Obermeyer Prizm Jacket Review
Active Gear Review is supported by its audience. If you purchase through links on our site, we may earn an affiliate commission.
Obermeyer Prizm Jacket
Spoiler alert! I absolutely love my Obermeyer Prizm Jacket. A fantastic piece of apparel that looks great first and foremost with a crisp clean design. It’s form fitting and provides coverage in all the right places. The best thing of all is the warmth that this insulated jacket provides. No more cold and frigid lift rides for this girl. On a side note, Obermeyer designs and tests their products in Aspen, Colorado which is kind of cool. A true winter sports playground.
Initial thoughts on the Obermeyer Prizm Jacket
This jacket has many great features. Combine that with the technological advances in the fabric and insulation, and you will feel like you have super human ski powers. The Prizm is equipped with 3 convenient inside and 4 functional outer pockets. They’ve also given special attention to detail by adding a little thing like a ski-touch stylus. There’s long sleeves with thumbhole cuffs, a removable adjustable hood, and the collar zips up to cover my mouth when venturing out on a cold morning. Top of the line technology, fabric and Thinsulate Platinum insulation provides great warmth. The weatherproof fabric provides for an amazing fit, breathability and comfort. And top it all off, a built-in Recco Rescue reflector system gives you that peace of mind out in the backcountry.
Obermeyer Prizm Jacket
Features and Fit
My Obermeyer Prizm Jacket has certainly outperformed many of my old winter ski jackets. I really don’t do well in cold temperatures. Add in strong wind gusts, and I’m not a happy camper. The Thinsulate™ insulation and lining provide incredible body heat retention and comfort even with temperatures in the teens. As advertised, the insulation also gives for a silkier more luxurious feel. Long gone are the days when you wore these huge down coats thinking that bigger would be warmer. Not true anymore. I compared my down coat from 8 years ago to this compact and slim jacket, and was not surprised to find it superior in all major categories.
I enjoy the form fitting look of my Obermeyer Prizm Jacket without having to sacrifice the warmth. The jacket’s fit can in part be attributed to the ski contour articulated fabric. The Stretch fabric with HydroBlock waterproofing has breathable microporous lamination. The final layer is DuroGuard DWR which acts as an outer layer of defense against wind and water. Once again another feature that helped keep me not only dry but toasty warm. The microporous nature of this coating allows it to breathe while helping the underlying laminates to function properly. And it helps protect the garment against stains, keeping the outer surface clean and adding to the life of the jacket. I like that!
The stretch inner thumbhole cuffs are a great bonus. They keep my hands warm while doing day to day activities without having to put on gloves. Great for driving, walking around the neighborhood, or when I was simply too lazy to find my gloves. Granted the thumbhole cuffs didn’t keep my fingers warm, but that’s what the pockets are for, right? It’s just nice to have the convenience of added warmth for my hands already built into the jacket. On the slopes, the thumbhole cuffs gave me a nice base layer of sorts at the junction where my gloves and jacket met.
Stretch inner thumbhole cuffs and adjustable cuff closure
Technical Features of the Obermeyer Prizm Jacket
Fabric/Coating: 100% Polyester Genesis Stretch fabric with HydroBlock waterproof breathable microporous lamination and DuroGuard DWR
Insulation/Lining: Thinsulate™ Platinum Flex 100gm
Fit: Regular
Features:
- Low profile adjustable cuff closure
- Stretch inner thumbhole cuffs
- Reflective trim
- Adjustable interior hem drawcord
- Removable hood with 2-way drawcord adjustment
- Ski-Touch stylus
- 3D logo
- Ski Contour™ articulated sleeves
- Interior electronics pocket with wire guide
- Interior goggle and cell phone pockets
- Lumbar pocket
- Wrist pocket
- Zippered, tricot-lined handwarmer pockets
- Interior removable purse pocket
- Integrated water-resistant powder skirt with stretch panel
- Snap-Away™ powder skirt feature
- Snap-to-Pant system
- RECCO® rescue reflector
- Custom lining for added breathability
- Fully seam sealed
- Exterior stormflap
- Easy to grab corded zipper-pulls
- YKK AquaGuard® Vislon® zipper
Removable hood, a great option for warmer weather or spring skiing
Obermeyer Prizm Jacket Ski Touch Stylus
Performance
The Obermeyer Prizm Jacket has many pockets for your convenience. An interior electronics pocket with wire guide, interior goggle and cell phone pockets, lumbar pocket, wrist pocket and zippered lined hand warmer pockets. I like things organized, so I always know where to look. My first early season ski test was on the slopes of Keystone Resort, and I found a good place for my phone, an extra layer, balaclava, and ski lift snacks.
A bonus feature is the ski-touch stylus. Use your touch screen phone without ever having to take your gloves off. Getting all bundled up takes effort. Then realizing that you need to make or take a call can be a big pain in the you know what. Now you can just reach into your cell phone pocket, and use the stylus without ever having to take off your gloves.
All the technical and bonus features are nice and all, but this thing has to perform when it counts. Early morning overcast cold skies proved to be no match for my insulated Prizm. At lunch time the sun popped out, and it turned into a beautiful skiing afternoon. It was actually pretty warm. People shedding layers left and right. I still wanted to stay warm on the fast and windy descents, so I simply opened the underarm vents. This provided the perfect balance allowing me to shed excess heat.
The snow skirt with Snap-to-Pant system
One very important feature of the Obermeyer Prizm Jacket is a potentially life saving technology, the RECCO rescue reflector. Per Wikipedia: the Recco system was developed in response to an avalanche tragedy that involved the inventor, Magnus Granhed, in Sweden, in 1973. It consists of two parts. First, a reflector integrated into clothing, boots, helmets, and body protection worn by skiers and riders. And second, a detector used by organized rescue teams. In the Prizm it’s incorporated into the sleeve of the jacket . The Recco system transmits a signal that is used by search and rescue units to find you in case of emergency. Do keep in mind that this is not a substitute for mountain awareness, avalanche safety gear, and beacons.
Obermeyer Prizm Jacket
Sizing Chart to ensure a good fit.
Obermeyer Prizm Jacket Size Chart
Final Thoughts on the Obermeyer Prizm Jacket
I have truly enjoyed this fine piece of ski apparel thus far! It has outperformed all of my other winter ski jackets many times over. The Technology, fabric and Thinsulate Platinum insulation within the jacket speaks volumes about the quality. The Technology including Recco Rescue reflector provide peace of mind. The weatherproof 20 K fabric and the ski contour articulated sleeves provides amazing fit, breathability and comfort. An abundance of convenient and functional pockets are great for all your slope side accessories and nutrition. The Obermeyer Prizm Jacket is now my go to for all my outdoor activities. Be it skiing, snowshoeing, sledding with my kids, driving to work, or running around doing errands.
MRSP: $389.00
Available colors: Acai, Crimson, Jade, Jewel and Viola
For purchase and more information check out: www.amazon.com/obermeyer.
