Test 2: Front Point by First Ascent

As you may know I spent the last week checking out New England; New York through Maine, Mount Desert Island to be exact.

It was while on Mount Desert Island that I got another chance to test my new shell the Front Point.

After climbing Dorr Mountain and a trip through Bar Harbor it began to pour. Luckily I had the Front Point packed.

Upon slipping it on I was instantly sheltered from the storm and in the nick of time too. Minutes after climbing into the shell the winds off the Atlantic kicked up and started to hurl the rain in sheets.

Never fear though, the Front Point held its own as I hiked the coast for an hour or so.

The main focus of this jacket is to provide protection from the elements while allowing the wearer full mobility while allowing access to its pockets around obstructions such as backpack straps. I found that the shell allows full mobility while keeping the wearer sheltered and dry.

Front Point is made of two different materials; the shoulders, a raincoat like material, and the stomach and back, a stretchable, more pliable material to accommodate a pack and aided mobility. It is a true miracle that the softer stomach and back portion of the jacket do not allow any water through.

As far as waterproofing is concerned, the Front Point earns and A+.

Like I said the winds of the ocean were also a force to be reckoned with that day as well. The shell did not disappoint in this area either. While the cool winds were driving at me I was more than warm in the shell, as it did not let any bit through.

Surprisingly enough, even with the airtight seams the shell did not turn into a tent. My body was able to breath well in the Front Point and I did not sweat or become uncomfortable at all.

As you can see the weather was unfavorable, but behind the lens of this shot, I was very comfortable in my First Ascent Front Point.

{BTW} =both shots in this blog were taken with my new Olympus Stylus Tough 8010, and a secondary, more in-depth review will be coming soon.=

Back to the bizz-ness at hand; the Front Point proved that it had what it takes to take on a North East fall storm with shining colors, now to test it in the midwest, the Mitten to be sure, to see how it handles the winds from Lake Michigan, soggy lake effect snow and icy blasts of arctic air this fall/ winter.

As it is super light and packable, this thing is worth more than its weight in gold!

Another review will be coming once more testing has been done.

Do you have a product for me to test? Well let me know already! I am more than willing to put things through the tests, and give honest reviews in order to keep you, the outdoor enthusiast informed.

Leave me a comment and tell me!

-J

Day 5: Acadia

Today was our day at Acadia.

It started off with a bike ride from our campsite at Bass Harbor to the Bass Harbor Lighthouse:

This picturesque spot afforded us multiple opportunities to climb rocky cliffs that hung over the Atlantic below:

We were under the watchful eye of a harbor seal that kept eluding my camera! His head was the size of a person, it was very cool.

This lobster trap is the handiwork of last week’s terrible storm:

You can see how far the waves had to be coming to put this up here, nature; incredible.

After picking up camp we set out to find Blackwoods State Park on the Eastern shore of Mount Desert Island.

We set up camp and headed out to see the sights. On our way to Bar Harbor we saw a group of cars pulled to the side of the road at the base of a mountain. I got out of the car and thought that we would be able to snap a few quick shots of the mountain from its base. Boy was I wrong. We stood at the foot of Mount Dorr. 1,270 ft of rock:

The trail said that the summit was only 1 mile away so we thought we would make short work of it. This proved to be much more than we thought it would be:

The views were great along the way, which made up for the tall steps:

And the summit was way worth the hike.

To the south you see Cadillac Mountain, the highest point on the Island, due to what appeared to be approaching poor weather we decided to head back down.

After the summit we went downtown Bar Harbor. A quaint little tourist shop filled with all of the knickknack, t-shirts, Harley, shot glass and Main wear that one would ever want. It reminded me of Mackinac Island to be true. A little over touristy, but a cool little place nonetheless.

I found Chelsea her special present so she should be most excited.

On the way back to the campground it began to pour so we took a detour to fill up some water bottles with ocean water, I lucked out and found a few little shells to stick in mine so it looks like a miniature aquarium.

Finished the day off with a rain-soaked from our campsite to the coast, I think that it was worth it for sure:

Hope the rain lets up enough for us to make a little dinner or else we are going to bed, wet and hungry!

Tomorrow starts the journey home, it has been a good time.

-J