A clean look at the Trew Le Skieur Anorak.
The Trew LW bib offers plenty of pockets with a more airy feel than full bib.
A looser, but not too loose, “aerobic freeriding” kit from Trew is up for a review. We’ll be test sting/reviewing the LW Bib and Le Skiuer Anorak.
I reckon many of our readers have a similar preconception about Trew outerwear as I did–that they make heavy, baggy ski clothes for resort skiers and freeriders. Trew’s style is essentially the opposite side of the spectrum to where I’ve been in the past, skiing in tight climbing pants at times. As I learn and grow my fashion sense (while maintaining an extreme pickiness for function), my clothes have gotten a little baggier, and I’ve grown to prefer low-bibs and longer-cut jackets. The Strafe Cham kit opened my eyes to this world and is, in many ways, the gold standard for this category—I’ll dub the term “aerobic freeriding.” This sartorial realm encompasses the tenets of a lightweight and breathable kit well suited to speedy uphill travel. But, rather than super slim fits and Euro styling/function (do people ski powder in Europe?), we get looser fits and powder-oriented silhouettes like low bibs and longer jackets with storm-ready, full-coverage hoods. Essentially, the silhouettes are similar to what you might see around the ski area. However, the materials are light and breathable, and the details are hopefully more minimalist to save some weight.
From this “aerobic freeriding” perspective, it makes perfect sense that an established freeride brand like Trew comes to the table with a great touring kit by sourcing the right fabrics and adjusting the features for touring. With the input of a tasteful gear curator (as evidenced by his tracking me down from Switzerland for an Apocalypse Equipment pack!) in Gilles Sierro, Trew released their LW kit this winter. Forever the optimizer, as soon as I saw this kit with its long, slim-fitting anorak and low-cut, breathable-looking bibs, I had to get my hands on it.
Fit and fabric are the two most important puzzle pieces in my mind. As advertised, the jacket fits long and slim, extending to mid-thigh and past my palms in sleeve length: perfect for full coverage on the stormy days I hope to wear this piece. The bibs are loose without being baggy, striking a nice balance for me. The fabric is unique, a proprietary recipe that Trew calls 3L7D, which describes the 3-layer waterproof-breathable construction and the super light 7D circular knit backer, but not the face fabric. I’ll ask for more details on the face fabric, but it is a lightweight, tightly woven ripstop. It isn’t as soft as North Face Futurelight or the Schoeller Aerobrane of the Strafe Cham, but it is very thin (translucent, held up to the light) and, so far, feels quite breathable. The face fabric seems to have a tighter weave and a slicker feel than Aerobrane, which I imagine will improve durability.
3/4 front zip closed.
Several options are available on the LW bib tethering a beacon.
The cuffs have an internal powder gaiter with a velcro closure.
The 3/4 front zip open.
Trew calls the LW Bib fabric 3L7D.
A fancy fidlock (magnetic) snap system adjusts the outer cuff opening.
The third piece to the puzzle is the feature set; less is more here. I would classify the LW kit as fully featured, slightly more so than I prefer. The Le Skiuer anorak has a 3 ⁄ 4 length front zip that opens from the top or bottom and a pit zip that goes all the way to the hem on one side, allowing for easy on/off despite the length and slim-ness. It has internal mesh skin pockets accessible by opening the front zip from the bottom, a thoughtful feature that lets you keep the sternum strap on your pack buckled. There are two chest pockets, one large with a vertical zip and one small radio pocket with a horizontal zip. Lastly, there is a pass pocket on the left bicep. The bibs have full side zips, including one side zipping through the upper bib as well for a poop flap sorta thing. They have two thigh pockets with sewn loops to attach a beacon or other tether and two pockets in the upper bib with similar beacon clip-in points. The cuffs have an internal powder gaiter with a velcro closure (meh) and a fancy fidlock (magnetic) snap system to adjust the outer cuff opening.
Designer notes for the Le Skieur Anorak. Image: Trew
The anorak weighs a respectable but not ultralight 473g in a size large, and the bibs are 698g in a medium-regular. As a parting thought, aside from it being great to see a freeride brand like Trew making lighter and more breathable gear, it’s extra awesome to see so many sizing options.
I’ll test the Le Skieur Anorak and LW bibs throughout the rest of the winter season here in the Tetons. I look forward to seeing how the 3L7D fabric holds up to heavy use, and I’m curious to see how I like the more featured bibs relative to the Strafe Cham’s that I’ll be comparing to.
A center zip that zips up from the bottom is awesome. I’ve got a Norrona Lofoten Anorak puffy with that feature and I love it. I can get at pockets in my mid layers/ bibs without exposing my face and dumping heat. Would be interested to try this shell out as a lighter alternative to the Norrona Lofoten anorak shell.