Charles River New Englander Rain Jacket 9199 – Personal Experience

Today I’ll be reviewing the Charles River Men’s New Englander Rain Jacket style 9199. What better week to test this rain jacket than now with the weather turning colder and the rain/snow forecasted to fill the week!

Personal Experience
At first, I thought I had ordered a size too big and was worried that it would look weird to wear a rain jacket larger than my actual size. However, after trying it on, I’m glad I went a size bigger because here in Idaho, if the rain is falling, the temperature is often falling also, and you’ll likely get cold if you’re not prepared with a smaller warmth providing jacket underneath.

Rather than just walking around town during a light rainfall, I decided to really push this jacket to the limits and head up to Island Park, Idaho where the temperature had dropped to 18 degrees Fahrenheit at the coldest point and the precipitation was 100%. Oh, and did I mention that the fishing is amazing in these parts during the fall? Anyway, I thought this is how you really test a rain jacket!

Upon arriving at Henry’s Lake near the Idaho-Montana border, we could see that rain, and eventually, snow, was coming down at an angle due to the high winds, and the edges around the lake had started to freeze where water had splashed onto the bank.

For the next 3 hours, we fished in the cold rain, snow, and wind. With my Charles’s River Lithium Quilted Jacket (click HERE to read a review of this jacket) underneath for warmth, this rain jacket really held up against the weather keeping the rain out and me dry. Other Fishermen around me complained of the biting cold as the combination of wind and rain seemed to “penetrate” and chill them to the bones.

I loved how the hood would stay on my head as I cinched up the drawstring and not blow off with every gust of wind. As the wind intensity picked up, I pulled more on the hoodie drawstrings to tighten it around my head. Additionally, the hood also served the purpose of helping me keep my hat on and the rain from hitting my face.

Whenever my hands got too cold, I would slip them into the zippered pockets for a brief reprieve from the weather. And yes, the pockets also housed one of my smaller fly boxes in one pocket and my cell phone in the other pocket.

I really like how the rain jacket’s body design is long enough to extend down below my waistline. This proved to be an important feature as it allowed me added protection from the wind that always seems to want to whip upwards in my jackets.

Overall, I feel this is an exceptional jacket that is truly designed to protect from rain and wind, and therefore provide me with the protection I need from all my outdoor adventures such as camping, fishing, hiking and of course my many trips to Yellowstone National Park where the weather can be very unpredictable at times.

A Look Good, Feel Good Jacket
One of the many reasons given as to why the Men’s New Englander Rain Jacket is so popular is because its design is also fashionable. You just don’t see many people heading out into inclement weather with friends and family to go to dinner or the movies in a poncho! Style does matter as does protection from weather on such activities. And, the Men’s New Englander Rain Jacket, with its sleek design and superior protection against wind and rain helps make for an enjoyable outing. It is available in 8 different colors (True Navy/Yellow, Red, Yellow, Taupe/Navy, Black, True Navy/Grey, Grey and Maroon/Black).

Jacket Parts and Features
There are a few features that set this rain jacket apart from its competitors. For Example:

Three Piece Hoodie Design: Unlike other hoodie designs, the Charles River Rain Jacket hoodie is designed with three different pieces seamed together. This design provides for a more comfortable fit and helps prevent the hoodie from being easily blown off during windy conditions.

Zippered Pockets: Have you ever placed extra coins, keys or other small items in your pocket only to discover later that they had fallen out of the pocket somewhere along the way? Unfortunately, I have. The pockets have built-in zippers to prevent items from falling out when you’re on the go – assuming you “zip” them closed. This just makes sense for a jacket used in less than desirable weather conditions.

Front Vented Capes: The jacket has two main vent capes located in the front of the jacket that allows for generated body heat to vent out helping to keep you from becoming too hot. The good thing about these vents is that there is a protective flap over the vents which prevent cold air or rain from entering.

