Men's St. Elias Jacket

I brought the St. Elias jacket + bibs for Japan trip. I don't usually spend so much on outwear, normally going for something more mid range. The St. Elias gear performed very well, and has definately shifted my thinking on the value proposition of this kind of high end gear.

We did a lot of touring in really heavy snow (up to 30cm/hr) and approx. -5C. Breathability was good to the point that I only needed to open vents a little bit and could usually keep my goggles on - from my experience in Gortex and other hardshell kit I would have been getting really hot, but soft-shell wouldn’t have cut it for the precip rate. This meant layering was really easy and limited faff at transitions etc. = more laps!

Durability wise was excellent. Did lots of tight tree skiing and plenty of plowing through branches as a result - no issues there.

Comfort with the stretch and soft fabric feel was really nice. I would say this is one of the biggest wins - the gear is so comfortable to wear and easy to move in. But at the same time it doesn’t feel flimsy, so you don’t get wind press or flap when you’re skiing fast, and feel like you are in something substantial and solid.

Fit was true to size chart - I normally need to size up in brands like Rab or Macpac, but L was perfect for me in both jacket and bibs. I'm 180cm and approx. 95kg with big chest and shoulders. Fit look was very similar to the model photos - not baggy, not euro tight. Would be fine with sharps on in technical terrain.

Adding all that up, this gear feels well worth the money, and absolutely superior to hardshell kit on the market. 10/10 from me and would buy again.

Web site easy to use, and shipping was a breeze with real time tracking. I haven't used the jacket yet but it looks great. It seems to fit slightly larger than I expected but not materially so. Only suggestion would be that it has a couple of mesh pockets inside but they'd be more secure if they had a velcro closure or even a zipper so things could not fall out

I heard about Beringia while skiing with John Falkiner a mountain guide in Switzerland. He was wearing the St Elias Jacket and Bib and recommended it as his favorite ski touring - backcountry set up. My 5 year old shell didnt have much breathability and no stretch. I m extremely impressed by the lightweight feeling and how the gear moves with my body while skinning and hiking up boot packs. I find one of the biggest differences is that I do not get cold since the jacket is breathable, which is a big difference from the fabrics of the past. The pockets and features are reduced but well designed. If I was only in-bounds skiing I might need another layer or burlier coat, since the northern rockies are a fairly cold region. If your hiking and skiing hard the ratio of warmth vs. breathable protection is perfect. This will be my go to set up for years to come. I look forward to seeing what this young brand develops next.

There's a lot to like about this jacket. It seems well made, but I siimply didn't like the hood cinching mechanism - it was too complicated and don't like visible strings to this extent - decided to return.

I am an experienced backcountry splitboarder who loves gear and is always looking for that new piece to add more warmth, comfort, and versatility. I decided to give this brand a try after meeting some of the Beringia team in Japan while touring around Hokkaido, we both had the same Japanese guide who was wearing the sister brand Teton Bros. I really like the materials and design of the jacket however there is something off with the zipper mechanism. I've never had a zipper on a piece of gear be as finicky, jam, stick and difficult to zip. This is obviously not ideal when its blowing hard on a 10,000 ft peak. Just yesterday the zipper completely failed while out on a tour on my St Elias shell and I need to return the jacket. I also purchased last seasons Bering Down Jacket. The Jacket is great however same thing, the zipper on this jacket jams all of the time also. Ive used many other brands over the years, Patagonia, Jones etc and never thought about the zippers.