Outdoor Vitals NovaUL Women’s Jacket Review

The Outdoor Vitals NovaUL Women’s Jacket is an excellent choice for anyone seeking a lightweight, versatile, and highly functional option for outdoor adventures. I wore this jacket during a tour in the Cascades, where it performed impressively despite fluctuating conditions — from balmy 40-degree sunshine to blistering winds exceeding 30 mph. The NovaUL Jacket withstood it all.

Material & Durability

The NovaUL Women’s Jacket is crafted with 850 Fill Power HyperDry down combined with synthetic insulation, providing warmth even in wet conditions. Thanks to Outdoor Vitals proprietary DownLT insulation, the jacket maintains loft when wet, while its Zero Stitch fabric offers additional protection by preventing moisture and wind from penetrating. I wore this jacket with just a t-shirt for both the ascent and descent and remained comfortably warm despite the ripping winds.

Design & Features

The NovaUL’s design is sleek and minimalist, featuring clean lines and practical elements. The high neck with a chin guard proves incredibly useful when there’s no time to grab a buff. The jacket also includes a fitted hood with 2-way adjustability for a customized fit.

Two standout features of the NovaUL jacket are its packability and pit zips. It stuffs neatly into its pocket and compresses to about the size of a large phone, making it ideal for alpine adventures where pack space is limited. The pit zips are arguably the best feature, offering much-needed ventilation on warmer days and allowing you to stay on the move without needing to de-layer.

Fit and Comfort

The NovaUL’s Jacket boasts a slim, athletic fit. Not too wide but allows for another layer to be worn underneath and is perfect as a midlayer underneath a shell for skiing. The jacket features a drop back, perfect for keeping dry when sitting in the snow.

Overall Impression

The Outdoor Vitals NovaUL Women’s Jacket ($209.97) is an excellent choice for outdoor enthusiasts looking for a functional, lightweight, and warm jacket that won’t weigh them down. Its combination of insulation, packability, and weather resistance makes it perfect for everything from day hikes to multi-day adventures. While it’s not designed for extreme weather conditions, it excels in mild to cool conditions and offers great versatility. If you’re looking for a high-performance jacket that balances warmth, comfort, and weight, the NovaUL jacket is definitely worth considering.

Related Women’s Insulated Jackets We Have Reviewed

1. Rab Khorma Women’s Jacket
2. REI Women’s Powderhound Jacket
3. Patagonia Women’s Stormshift Jacket