New Ski Jacket Includes iPod Controls

New Ski Jacket Includes iPod Controls, Recco Rescue System

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By: Kraig Becker
Updated:
8


Outdoor gear continues to improve in a variety of ways. It is now warmer, lighter, and more durable then ever. We’ve seen jackets and boots that charge our devices while warming us with built in heaters, but the RLX Aerotype Jacket from Ralph Lauren may be the most practical of all.

The jacket, which generally runs $1290 but is currently on sale for $780, is not only stylish on the slopes, but also includes integrated controls for your iPod, so you always have easy access to your tunes. But perhaps even more interesting, is the inclusion of the Recco Avalanche Rescue System, which means you can shred the hill all day, in bounds or out, without fear of being lost.

The Recco System uses a special set of detectors and reflectors that allow rescue groups to pin point the location of someone buried in an avalanche in a very fast and accurate fashion. The system is employed by more than 600 organizations around the globe, and those reflectors are integrated into this jacket, ensuring a quick rescue should the need arise.

Of course, the price point of the jacket puts it well out of the range of most people, and while the integrated technology does add to the price, I get the feeling the logo on the front doesn’t help either. 😉

Kraig Becker
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8 thoughts on “New Ski Jacket Includes iPod Controls, Recco Rescue System”

  1. Hey Adventure Junkie – I just wanted to thank you for another year of great blogging from you. You tirelessly cover pretty much everything in the adventure world. Your blog is a one-stop shop for adventure news and updates. Sometimes I think "how does this guy do it!?" Anyways, your dedication has not gone unnoticed. So…thanks. I hope you have some great adventures of your own in 2010.

  2. Thank YOU P! 🙂

    I appreciate your comments and you stopping by to check out the blog regularly. Obviously it is a labor of love, and when I have the opportunity to interact with other adventure junkies, like yourself, it makes it all worth while. 🙂

  4. Recco has nothing to do with satellites. And it also is extremely far from a promise of safety in the backcountry. It is irresonsible and frankly reckless of you to say anything like this. Also, this jacket on sale still costs twice what a far better jacket (which also includes Recco reflectors) from Arc'teryx or many other competitors costs.

  5. You're right when it comes to the satellite system, and I corrected the title of the article appropriately.

    Having the Recco system is better than not having it at all, and it does make you safer in the backcountry, and I also mentioned that the logo on the jacket adds substantially to the price. Or did you miss that part?

  6. Hey Adventure Junkie,

    Good to see the great stream of articles coming from you!

    I'd be cautious about extolling the virtues of the Recco system. Although it is a useful technology for finding avalanche victims, it does require the searchers to have the Recco detection system.

    Getting the system, and rescuers, to any avalanche site will take time. Possibly quickly for in-bounds avalanches, but possibly hours or longer for out-of-bounds or backcountry avalanches.

    Considering that the chances of surviving an avalanche burial drop dramatically after 5 minutes, the only real hope for a quick rescue is self-rescue by the victim's own party (using avalanche beacons).

    Honestly, the Recco system is little more than a quick body-recovery system in most cases.

    GT

  7. Thanks for your thoughts and adding some depth to how the system works GT. I had a basic understanding of hot it worked, but you put some context to it.

    Much appreciated!

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