I bought this jacket on the basis of Lowe's reputation for producing well designed and durable bits of kit. Whilst I was more than satisfied with the design, the durability left something to be desired. I'll admit that I'm one of those people who will manage to rip off the right arm of a jacket before most people would have got it dirty, but I was disappointed. One particular point was the lack of ripstop on the reinforced areas-the designers clearly realise that these areas see a lot of wear, so why not protect them properly? Coming back to the design, this jacket is just about ideal for me. It is well cut, and allows you to reach up high without the jacket riding up much, and the pockets are well positioned, allowing you to use them when wearing a harness or rucksac. The pit-zips are well positioned, but the storm flaps are fiddly and bulky. In an area such as this, reasonably well protected from rainwater by your arms, I would have preferred to see water-resistant zips instead. The hood does fit over a helmet, and it will turn with your head, provided you don't have your chin tucked down behind the chin guard. It's quite bulky, however, and difficult to put away if you want it out of the way. I have found this jacket to be very warm, and not very comfortable in the summer, but then I tend to feel the heat far more than the cold anyway. I wouldn't buy it as a summer jacket, but it's a matter of personal preference. Another point that should be noted is that it has quite a short, technical cut. While this is fine for climbing, it isn't ideal for use as a walking jacket, so bear this in mind. Overall, I am pleased with this jacket, and would probably buy it again. The excellent cut and design far outweigh any of the minor niggles. It's quite good value too-Lowe products are often sold very cheaply in sales for some reason, and you can get some real bargains.

I bought this jacket for my girlfriend. I already knew that Lowe Alpine was a great company, with equipment made for and by people who used and abused it. I bought the jacket on that reputation, and was not let down. It was purchased for use in more of a snow than rain environment, and use in a cold environment (northern Minnesota). It is a great technical jacket that can be comfortably worn with a harness. It is a superb shell system, with the pockets and zippers in all the right places. I can attest to the fact that it can take some serious abrasion and not be mucked up or ripped where you don't want it to. It is a great all-around mountain jacket that can take some abuse and still look great when it needs to look good.

Similar Products Used:

North Face Mountain Jacket

When I first tried on this jacket I was very impressed with the fit and quality of construction but once I tried it out in the field I was very disappointed with one thing. The Triple Point Cermaic material that Lowe uses, is similar to 2-Ply Gore-Tex in that it requires a hanging liner. This simply means that the jacket is bulky, exspecially on the inside where the liner seems to get in the way. Result, I never wore it. I have since purchased a 3-Layer Gore-Tex shell which is better suited for my needs. The Flash does have excellent venting capabilities with "core-vents" around your chest and large pit-zips. The hood is also well designed except I found it to be bulky unless wearing a helmet. I found it getting in the way most of the time. If your looking for a lighter weight jacket I would stay away from the Flash, if not, this could be the jacket for you.

Customer Service

None

Similar Products Used:

Marmot Lightning Jacket

The freedom of movement was excellent for a rainy 4 week cycling trip around england. My helmet fit under the hood and the vision was great. The stiffness of the zip compared with the flexibility of the fabric was a (small) problem. I have also used the jacket in hot rainy conditions in australia without overheating and in the cairngorms (scotland) where snow presented no problems. After 3 years the cuffs are just beginning to lose their waterproof qualities. Its pack size is just a bit big and the zips are inflexible. If you climb, ride or just walk i would get one.

Similar Products Used:

None

I also find the Alpine Flash Jacket great in severe weather and inclement conditions. The only complaint I have about the jacket is its "floppiness". I find the hood and body are not stiff enough. It does not have the stiffness of 3-ply Gore Tex.

I have found the Flash jacket to be very durable and waterproof. I have only one reason to move it to the closet, instead of my pack. The jacket is cut, including the sleeves, very slim. I can't layer much underneath it. It makes for a fine 3 season, not 4 season, shell for that reason.
I am finding that my tastes are getting simpler with age and this jacket may be a little over-engineered (read:heavy).

Great jacket. Has kept me quite dry during several storms I've been caught in on El Capitan. The hood is easily adjusted to go from fitting on your head to wearing it over a helmet. Climbs very well. The internal bottle pocket is a bit silly (designwise) and I really never use it. But all in all it's a well designed jacket that can take a lot of abuse (I've even snowboarded in mine...and I suck at snowboarding.) Plus the price is hard to beat.

Been through hell and back with this shell (mostly winter mountaineering), and it has protected me well. Quality has been excellent, as well as fit and style. Great price too.

If any one knows how to repair tears on triple point, I'd like to know.

I pretty much agree with a lot of what was said in the other review above except the part about not being as waterproof as Gortex! Both fabics have +'s and -'s which I don't think are worth fussing too much about as any differences are minimal.
What I like about this jacket is the cut. It fits well if you're climbing and reaching on rock or ice. The hood is great but does not pack away small enough and I find it catches a bit on slings etc. The other good point is the price as in England it comes in at about 40 pounds cheaper than the same in Gortex.
It's not perfect but it's not bad either!

Customer Service

A friend didn't like the dashed velcro over the pit zips (fussy sod) so Lowe Alpine re-did the veclro with a continuous strip free of charge. I think thats pretty good.

Similar Products Used:

Sprayway, North Face, Mountain Hardware (is it true these guys used to be TNF design team etc and left to start this company?) Berghuas.

Excellent technical features. Excellent cut and fit. Fabric is not really quite as waterproof as goretex, but is pretty much good enough. DWR wore off quickly. Nikwaxed it and it helped quite a bit. Fabric is softer and quieter than goretex. I wish Lowe Alpine could do this jacket without a secondary inner lining - like a 3-ply goretex jacket. The inner lining just kind of gets in the way.

Overall, it is a very dependable jacket that has kept me dry on a lot of cold wet days in the mountains. It works very well for me in ice climbing situations - even when wearing a harness.