Oakley Nighthawk Biozone Jacket Review
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Have you been looking for a camo jacket that matches dark grey or black pants? Well you are in luck! The Oakley Nighthawk Biozone Jacket offers camo at the top and then it fades to a dark grey color to match your none camo pair of pants. The Biozone is from Oakley’s Pro Series collection, so all of the features that were put into the jacket were feedback from Pro riders/skiers.
Oakley Nighthawk Biozone Jacket Fit
One of the most surprising features was that the hoodie has a magnet inside. The hoodie stays put no matter how fast you are riding or how much you are moving around. Oakley calls the fit of this jacket “regular”. I wear medium on all of my sizes and this medium, although it fit me, I would have liked it to be a little roomier in the lower part of the jacket. The upper part of the jacket has a very nice fit but I feel the Oakley Nighthawk Biozone Jacket runs a little long. Especially for me, I am 5’7″ and if the Oakley Nighthawk Biozone Jacket was all the way down it reached a little below my butt. Around that area the jacket felt uncomfortable for me. I like my jackets to fit looser around there or simply be shorter.
Construction
The front of the Oakley Nighthawk Biozone Jacket features 4 pockets on the outside. The top pockets are velcro and the side pockets have a zipper. You can see how the camo color fades as you look down.
There is one more pocket on the inside of the jacket where you can place your phone or music listening device. This pocket has a hole that allows for headphones to go through. Another nice feature is that they include a microfiber cloth on the inside for you to clean your goggles or maybe your phone if you drop it on snow.
The backside of the Oakley Nighthawk Biozone Jacket is where you can find the magnet, it’s housed inside both the jacket and hoodie, so it’s not visible but as soon as the two magnets are close together you’ll feel them snap. In the picture below I’d also like to highlight the bottom of the jacket, the waistband is flexible. The only downside is that since it’s made out of cloth if you sit down to strap in you will get snow on it and it might get wet, depending on the temperature.
I found the arms to be just right when the velcro is undone, but what was weird is that they were a little short when I was using the velcro and strapping into my snowboard, the sleeves would always roll up a little bit. I do have longer arms than normal, so it might just be the right length for you.
In all of Oakley’s Nighthawk collection, they feature the BioZone technology, which targets three specific zones for moisture management, insulation and comfort. I found this jacket to be warm. In very cold conditions (0 degrees Fahrenheit) wearing 2 insulated technical layers, the jacket kept me warm. However anything colder and I did feel a little cold, so a heavier mid-layer did the trick. Putting the hoodie over my helmet did also make a difference and helped keep me warmer.
Since it has great cold protection, if you are riding in warmer weather, you can always open up the underarm zippers, these include a mesh cover for a little protection.
Last but not least, the Oakley Nighthawk Biozone Jacket features the Snap Storm Skirt, which attaches nicely to the top of the pants to prevent snow or water from coming in.
One thing that I felt was missing was a couple of other pockets for action cameras. The pockets in the front of the jacket are very low, so when you bend down to strap into the snowboard you can feel the camera against your body. Maybe one pocket at chest level would be nice.
Conclusion
With a unique color offering the Oakley Nighthawk Biozone Jacket stands out from the rest. Providing a warm, comfortable fit. The ‘regular” fit from Oakley does run a little long for my taste, but it might be just right for you. The jacket comes in 2 colors Olive Camo Fade (which is the color I tested) and Sterling Blue Fade.
MSRP $300
For more info on the Nighthawk Biozone Jacket and other Oakley products, visit www.oakley.com or www.evo.com/oakley.
