More than once, cross-country skiing has saved me from going mad in Minnesota’s winters. Until season 3 of Cobra Kai dropped. God help us all!
Now, I need the jaws of life to pry me out of the recliner and into fresh air and sunlight. The Maloja NeshaM Vest ($139) is my jaw of life.
Comfort
Cross-country skiing is highly physical. Wearing too many layers, or clothing that is heavy and warm, causes you to overheat. Overheating makes you sweat. Sweat makes you cold. Hence the reason I prefer a good vest and a mid-weight merino wool baselayer. The Maloja NeshaM is designed to work in tandem with a wool baselayer: the baselayer keeps me warm and the vest maintains the warmth in my core. The NeshaM is also non-restrictive in the arms and shoulders, allowing for a full range of arm motion.
Warmth
The Maloja NeshaM is a vest designed for high-aerobic activity. Thus, it does not have insulation. This winter hasn’t been especially cold, and the coldest day on which I wore the NeshaM was around 25 degrees. I was warm because I was skiing. Had been standing around, winter walking or even snowshoeing, I would have been cursing my decision to go skiing vs binging on Cobra Kai from the warmth of a recliner and the tender remembrances of a post-pubescent Billy Zabka.
Wind Resistance
Bring on the howling, frigid wind I say! The Maloja NeshaM vest is reinforced with Stormshell +, Maloja’s proprietary ingredient for a lightweight multi-layered softshell fabric laminated with a breathable PU layer. While Stormshell + likely can’t compete head-to-head with the breed standard of GORE-TEX Infinium™ Windstopper, it certainly does a decent job for an affordable $139.
Final Thoughts
I’m certainly a fan of Maloja, no surprise there. If you haven’t heard of them, they have a solid history in Europe for designing apparel that is stylish, forward-thinking, and technical. They’re growing steadily in the United States so expect to see the brand in more places than on Grit and Gear (ha!). The Maloja NeshaM vest is by no means a highly-technical vest but for the price tag of $139, it delivers pretty awesome results. Last winter I met their perfect pairing: The Maloja BraidaM Ski Touring pants, which I’ve been using for Nordic skiing. The combo of these two players is a beautiful thing for cross-country skiing.
