep the powder out and, consequently, keep you skiing for longer. The taped seams, meanwhile, will ensure water can’t get to the places you don’t want it. 

Additional ski jacket goodness is evident in the drop-tail silhouette, the fully waterproof YKK zips (industry standard), pre-shaped arm construction (because nobody skis with straight arms), the lift pass pocket, the extended top cuff shaping, the inner stash pocket for your goggles and the like, the ergonomic wrist gaiters to keep the cold out and the fit looking on-point, the helmet compatible hood to make wearing a lid easier and the headphones-compatible media pocket for ensuring you can continue listening to your favourite podcast / tunes when the shred is occurring. 

Love exploring the mountains in winter? Love looking sub-zero cool in your stylish ski jacket? Here’s a funky yet functional ski jacket that ticks both these boxes. 

Planks Charger Bib

Part of the Charger Series, the Planks Charger Bib delivers on performance, functionality, and attention to detail. It will keep you feeling comfortable and dry in the backcountry, and looking fly as anything around the resort. When the rules allowed it, Planks network of ski bums spent the pandemic touring for freshies and putting these freeride bibs through their paces to make sure they cut the mustard. Spoiler alert: they did.

Materials

The Planks Charger Bib is built from the same stuff as the Charger Jacket. The RIDEdry20, with its 20,000mm waterproofing and 20,000g/m2 breathability, means the pants will keep you dry when the powder’s deep and the weather’s kicking up a stink. The breathable nature of the product, meanwhile, ensures a good level of comfort will be maintained even when you’re working up a sweat on the hill. Mentioned it already, of course, but we do like the 45% REPREVE recycled polyester used here. It’s a step in the right direction for sustainability.

Features

Just like with the jacket, there’s a two-way mechanical stretch fabric here that’ll give the properly active skiers out there that desired stretchy feeling. There’s large outer leg venting to really get the air flow going when things are heating up, an integrated thigh-high beeper pocket with a leash providing you with somewhere accessible to put your beeper (safety first, and all that), and a lightweight bib section with multi-use pockets for those sunrise to sunset days in the backcountry. 

“Unite the Planks Charger Jacket and Planks Charger Bib and you’ve got yourself a super stylish, all-mountain, double act”

Taped seams, quick drawcord waist adjustment for cinching in the waist rapidly, durable build down in the boot zone, pre-shaped leg construction for optimum style and fit, and solvent-free DWR coating because, well, there’s nothing on earth more satisfying than watching water bead off your gear. 

Unite the Planks Charger Jacket and Planks Charger Bib and you’ve got yourself a super stylish, all-mountain, double act that’s easy to love.

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