The Lé Bent Premecau: to hood or not, that is the question

Lé Bent is a relatively unknown country in Canada so when the opportunity to check out the Premecau Wool Insulated Hybrid jacket and Wool Insulated Hooded Jacket came along we jumped on it. They blend street fashion with mountain proven materials into warm but slightly heavy mid layers.

Overview

Shell Material: 97% Recycled Polyester, 3% Elastane
Insulation Material: 30% Wool / 70% Recycled Polyester
Flow State Material: 63% Rayon, 30% Merino, 7% Elastane
Grid Material Hybrid: 44% poly, 37% Rayon from Bamboo, 16% Merino, 3% Elastane
Size Tested: Large in Hooded, XL in Hybrid
Country of Origin: China

Who is Lé Bent?

Lé Bent Logo on the Back of the Premecau Hybrid Jacket

LeBent began as a dream endeavour between two Australians in Val D’Isere. They were boot fitters for anyone from the regular skiers to the stars (Paul McCartney counts, right?). While doing so they noticed that no one cared about socks. Thus, the idea for Lé Bent was born.

Simon and Anthony returned home to Australia and partnered with the leading scientific body the CSIRO, and crafted their Signature Blend of merino wool and bamboo rayon ski socks. In their first year of business they sold out all 5,000 pairs of their socks.

It’s been ten years since the company was founded and Lé Bent has expanded to include more than just socks. Jackets, base layers, and one heck of a pro team. Cody Townsend, Sammy Carlson and Xavier De La Rue? Woah…

What are the Lé Bent Premecau jackets?

The Lé Bent Premecau Insulated Jackets merino and polyester blend insulated jackets designed to be worn as a mid-layer on the mountain or as an outer when you hit the aprés. They share a lot in common with each other, but differ enough that it makes sense both can exist in the same space.

In order to be able to be worn as an outer, both jackets feature water resistant polyester shells, at least on the chest. The few times I’ve worn the Hooded jacket out in Squamish rains, it has stood up well to our notorious pacific north wetness. To further both jackets’ ability to keep out moisture they feature a waterproof zipper that has a wind proof backing that is emblazoned with the repeated Lé Bent logo from top to bottom. It certainly stands out and could be a bit polarizing. I personally like the look,

Both of the jackets feature 100 grams of Lé Bents 30% Merino and 70% recycled polyester insulation. This insulation does a good job of keeping the jackets quite warm.At above 0 degrees I’d almost say the Hoodie is a little too warm with its insulated back.

What is the Flowstate Sleeve System?

The FlowState Sleeve System on the Premecau Hoodie

Under the arms of both the Hybrid and Hooded jackets is the Flowstate Sleeve System. This is LéBents 4 way stretch signature under-arm and shoulder panel. By using a blend of Rayon made from Bamboo, Merino Wool, and Elastane the FlowState Sleeve System allows,in Lé Bent’s words, for 360 degree mobility and increases breathability of the jackets.

It’s not often that I find breathable material to be just that, breathable. In the case of the FlowState Sleeve System, it is almost too breathable. On a cool day when wearing either the Hybrid Jacket or Hooded jacket a slow walk can result in a brisk breeze under the armpits. This translates well when the pace quickens and the merino based insulation starts to do its job by allowing the wearer to be able to dump heat and not become too hot and clammy. As the pace increases so does the breeze and the cooling improves.

How do the Hybrid and Hooded Differ?

Though the Premecau Hoody jacket and Premecau Hybrid jacket share a lot in common, they are far from twins. Despite their similar looks and tech they will satisfy two different users.

The Hooded Jacket

For fear of stating the obvious, the hooded jacket has a storm hood with built in swift locks. This stands in stark contrast to the double layered soft collar of the Hybrid jacket.

Working our way to the shoulders reveals another large difference. The Hooded jacket has fully insulated sleeves that terminate, for me, a little too short. I have quite long arms and often find large size jackets lacking in the sleeve department. The Premencau Hoodie is no exception here. Thankfully, the very soft albeit a little thick, merino blend sleeve cuffs with thumb loops make up the rest of the length. Tall slim wearers will need to take this into account whereas shorter wearers may be happy with Lé Bent eschewing the recent trend for long arms.

