Armada is crushing the outerwear game these days and the Grands Jacket & Emmons Bibs are a great example of their ability to create, clean technical outerwear that looks and feels great. There’s a lot of great outerwear these days but the cuts Armada has come up with really stood out both at the test and compared with a lot of what we’ve been skiing recently.
The Grands Jacket & Emmons Bib pants come from the higher end of Armada’s outerwear line with 20k fabrics and fully sealed seams to keep you dry and the worst of conditions. The Grands is on the baggy side for technical gear for sure, as you’ll see in our fit guide, but it has all the features you’d want from a high-end jacket. The two big chest pockets are big enough for skins if you need to transition quickly when touring and the internal pockets, both drop-in and zipped offer a ton of flexibility for stashing phones, layers, etc. There are big pit vents and a proper powder skirt to keep you cool and dry respectively, in all this is a well-thought-out and steezy jacket.
The Emmons Bib is an equally solid offering, with matching materials to the Grands and a relaxed fit. It’s pretty baggy around the thighs but tapers a little towards the boot. There are some burly kick panels to protect the cuffs from your edges and for us, those are a huge factor in a good pant. There are plenty of big pockets on these too, so you can load up with snacks and layers no problem… these would do great on the beer cans test. The only thing we didn’t like was the location of the beacon pocket, which sits around the knees and makes the beacon clunk around and generally isn’t worth using.
Who’s it for:
The Grands/Emmons combo is all the jacket you ever need for resort skiing. It’s light enough and technical enough that you could take it for the occasional tour and tough enough for some occasional sledding too. You could wear it in the park and not look out of place but it’ll keep you just as dry and comfortable as the rad dads and their Arc’teryx. We’re huge fans of this kit and most of our crew left wanting one.
Fit guide:
True to size for a relaxed fit, size up for properly baggy, two sizes for a parachute. Pro tip: Bibs won't fall down, no matter how big you go.
Skier: Twig. P: Hanne Lundin Wallengren
The Grands Jacket & Emmons Bib pants come from the higher end of Armada’s outerwear line with 20k fabrics and fully sealed seams to keep you dry and the worst of conditions. The Grands is on the baggy side for technical gear for sure, as you’ll see in our fit guide, but it has all the features you’d want from a high-end jacket. The two big chest pockets are big enough for skins if you need to transition quickly when touring and the internal pockets, both drop-in and zipped offer a ton of flexibility for stashing phones, layers, etc. There are big pit vents and a proper powder skirt to keep you cool and dry respectively, in all this is a well-thought-out and steezy jacket.
The Emmons Bib is an equally solid offering, with matching materials to the Grands and a relaxed fit. It’s pretty baggy around the thighs but tapers a little towards the boot. There are some burly kick panels to protect the cuffs from your edges and for us, those are a huge factor in a good pant. There are plenty of big pockets on these too, so you can load up with snacks and layers no problem… these would do great on the beer cans test. The only thing we didn’t like was the location of the beacon pocket, which sits around the knees and makes the beacon clunk around and generally isn’t worth using.
Who’s it for:
The Grands/Emmons combo is all the jacket you ever need for resort skiing. It’s light enough and technical enough that you could take it for the occasional tour and tough enough for some occasional sledding too. You could wear it in the park and not look out of place but it’ll keep you just as dry and comfortable as the rad dads and their Arc’teryx. We’re huge fans of this kit and most of our crew left wanting one.
Skier: Max Ritter. P: Hanne Lundin Wallengren
Fit guide:
True to size for a relaxed fit, size up for properly baggy, two sizes for a parachute. Pro tip: Bibs won't fall down, no matter how big you go.
Twig (left) is 5'9. Max (right) is 6ft. Both are wearing L Jacket & L Bibs.
