The Ortovox Windbreaker Review

Breaking wind with the Ortovox Windbreaker

An old German proverb says there’s no bad weather, only bad gear choices. The problem these days is there are so many gear choices to be made between rain layers, insulation layers, breathable layers, layers for skiing, layers for hiking and more. The Ortovox Windbreaker bridges the gap of a solid windbreaker with the moisture management of merino base layer that can be worn a solid three seasons and maybe more.

The Ortovox Windbreaker Jacket at a glance:

Material: Merino Protect: 55% virgin wool (MERINO) + 45% polyamide. Tec-Stretch: 100% polyamide
Weight: 134 grams
Country of Origin: Vietnam

Remember the old school windbreakers you would wear to the park when you were a kid? The Ortovox Windbreaker is that but tech’d out with Merino blend fabrics, an athletic fit, a smidge of water resistance and a paltry weight of 134 grams to make it far more appropriate to take on mountain adventures than that old nylon thing you got at Target.

Merino Protect and Tec-Stretch

Like most Ortovox gear, we’ve got Merino

By nature, a windbreaker should be a simple garment, and the Ortovox Windbreaker is that at a glance. What makes it such a cool piece of gear is Merino Protect. This is Ortovox’ blend of 55% virgin merino wool and 45% polyamide.The merino and polyamide are weaved together to create a 100% windproof material that is then treated with a DWR to make it lightly water resistant. Thanks to the merino it is also far less odor retaining than a full polyamide layer. Merino Protect is found in the front of the jacket, on the back and under the arms.

The rest of the jacket is made with Ortovox’ s Tec-Stretch material. This is a polyamide material (think nylon) that is PFC free and has a DWR coating. I’ve perused Ortovox’s own Fabric Guide and cannot find much more about this material other than it is “elastic, abrasion resistant, wind and water resistant.”

For more info on Ortovox’s materials, check their fabric guide.

Fit and Features

Sticking with the theme of simplicity, the Ortovox Windbreaker has just a single pocket on the left chest. The jacket stuffs nicely into this pocket and can be compressed into something the size of a soft tennis ball.

The hood is elasticated on the sides and in the back with a soft brim feature that all stays nicely snug along your hat to keep the hood in place when there’s a bit of wind. The windbreakers material is so thin you would not even notice it under a helmet, which is good, because there is no way it is going over a helmet. An elasticated waist and cuffs with the Ortovox logo knit into them keep the jacket snug and the Ortovox Windbreaker is not allowing much of even a breeze in. The cuffs themselves are nicely accented with the Ortovox logo on the inside.

A chet pocket big enough for an iPhone Max

I have the Ortovox Windbreaker jacket in XL and it’s a snug fit, which is typical of Ortovox gear. If you like a looser fit, and are a fan of Ortovox gear, then you will want to size up. Thankfully, the arm and body length of the jacket are long enough to keep my arms covered at full extension.

Fashion and Function

The Ortovox Windbreakers lack of weight is appreciated in my guide’s pack, biking waist pack and when worn. At 134 grams tucked into my pack or spread over both shoulders is not noticable at all. The lack of wind certainly is. It does a good job of keeping the wind at bay and can withstand light drizzle. If you are looking for something rain proof, you’ll need a rain jacket. This is a windbreaker afterall, not a rainbreaker.

I haven’t taken the Jacket for too many consecutive runs / hikes / rides without washing but it does not start to smell as fast as other windbreakers I have used. Some others begin to smell after just two days and I’ve definitely gotten five days of high output into this jacket and the only reason I washed it was due to trail dirt not funk.

This is a good looking jacket. I am a fan of Ortovox’ block pattern styles and the Windbreaker is no exception. The colorway I tested is called Arctic Grey, but in reality, it is a blend of three different greens that all complement each other instead of looking like a hodgepodge of colors.

The only nitpick I have is the tiny pull tab on the front zipper. It’s only just big enough for my finger tips. I wish it were a little bigger or had holes in it so I could attach a pull chord.

Who is the Ortovox Windbreaker Jacket for?

The Ortovox Windbreaker is for bikers / hikers and fast packers looking for a featherweight windbreaker that can withstand a light sprinkle of rain. It’ll even do well on warm weather ski tours where the weather is more of a sure thing.

Looking to pick up an Ortovox Windbreaker? Head on over to Ortovox and pick one up. Looking for more Ortovox related reviews? hit the Search button.