G’day mate. Sorry- that was a lame attempt at an Australian accent.

I’ve got a cool company to tell you about. 3CS is based in Australia where they create high quality outerwear chock full of waterproofing and other features that you techies will love. Being quite the gear-whore, I often drool over the next best thing. 3CS had a look that caught my eye – specifically, the Krueger Jacket. The simplicity yet trendiness of the stripes is enough to hook anyone.

It’s not too often that you find a look you like that also has the tech to back it up. Rest easy, you won’t find any gear made with less than a 15,000mm waterproof rating. I had the pleasure of testing out the Celcius Jacket and the Preset Pant.

I’ll start with the jacket. It fit GREAT. It was baggy, relaxed… whatever you want to call it. I liked that it didn’t have a cut to it that tried too hard to be feminine. Sometimes, women’s jackets are cut too short, too narrow in the mid-section, the arms are too narrow compared to the core of the jacket, etc. The Celcius jacket was awesome. The length was great, the arms were nice and loose – perfect for layering underneath – the hood sat nicely on my back and fit well when used and there were plenty of pockets. Oh! The pockets are actually my favorite part. They have magnetic flaps that go over the zippers which is just such a good idea. Why don’t all companies do this? You have gloves on. Velcro sucks. It gets caught on other fabric when you don’t want it to, it loses its hold after a while… and frankly, it makes a really awful sound. Ideal. The powder skirt was comfortable and the inner lining is smooth, kind of like a satin material. Your layers won’t bunch and it’s easy to slip on and off. I loved this jacket. It came in black, but if I were purchasing more… I would definitely look into the other fun colors they have.

The Preset pant. Hmm. I really wanted to like these pants since I loved the jacket so much. First of all, the waist is weird. Maybe it’s just me, but I like to have my pants around my hips, maybe a little higher. These, especially while sitting down, tended to creep up almost to my ribs. Super annoying. I kept having to pull them down while riding, walking around, etc. They definitely kept me dry – they’re 20,000mm – which is always something I look for in snowboarding pants. The boot gaiters were extremely small – they didn’t fit over the top of Burton Emerald’s, which aren’t exactly bulky. It wasn’t a big deal when I was testing them, but if I had been using them in powder, my legs probably would have gotten wet and cold. The pockets are in weird places… the hand pockets on the top right and left of the pant are set back a little so they’re almost on the side of your thigh. They also have magnetic flaps which I definitely like. The cargo pants were good, spacious and easily accessible. The color of the pant was awesome – I got the turquoise like color, which happens to be a favorite of mine. I thought they could have fit a little baggier. Based on the cut and relaxed, loose feel of the jacket… I thought the pants would have followed suit. They’re a little too straight-legged for me. Maybe some added length would fix the problem, however if I sized up at all… my issues with the waist would have been even worse.

Well, that’s my take on the set of outerwear I tested from 3CS. Definitely go to their website and check out the rest of their gear. I’m looking forward to seeing what this company comes out with next. Thanks again 3CS!