Fit Review ~ Hustle Jacket

I'm a little bit late to the party with the Hustle Jacket but with rumours of more Hustle Jackets to come (Poncho Striped) I figured it was still a relevant fit review. I broke down and blew all of my gift card money and some return money on TWO!! Hustle jackets, Power Purple and Plum Shale. I figure, if I'm running 3-4 days a week and keeping one a bit dirty and sweaty for the week, the clean one can be used for to and from and then I can rotate them. I was a little bit worried about the sizing as my only option was a size 8 and I sometimes need a size 9 for tops so probably would have gotten the 10 if it had been available for the purpose of layering. When I got home I tried on a few shirts underneath and I found I could wear my Inspire Pullovers, Chai Time Pullover, Cool Racerbacks + Swiftly Tech SS but when I tried on my Post Run Pullover it was pretty tight in the arms and upper back. I don't think that's a problem since I never plan on layering something that thick underneath. If you have broad shoulders or are bigger in the bust you may find snugness in the upper back where it's a slightly narrower fit then the bottom half but the fit is not at all awkward like some found the Inspire Jacket to be.

Last week when I got back to running after a month off I found my legs were very, very cold with  -1* and windchill so I had considered buying winter running pants even though I would only get about a month of usefulness out of them. When I wore my Hustle Jacket yesterday I found I was warm enough throughout in just a Cool Racerback underneath, Brisk Run Gloves and my Dash Tights. My torso kept so warm that I didn't even feel my legs get cold at all and I was very comfortable. I usually prefer running in just my pullovers but I think they breath a little better then jackets which means when there is a bit of wind you can feel it. This jacket was so comfortable and soft it felt like it moved with my arm movement and torso movement and not like I was moving against it. I loved having the deep pockets on the sides because I like the easier access. Sometimes I find with back pockets I have to really slow down to walking pace in order to unzip and pull out whatever I need. I didn't run in the evening but I felt like the amount of reflectivity on the jacket and the placement was exactly what I want, especially running in a neighborhood with few sidewalks. Upper back and chest reflectivity is perfect for on coming traffic and the outer wrist reflectivity catches the eye of drivers when it's in constant swinging movement.

Another thing I love about this jacket is the bling zipper. It is a very smooth zip up that you don't have to fuss with while your running. I find some of the zippers, particularly the metal ones catch and drag a bit when zipping and so you need to hold tension in the jacket in order to zip up properly. This zipper is really easy though and just glides up and down. I like the look of the sparkle on this very feminine jacket. I don't like the bling zipper to be on all items but it really works in the running line, particularly in a design like this one that is meant to have that very feminine look. An odd thing though is that the pocket zippers you need to zip down to close and not up like in other non running jackets. I assume that is meant to make it easier while your running or to keep it more securely closed. It's awkward when you first discover it but not a bother, just something you need to get used to.

I also wore this jacket yesterday to do some errands and I saw two other ladies wearing these (how can you tell what city your in). One was wearing the same color as me and another lady was wearing the black. The black is a really nice contrast of edgy and feminine so it looked great on her. I just can't pull of wearing black for some reason but it's nice to have a neutral colored jacket. This jacket is such a great buy at $145, the only features it's lacking is cuffins/tuckins and a watch hole. I really love the snug running luon cuffs that you can hide under the sleeve or wear down. My husband thinks they look really silly which is why it's nice to have the option of pulling the outer sleeve down. When I'm running I don't care how silly I look, I like having the warm cuffins pulled down. I'm really pleased with this purchase because it's versatile in that I can use it for running and for to and from and the cost per use ends up being pretty minimal. This one is an A++ for me in design and function.