MacDirectory Magazine

Jason Seiler

MacDirectory magazine is the premiere creative lifestyle magazine for Apple enthusiasts featuring interviews, in-depth tech reviews, Apple news, insights, latest Apple patents, apps, market analysis, entertainment and more.

Issue link: https://digital.macdirectory.com/i/758586

Contents of this Issue

Navigation

Page 109 of 125

FEATURE The Shelby > The Ultimate Winter Parka By Thomas Bender The Shelby parka from nobis is an amazing example of modern day innovation inspired by classic design. The Shelby is the pinnacle of urban winter parkas—from its raw materials, to its construction, its features to its aesthetics, every aspect of the coat invokes today’s most advanced design standards.  The result is a coat built for the harshest winter conditions, that is good looking and comfortable through many of the colder months. Inspired by the classic duffle coat design born in the 1800’s, the Shelby’s look is timeless, even while incorporating modern elements like nobis’s own poly-wool blend fabric, or its gunmetal, magnetized hardware instead of leathern loops and wooden toggles.  Shoulder epaulets, outer patch pockets, and thick, buttoned cuffs add design elements that you won’t see on other winter parkas.  Not to mention the premium polyester crosshatch or poly-wool blend outer layer adds incredible texture without compromising waterproofing or durability.  Those outer features are achieved without creating a synthetic looking or sounding coat (no ‘swoosh’ sound every time you swing your arms!). What you’d expect from this caliber of coat is the utmost in winter warmth and protection, which the Shelby delivers. It’s responsibly-harvested, Premium Origin Canadian White Duck Down fill is larger than most down you’ll find on the market, and results in a lighter, warmer coat.  It’s clear that nobis was inspired by the warmth of Arctic coats, and I was comfortable wearing the Shelby out on the coldest of New England days with minimal layering required. The coat is long in the front and back—enough to cover your seat when sitting down.  After wearing the Shelby around, I suddenly felt like my other winter coats were only ⅔ complete, as it does a nice job of keeping your whole body comfortable.  It’s large, multi-adjustable hood helped keep me warm, as did the heavy cuffs with thumb-hole openings.  When using the thumb-holes on the cuffs, my hands were fine resting in the smaller fleece lined front pockets; when not using the thumb-holes, the thick elastic cuffs formed a great seal to keep any cold wind from getting into the telescopic sleeves. Of course, one of the best features beyond the warmth of the Shelby, was how breathable and tolerable it is in non-freezing conditions.  This is a common claim among coats, but I found it to be more true with the Shelby than any other coat I’ve tried.  While commuting, I was warm on my walk, and remained pleasant even on the subway, where I opened the Pit-Zip vents to moderate my temperature.  I thought for sure that I would be sweating by the time I walked out of the car, but I was surprisingly comfortable and easily able to zip up the two-way YKK zipper for the second half of my walk. Combined with the super-soft, down-proof, free hanging liner, this coat is comfortable far beyond the frigid temperatures that it's rated for.  In fact, when the sun was bright and the days warmed up, I found myself keeping the vents open and simply using the magnetic wind flap to hold the coat together—no zipper required!  The magnets are strong enough to keep the coat closed during your walk, but still open easily when you’re ready to remove the Shelby. The technology incorporated into this versatile winter package to achieve such warmth and durability is impressive.  The laminated Sympatex membrane has a DWR coating (Durable Water Repellent) and is windproof, rainproof, and waterproof (rated at 10,000mm).  The poly-wool blend itself is a technical feat—wrapping synthetic fibers around wool fibers, in an effort to minimize the amount of heavy, water-absorbing wool content.  Additionally, the aforementioned magnets aren’t only good looking, they also eliminate the need for any Velcro on the jacket, which is infamous for snags, snares, and tears. And of course the entire parka comes together with seam-sealed construction and high quality tailoring. From a bright sunny lunchtime walk to a freezing wet day on the coast, with rain and mist flying in every direction, the Shelby kept me warm, comfortable, and fashionable.  It’s obvious that every thread and button has been thought about, and every aspect of a modern winter commuter’s needs taken into consideration.  Topped off with one of nobis’s amazing pieces of winter headwear (I like the Hunter usually, or the Black Sheep for when it’s really cold), and I feel pretty good about facing New England’s cold, wet winters. For more information, visit: https://us.nobis.com/products/shelby

Articles in this issue

Links on this page

Archives of this issue

view archives of MacDirectory Magazine - Jason Seiler