Over the years I’ve had a number of great golf vests. Pieces I’ve loved from Holderness and Bourne, Nike, and Patagonia.
There was just one problem with all of them: they weren’t very packable.
While all of my previous vests have been comfortable and stylish, every one of them has taken up quite a bit of space in my bag while traveling.
Recently, I picked up a Colter Vest from Sun Mountain, and I’ve been very impressed by it.
Not just for how well it packs down, but more so for how warm it is, despite being extremely portable.
So as we head into Fall, if you’re looking for the perfect layering piece – is the Colter Vest something you should consider?
Let’s find out.
First Impressions of the Colter Vest from Sun Mountain
Sun Mountain is a company that flies under the radar more than it should.
For instance, their Mid-Stripe golf bag is one of the very best bags in golf. It performs well, and looks even better. Yet you hardly see them out on the course.
It’s a similar story with their Cirque rain gear. It performs admirably, at a fraction of the price of Galvin Green – yet again, you don’t hear much about it.
When I received my Colter Vest, I was immediately impressed by the quality. I got mine in a pale green colorway that looks excellent.
We’ve been over in Sunriver, Oregon this week, and I put it on before what turned into a very chilly round at Crosswater.
My wife, who rarely comments on my golf apparel said “oooh, what’s that vest? That looks nice.”
Off to a good start.
But the thing that surprised me the most was just how packable it is. You can basically squish it up into nothing, and pack it into whatever you’d like.
It barely takes up a quarter of my garment pocket in my Vessel Player IV DXR, and fit in a tiny compartment on a hiking backpack we used this week as well.
There are plenty of vests out there that will do this, but the thing that sets the Colter Vest apart is the insulation technology it uses.
Performance and 37.5 Insulation Technology
The Sun Mountain Colter Vest uses insulation from a company called 37.5. Their insulation can be found in everything from outwear to home goods, to bedding. And what makes it interesting is how it regulates temperature while in use.
In their words:
“37.5 insulation technology removes moisture in the sweat vapor stage, before liquid sweat forms. Wicking only distributes moisture, which is why 37.5 is proven to keep you drier and more comfortable than wicking.”
It sounds like marketing hype, but after wearing the vest in two very different circumstances this week, I’ve found the claims to hold true.
Let’s start with the cold.
For such a light vest, I didn’t expect it to do much to keep me warm. We were playing in 50-degree weather with rain and a wind chill much lower than 50. While my hands were numb, my body felt surprisingly warm. The Colter is a light vest, so I didn’t expect it to hold up so well in rough conditions, but it kept me warm and handled the rain surprisingly well for a garment that isn’t waterproof.
Also this week, I wore it on a hike with my family. It was a warmer day, and I expected to have to ditch the vest quickly. But I never got as hot and sweaty as I expected to in it.
Maybe it wasn’t as warm as I thought, or perhaps I just wasn’t exerting myself as much as I should have been. In other vests I’ve worn, I would have shed the layer within 15 minutes, but the Colter stayed comfortable for the whole hour-long hike.
On the golf course, it has just the right amount of insulation. It doesn’t feel too big or puffy, and in noway impeded my movement or golf swing.
These days, every brand has lots of technical talk for the elements they put into their products. But the combination of this vest and the 37.5 insulation, actually seemed to work really well in both warm and cool weather.
So much so, that this vest will become a mainstay in my wardrobe for the shoulder golf season.
Final Thoughts on the Colter Vest
The Colter Vest is an excellent value considering it retails for $119, and I’ve seen it under $100 during some sales. It looks good, packs down very well, and the insulation performs far better than its price point would have you believe.
I’m 6’1″ and have a relatively long torso, and the large was the perfect size for me, but barely. If it were any shorter, it would have likely been too short to comfortably wear. I’m usually between a medium and large for pieces like this, so if you’re on the fence with sizes, I’d size up. Keep that in mind if you decide to pick this up.
But as is the case with every other Sun Mountain product I’ve reviewed, the Colter Vest represents an excellent price-to-performance value.
If you’re in the market for a packable, warm, layering piece – you could do a lot worse than to add the Colter to your collection.
I haven’t had a chance to properly photograph this vest yet. But will update as soon as I do.
