TreeLineBackpacker

Lightweight and breathable, the uniquely named ‘M’s the One’ jacket blends casual comfort with trail worthy performance. This is my review:

‘The One’ as I’ll call it for the rest of the review, is a lightweight insulated jacket, constructed primarily of nylon Taffeta and nylon blended with just a bit of spandex for stretch. Inside, the jacket is insulated by 100% polyester fleece, as a soft fuzzy lining. The Hoody version tested here has some light weatherproofing applied, two zippered hand pockets, one shoulder pocket, a full length chest zip, elastic cuffs, an adjustable waist with an extended back, and a fleece lined adjustable hood. The large weighs just 12 ounces, retails for $159, and comes in a variety of colors and variants, such as Men’s, Women’s, vest, and hoody options.

What I liked

Starting out with comfort, I found quite a lot of solace with ‘The One’. The interior is lined entirely with a soft, low friction fleece that feels quite nice against the skin, very similar to a high end blanket. It is smooth, low knit, and provides little resistance when moving and shuffling about. It doesn’t get sticky or clammy either. The cuff material is exceptionally soft and smooth, providing enough flex to easily slip a gloved hand through, but isn’t so loose as to slip over the hands when working or hiking. The hood is also fleece lined and feels quite nice on a breezy day, with a large yet adjustable opening allowing it to be synched down snug, or left open and lofty. It’s a very comfortable jacket overall that I often forgot that I was wearing entirely.

Visually the jacket looks quite nice. It has sporty roots but is decidedly casual in style, while being nicely reserved. The materials having a subtle and appreciated matte finish to them that the light just ever so slightly plays off of. The stitching and fabrics are all smooth and consistent, giving it the appropriate tinge that whispers “high quality” without trying to be loud about it. It looks great on the trail, in the office, or while relaxing in town, which I very much appreciate.

Performance wise, The One shows up. Thanks to the tightly woven exterior nylon body, The One does a good job of blocking wind while still overall being quite breathable. It is absolutely designed for movement, and when in motion it provides plenty of warmth thanks to the fleece interior, without getting too hot and sweaty as it cycles hot air through the breathable panels. It insulates well enough to relax in 50 degree F weather without getting much of a chill, but performs quite well into the 40s when active. Having only a 12 ounce packed weight for the large, it is light enough to be a consideration for hiking, backpacking, or really any sport where weight is a concern but the weather isn’t too foul. It also packs down smaller than most comparable fleece jackets in its warmth bracket, and is generally more comfortable too.

The fit is very athletic and does run small, so being a size 34 waist I sized up to a large and found that I could comfortably fit a small thermal layer underneath, with a base shirt, without losing my ability to move and stretch. It is cut and optimized for movement, so it fits better when hiking or standing than it does sitting, with the narrow waist coming in more snug than I’m used to. The chest and arms thankfully had plenty of room, which makes it well suited for broad chested guys like myself.

Build quality overall is very good. The fabrics, even on close inspection, are basically flawless with pristine stitching all around. I haven’t had any issues with threads pulling or dangling around either. The zippers are sturdy and slide smoothly, without providing me a single hang up so far, although that can always change. The jacket also resists staining well. Both food food and dirt haven’t posed any real problems. Cleaning it up with just a damp rag goes a long way, even though it is machine washable and tumble dry if you’re truly desperate..

What I didn’t like

I really couldn’t find much to complain about with this jacket. If anything I would enjoy just a tiny bit more room in the hips as it gets a bit snug there for me, which would help with layering for example, but that really is my only minor complaint at this point.

Overall

M’s The One is a curious name. I can’t quite figure that one out. But, what I do know is this is a great jacket. It’s light, comfortable, and performs great as a mild weather, on the go jacket. It’s warm well into the 40’s in action, and the 50’s when relaxing, making it an excellent shoulder season (Spring and Autumn) jacket. I’ve found myself using it on the trail and in the office when biking, hiking, doing photography and just writing articles. The jacket could stand just a tad bit more hip room, but as a whole this is an excellent garment on and off the trail that is very easy to recommend.

Highly recommended

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I want to extend a huge thanks to Kuhl for providing this product for review. We couldn’t do it without their help.

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