Moving around to the back of the Hooded jacket we find that there is a small collar on the FlowState Sleeve System where it attaches at the shoulder blades. The rest of the back is lightly insulated and ends with a rounded drop tail. Overall, it’s a good looking jacket that does well on and off the mountain.

The Shoulder collar on the Premecau Hoodie

Waterproof chest zipper on teh Hoodie and Hybrid is the same

The Hybrid

Rather than a hood, the Hybrid features a double-layered inner neck collar. There is the outer collar, made of the water resistant shell while the inner collar is made of Lé Bents soft merino blend.

Plenty of wingpsan on the Lé Bent Premecau Jacket

The FlowState Sleeve System on the hybrid is a much bigger part of the Hybrid jacket. It wraps farther onto the shoulder blade than the Hoodie, where it meets an upside down T shaped insulated panel. The FlowState sleeve system’s use of the merino and bamboo blend runs all the way down to the bottom of the jacket and the underside of the arm to the end of the sleeve. On top of the sleeve is a grid styled fleece that runs from the back of the hand to the collar.

Grid Insulation on the top, Bamboo + Merino Blend below. Lé Bent Premecau Hybrid Jacket

The sleeves are warm, especially when worn under a shell. When not under a shell they breathe well. This makes it the more obvious choice if you are looking for a more mountain oriented jacket or you’ll be doing more high output activities in this jacket rather than hitting aprés after aprés.

Bamboo Sheep? Oeko-Tex 100? Mulesing Free?

Why does Lé Bent use a blend of rayon and Merino? Rayon crafted from bamboo is similar in texture to silk or cashmere and is incredibly stretchy. The fibers are smoother and rounder than merino with no sharp spurs to irritate the skin like many wools do. The Lé Bent Signature Blend removes that itchiness but retains the odor protection.

The wool that is used in the blend is Mulesing free. This is an arcane practice of keeping the sheep pest free and is well, gruesome, to be fair. I won’t write more about it in this review as I am not sure how common a practice it is. For more info, head here.

The Premecau jackets are both Oeko-tex 100 certified. This means that every single part of the jacket has been tested for harmful substances and therefore is harmless for human health. OekoTex This just makes me wonder what’s going on with all my other jackets that aren’t Oeko Tex certified?

Overview

The Lé Bent Premecau jackets have some great features. Who doesn’t love a merino insulated jacket that is water resistant enough to survive on the elements on its own? It has Great warmth thanks to the merino blend insulation and the Flowstate Sleeve System works really well. It’s nice that Lé Bent has given us the choice between the two jackets.

The Hybrid, with its extensive use of blends and more sparse use of Merino insulation lends itself better as a midlayer that will more often be worn under a shell or when front warmth is needed while partaking in high output activities.

The Hooded jacket, with its more extensive use of weather resistant materials and greater insulation, better suits situations where you won’t be wearing a shell on top or perhaps are moving a little slower.

I find the sleeves a little short on the Hooded jacket (it is large, afterall) but that is mitigated with the thumb loops despite their thickness. The cuffs are incredibly soft though and the merino really shines through here.

Neither the hooded jacket nor the hybrid lend themselves to pieces of gear that look like a piece of gear. I feel like wearing a Patagonia Micro Puff to the bar or restaurant says, “ I am into the outdoors.” Not so with the Premecau jackets. They look like a piece of streetwear that has incorporated mountain tech.

Who are the Lé Bent Premecau Jackets for?

The Lé Bent Premecau are for the ski and snowboard enthusiast that is looking for streetwear that utilizes mountain proven tech. They keep you warm and dry while looking pretty steezy. the casual skier or boarder who is looking for a mid-layer that performs at Apres as well as it does on the snow

If you are looking for the warmer and more weatherproof of the two, the hooded jacket is the way to go. Thanks to its all over strong shell, great merino and bamboo blend, handcuffs and casual styling it’s made to withstand a lot.

If you are looking for something with focused insulation, that breathes well and has more stretch and you intend to move fast in the jacket then the hybrid jacket is the way to go.

If you are interested in picking up a Lé Bent Premecau Wool Insulated Hooded Jacket or Hybrid jacket, head on over to Lé Bent Canada and pick one up.

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Black Sheep Adventure sports was provided with a free sample of the Premecau Wool Insulated Hooded Jacket and Hybrid jacket. This in no way affected our opinion and review.