Review: Sound Basis Jacket

Sound Outerwear, part of the Brandbase family coming from Marc Frank Montoya of Technine,  has been high on my radar this year.  Sound puts out several jackets and pants for both men and women, all boasting slick, refined styling and color ways.   My foray into Sound outerwear started with the Sound Basis Jacket in the midnight purple color-way, thanks to Travis at 720 Boardshop!

One of the first things that caught my eye, Sound definitely understands style, and functionality.   The Basis is a shell jacket, incorporating 15000mm/15000gm/m/24hrs Laminated fabrics with Teflon DWR. The Basis has standard under-arm venting easily accessible via zippers.  I've been wearing the Basis lately with a single long armed thermal shirt underneath it, and haven't had any issues keeping warm.

The build quality of the Basis is pretty good, and from what I've been told, expect build quality to get even better.  The Basis has taken some abuse from me, without tearing, blowing out seams or colors fading.  It's honestly become one of my favorite jackets to wear.   As a bigger guy, I find the XXL fits perfectly well, and allows me to move without any restrictions.   Using both a full front zipper, with velcro latching, the Basis included multiple pockets, throughout the jacket giving the rider no shortage of storage. My one and only complaint, if it's really a complaint is the Basis isn't as long of a jacket as some of my 686 jackets, so it tends to ride higher up on my waist, than I'm used to.

The attention to detail on the jacket is quite nice.  From the little soundwave stitch accents to the embroidered logos on the jacket, I have to give it to Sound/Brandbase for really putting out a nice jacket. There are numerous pockets on the Basis, including pockets inside of the shell.  The waist gaiter can be zipped up and stored inside the jacket, if you prefer not to use it, and have it hanging down.

Along with the waist gaiter, Sound includes some pretty comfy wrist gaiters on the Basis as well.  I don't find myself using them often, but I do find when I use them, they are quite comfortable, and appear to be well constructed.  If you prefer not to use the wrist gaiter, it can be folded up into the sleeve, where it stays put, until you need it.

Since the fine folks over at Sound tend to design their outerwear with features in mind, the Basis is no exception.  One of my favorite features is the pass pocket included on the front of the jacket.  It's a small pocket that has a built in pop-out pocket with a clear laminate front, allowing you to store your lift ticket, pass, or what have you within easy grasp!  It's really a nice feature I've used multiple times on this jacket.

If you're interested in Sound Outerwear, you may want to try picking up this seasons jackets, as it appears that next seasons jackets won't include the XXL/Team fit, as I understand it.  I'm not 100% sure if they are discontinuing the larger sizes, but the catalog for 10-11 doesn't include sizing past XL on any jacket.  I've found that I'm actually quite a fan of the outerwear Sound puts out.  It's well designed, and put together nicely. Sizing in the XXL/Team tends to fit me quite well, and should fit most larger guys who favor the XXL sizes.   I ended up getting the jacket in midnight purple, but it's also available in Black, White, and  Dark Grey/Green colorways for around $189 US currently. The original MSRP for the Basis is $264.00.   Keep in mind the Basis is a shell, as are all of Sounds jackets.  Again, I didn't have any problems keeping warm with the shell, but I did wear a long sleeve thermal shirt under the jacket, and I do tend to heat up quite a bit when riding.

Overall, the quality and price-point of the Basis make it one of my favorite jackets this season.  I love the midnight purple colorway, as well as the way the jacket fits my chest, allowing me free movement of my arms and upper body.  I do wish the length was a slight bit longer though.   You can find more information over at Sound Snowboarding

My hat goes off to the crew at Brandbase and Sound for putting out a nice piece!

**DISCLAIMER: I purchased this jacket with my own funds from 720 Boardshop **