Product: Quiksilver Mission Insulated Snowboard Jacket 2015
Price: $159.99 (USD) recommended retail
My rating: 8.1/10
Hello and welcome to my Quicksilver Mission jacket review.
As is custom with SnowboardingProfiles.com’s jacket reviews I will be rating the Mission on a number of factors and giving it a final rating out of 10.
The Mission will be rated for:
- Waterproofing;
- Breathability;
- Insulation;
- Functionality; and
- Value for Money
O.k. let’s get going.
Waterproofing
There are two main factors that influence the waterproofness of a snowboard jacket (SJ).
Firstly the waterproofness of the fabric of the jacket and secondly, the seam sealing.
To learn more about waterproofing and the other factors that make up a good SJ check out the link below.
The Key Specs for Choosing a Snowboard Jacket
Waterproof Rating
The Mission has a fabric waterproof rating of 10,000mm. This is mid-range (usually SJs come somewhere in between 5,000 and 20,000) but I have found 10,000 to be enough on my own jacket.
Waterproof rating score = 10,000mm = 1.6/2.0
Seam Sealing
Although my own jacket is fully seam sealed and the Mission is only critically taped.
Not unexpected as there are very few jackets in this price range that are fully sealed. Whilst it’s preferable to have fully sealed seams you will typically have to pay a bit more to get it (without sacrificing on a bunch of other things).
Seams sealed score = critically taped = 1.0/2.0
Breathability
The Mission has a fabric breathability rating of 10,000g. This is typically somewhere between 3,000g and 20,000g. I have found 10,000g to provide plenty of breathability so this is more than acceptable.
Breathability score = 10,000 = 1.6/2.0
Insulation
The Mission is loaded with 120 grams of insulation in the body of the jacket and 100g in the arms. This is plenty and could even be overkill if you don’t typically ride in colder conditions.
If you do then this extra insulation is great.
Caution: Make sure that you go for the 2015 model of this jacket. I have seen some versions of this online that don’t have insulation (and have only 5,000g breathability). I’m pretty sure these are the old 2014 models. They have improved for the 2015 year so make sure to double check the specs before buying to make sure you are getting the right model.
I think there is a non-insulated 2015 version if you prefer no extra insulation and that has 10,000g breathability but the previous models were only 5,000g breathability.
Insulation score = 1.0/1.0
Powder Skirt
These are pretty handy for keeping the snow out of the pants! Most SJs have these but some and the Mission does too. Some cheaper jackets don’t so this is a good feature for a lower priced jacket.
Powder skirt = yes = 1.0/1.0
Hood
The Mission is also hooded which is always good to have. I don’t necessarily use mine that much but when I do want it I’m glad it’s there.
Hood = yes = 1.0/1.0
Venting
The Mission also comes with underarm venting. A great feature to have that helps with breathability and keeping the jacket smelling fresh.
Again, most SJs have venting but not all.
Venting = Yes = 0.25/0.25
Pockets
The Mission has 3 external pockets (2 hand pockets and a chest pocket) plus an internal media pocket and a sleeve lift pass pocket.
Should be plenty to fit everything you need.
Yes – plenty and functional = 0.25/0.25
Style
I quite like the Fiery Red Plaid color (see image at the top of the page) and it also comes in a few other colors/patterns so there is a good chance there is one there that you like.
I’m not typically a fan of camo style but I actually find the Mission’s camo version not too bad (see image on right).
Of course style is completely subjective and what you like and don’t like could be completely different- which is why I don’t allocate too many points to style – you can make up your own mind.
Style score = 0.40/0.50
Final Score
Now let’s add up the scores and see what the final score for the Quiksilver’s 2015 Mission Jacket
| FACTOR | RATING (OUT OF 5) | CONTRIBUTION TO FINAL SCORE |
| Waterproofing (material): | 4.0 | 1.6/2.0 |
| Waterproofing (seams sealed): | 2.5 | 1.0/2.0 |
| Breathability: | 4.0 | 1.6/2.0 |
| Insulation: | 5.0 | 1.0/1.0 |
| Powder Skirt: | 5.0 | 1.0/1.0 |
| Hood: | 5.0 | 1.0/1.0 |
| Venting | 5.0 | 0.25/0.25 |
| Pockets | 5.0 | 0.25/0.25 |
| Style | 4.0 | 0.40/0.50 |
| TOTAL | 8.1/10 |
That’s a really good score for a jacket in this price range. In fact it’s the best score I’ve seen under this system for this price range – see value for money section below for more details.
Value for Money
The Mission is definitely value for money.
To illustrate this, of 10 jackets costing less than $200 that I analysed using this scoring system, the average score was 6.8. The Mission was the highest of the 10.
The biggest let down of the mission is probably the fact that it doesn’t come fully seam sealed. But I didn’t really expect it would in this price range.
In fact, of the 10 jackets mentioned above only 1 of those came fully seam sealed (but the waterproof rating of the fabric, the breathability were so bad on that particular jacket that it outweighed the seam sealing. Plus that jacket didn’t have a powder skirt).
This jacket is the best I’ve seen in this price range – so if you are on a lower budget then this would be a great choice.
Where to Buy
I found the mission in a couple of online stores. I have linked to these below.
Quiksilver Mission at the-house.com
Quiksilver Mission at backcountry.com
Over to You…
I hope this review has helped with your snowboarding jacket decision.
Thanks for reading and if you have any questions or comments please leave them in the comments section below.
Leave a Reply