Underarm Vent Holes: As with all great jacket designs, there are vent holes located under the armpit which allows for excess body heat to escape and helps prevent you from overheating as well. This is important as this is one of the few locations on the body where major vessels are located near the body surface and therefore where heat is most likely to be efficiently radiated out.

Taffeta Nylon Sleeves: This is a great little feature. The sleeves of the jacket are lined with a taffeta nylon fabric which allows your arms to easily slide in and out of the jacket. I liked this easy on/off feature more than I thought I would.

Adjustable Hem Drawstrings: If the wind is really blowing and you’re feeling it coming up under the hem of your jacket, the hem drawstrings can be easily cinched for a snug fit around your waist.

Reflective Trim and Back Strip: This is a nice safety feature to have on any rain jacket when weather conditions can hinder visibility. The reflective trim is on the front of the jacket and the strip on the back.

When I first learned of this reflective stripe feature, I must admit I was a bit disappointed feeling that it may not be the type of jacket I would want to wear for a somewhat formal event out on the town. However, the design of the reflective material is visually pleasing and fits well with the design.

Hoodie Drawstrings: There are drawstrings incorporated into the hood portion of the jacket that enables the hood to fit snugly around your head for added protection against wind, rain, and wind displacement.

Adjustable Cuffs: The cuffs are designed with Velcro that can be wrapped around your wrist loosely or tightly. The ability to adjust the snugness enhances the jacket’s versatility.

Inner Mesh Lining: The inner surface of the jacket is lined with a mesh fabric that makes wearing this jacket with a t-shirt comfortable. You don’t feel the polyester polyurethane shell rubbing on your arms or body, especially during the activewear of the jacket.

Wind and Waterproof: Yes – This rain jacket is 100% wind and waterproof. It certainly wouldn’t cut the mustard if it wasn’t!

Two-Way Zipper: The jacket is designed with a two-way zipper which allows you to open the jacket from top or bottom. This was the first time I have ever had a jacket with this type of design. While I didn’t use it during my Island Park experience, it is a nice feature to have should you desire it.

Personalization: There are three decoration options for personalizing the Men’s New Englander Rain Jacket; heat transfer, embroidery, and screenprint.

• Heat transfer: Using the Charles River “PerfectSeal” technology on the nylon fabric of the jacket ensures that logos/artwork pop with detailed imagery and vibrant colors.
• Embroidery: The process of embroidery brings versatility to the decorative goals of having a logo or artwork stand out bold or subtle while increasing the value of the jacket. With literally hundreds of color rich threads to choose from, any design is delivered with high-quality appearance. This technique allows for a vast array of color schemes and combinations with their decoration services.
• Screen Print: State of the art inks and multicolor screen and distressed screen-printing techniques allow your logo or design to be vibrantly and qualitatively applied to the jacket for high-quality visual effects and performance in durability.

Note: The PerfectSeal heat transfer requires a minimum of 24 pieces per logo, and the Embroidery and Screen-printing requires a minimum of 12 pieces per logo.

Picking the Right Size
It can be intimidating ordering clothing online worrying about proper fit without first trying it on. Having ordered several Charles River Apparel jackets, I put together a helpful resource that helps you find the right size for you. You can click HERE to view the article and size chart for the Charles River Men’s New Englander Rain Jacket.

Other New Englander Rain Jackets
The Men’s New Englander Rain Jacket is part of the New Englander Rain Jacket product line made by Charles River Apparel. Other Charles River Apparel New Englander Rain Jackets are:

• Women’s New Englander Printed Rain Jacket 5890
• Women’s New Englander Rain Jacket with Printed lining 5996
• Women’s New Englander Rain Jacket 5099
• Girl’s New Englander Rain Jacket 4099
• Youth New Englander Rain Jacket 8099
• Children’s New Englander Rain Jacket 7099
• Toddler New Englander Rain Jacket 6099
• New Englander Doggie Rain Jacket 1099

Conclusion: Having used this jacket a few times now, both in light and heavy rain and wind, and even snow, I would highly recommend this jacket for its versatility and functionality as a wind and rain protectant, but also for its fashion appeal.