OR Gear Fraction Vest

In early November, I loaded the lift at Copper Mountain, Colorado at 6:30 a.m. to watch the U.S. Ski Team train super-G. At that hour, the temperature was in the single digits but with OR Gear's Fraction Vest, coupled with a capilene shirt and a Columbia shell, I was good to go—and the layered fit didn't make me feel like Randy in A Christmas Story. Plus, two hours later, when I took a run with the team, it held up.

I know what you're thinking: "It's just a coat without sleeves, man!"

Oh contraire. Lined with Permaloft, a 100 percent polyester insulation, and a wind-proof polyester shell, the Fraction is lightweight, was easily stuffed into my travel bag, and proved terrific at keeping my core fired-up.

I wore the Fraction for the first time on a chilly night in Arizona's Sonora desert about a month ago and, thanks to a warmth I haven't felt since my grandmother hugged me last Christmas, haven't taken it off since.

Sure, I got some funny looks the other day walking down the streets of Santa Fe when it was 70 degrees, but every time I caught a glimpse of myself in a store window, I realized that I looked so damn good it didn't bother me. So I ignored my cell phone, which was tucked into a convenient chest pocket, and kept walking...and sweating.

Besides the vest's sex appeal—mine's classic brown and seems to fit my short torso perfectly—there are also other practical touches—like a flap that hangs a little lower in the back and keeps my butt toasty when I'm sitting on a cold bench reading the paper—that make it stand out above the other Michelin Man get-ups I've had in the past.

All of that is well and good but you know what really sealed the deal? The fact that the green interior brings out my eyes. $99; orgear.com

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