Review: Outdoor Vitals Nebo Windbreaker

Outdoor Vitals Nebo Windbreaker

Whether you hike in the high country and mountain passes or through the plains and prairies, there is one thing that is a must have in a pack, a windbreaker. Outdoor Vitals has come up with an ultralight version, the Nebo Windbreaker. I took this lightweight piece through its paces in the mountains and woods of Colorado. Here are my thoughts and review of the Outdoor Vitals Nebo Windbreaker.

As a disclaimer I would like to mention that I was given the Outdoor Vitals Nebo Windbreaker so that I could write this review. All opinions on this page are our own and based on our own experiences with this jacket. I am not compensated for the opinions on this review. Your experience with the Jacket may be different. This site uses affiliate marketing links. If you click a buy now button and make a purchase I may receive a small commission at no extra cost to you.

From Outdoor Vitals

Before I get into my review of the Nebo, I wanted to let you know what Outdoor Vitals has to say about their windbreaker. From their website, Outdoor Vitals says: “The Nebo Windbreaker is built to keep you warm by stopping wind chill, while staying breathable enough to keep hiking without overheating! Our proprietary fabrics & coatings increase durability, allow for breathability, & block wind efficiently.”

Here is a bit more on the specs before the review.

Specs

Price*

$124.97

Sizes*

Unisex: Small – XXXL

Colors*

Black, Dark Forest

Weight*

4 ounces (size medium)

Features and Technology

Features:

Chest Pocket

YKK #3 Zipper

Drawcord Adjustable Hem for better fit

Close-fitting Slick Hood (no adjustment)

Athletic Fit to prevent extra fabric from becoming a sail or flapping in the wind

Drop Back to help prevent drafts from going up your back

Better Fabric Feel that isn’t sticky or clammy like some other windbreakers

Best Benefit to Weight Ratio – highest number of days used per year for how lightweight it is

Built for Breathability – even during high exertion

Technology:

• Fabric: Single layer 20D Ripstop Nylon, DWR treated
• Zippers: YKK #3 zippers
• Colors: Black & Dark Forest
• Fit: The Nebo should be loose enough to fit other layers or another jacket beneath it, but not so loose that the wind catches fabric and turns it into a sail or makes it flappy
• Gender: Men’s sizing (see product images for how the Nebo Windbreaker Jacket fits women)
• Warranty: Outdoor Vitals Performance Promise

Care: This product is built for ultralight performance, & was not built to withstand extreme abrasion.

Do not wash in a machine that has an agitator. Give it an extra rinse cycle & hang dry.

Fabrics

Single Layer 20D Ripstop Nylon, DWR Treated

All information from Outdoorvitals.com and subject to change. Check the website for full details and options.

What I liked about the Outdoor Vitals Nebo Windbreaker

There is a lot to like about the Nebo Windbreaker from Outdoor Vitals. From the ultralight weight to the sizes available, they have made it easy for more people to enjoy the outdoors with the Nebo. It also has a really nice athletic fit and feel to it and functions well as a windbreaker. Here is a bit more of what I liked about the Nebo.

Fit

Windbreakers can fit in so many ways. Ranging from nearly a second skin to a giant sail with a head hole. For the Nebo Windbreaker, Outdoor Vitals actually made it fit like a jacket which was a really nice approach! The Nebo has more of an athletic fit, even on my non-athletic body. It is tight around the wrists and hem to keep it from sliding up. I am going to say that the Nebo is shape fitting and not form fitting. It won’t be so tight that it is restrictive but it also won’t hang off of you and catch the wind and flap all over.

Overall it really has a fit like a jacket. It rounds around the shoulders and lays well across the chest and down the flanks. There is a sturdy zipper that is easy to manage and a single zippered chest pocket. The nylon is also really breathable so you don’t have to keep un-zipping to let air in. Even as a heftier hiker who runs hot, I haven’t had any issues with overheating when I wear the Nebo.

So overall, the Nebo is a nice breathable windbreaker that fits well and is pretty stylish. You don’t have take it on and off when you find some less windy spots because it isn’t going get you overheated and you will have the flexibility to move and stretch in all of the ways you need to do in the outdoors.

Wind Break

A windbreaker is only as good as how much wind it breaks. I was a little concerned when I first saw the Nebo because it is so light and relatively thin. Those concerns were answered the first time I wore it. The Nebo does a really nice job of cutting all the wind around and kept me warm, even when I was hiking up in the mountains in winds that were around 20-25 mph.

There are a couple of things that I like about the Nebo in its wind blocking. The first is that the sleeves and hem are tight to the body. This blocks any wind from blowing up the sleeve or coming in under the jacket. It prevents the wind from filling the inside of the jacket and puffing up like a marshmallow. The other feature I like is how tight the hood gets. It lays very flat next to your face preventing wind from getting inside the hood. This helps the hood stay stationary and not flap wildly which I have seen with some other products.

I haven’t taken this jacket to extreme wind conditions yet on mountain peaks, but in the moderate winds that I have hiked in with the Nebo, it has held up extremely well and made me comfortable through the hike.

Weight

I am not a complete ultralight hiker by any means. Usually, by the time I have packed in all of my snacks I am way beyond the ultralight lifestyle but I do appreciate gear that doesn’t way a ton. Especially when it is gear that you need to have with you on most hikes like a windbreaker. Plus, I know there are through hikers out there who focus on every single ounce that they have in their pack so it is really important to have the lightest gear possible.

The Nebo Windbreaker comes in at just four ounces for the medium sized jacket. That is almost imperceptible in my book. The 4 ounces fit easily in my pack in the back pouch and I can barely tell that it is there. When I am wearing the windbreaker, again it feels like I am not wearing anything at all which is great for a wind break layer. My glove liners actually weigh more than this windbreaker. I think ultralight trekkers will really appreciate the strength and wind breaking ability in such a light weight jacket.

Sizing

It is no secret that I am a bigger guy. As a bigger person, it is always a challenge to find brands that make activewear in bigger sizes that aren’t just comically oversized. I love the fact that Outdoor Vitals goes all the way up to a XXXL with the Nebo Windbreaker. I wear the XXL and it fits me great. Some of the times a plus sized windbreaker is just a garbage bag with holes so it is so nice to be able to have a technical garment that fits and performs just like everyone else.

From what I can tell, the Nebo is unisex with sizes from small to XXXL so it should be able to fit a majority of the folks out there. Especially since most people will have a layer or two underneath the jacket. OV also has a nice sizing guide on the jacket page to help you pick out the perfect size for you.

What I didn’t Like

While there is a lot to like about the Outdoor Vitals Nebo Windbreaker, they will take away my blogger card if I don’t find a few things. For me it all comes down to pockets.

The Nebo comes with a single chest pocket. It is a big a very functional pocket with a really solid zipper to make sure that it won’t come loose during harder hikes. All of that is nice. However, for me, as a top layer I like to have a couple of side pockets as well. I like to keep some gloves and my hat and maybe some snacks in the side pockets because I want them to be easy to get to. While the chest pocket is nice and big, and I could probably fit all of that in there, I feel it is less comfortable to have it all in a chest pocket as apposed to having some side pockets. Not a huge deal breaker because I have other pocket locations but just my first world problem complaint.

The other issue I have with the large pocket is that it makes the windbreaker just a little less packable. I don’t know if the pocket is bigger because I wear a XXL, or if they come that big on all sizes, but the larger pocket makes for a loose fitting pack job if I try to stuff it in the pocket. I don’t think it is designed to be stuffable but that is my default when it comes to jackets. Typically, I find myself loosely rolling up the Nebo and putting in my exterior pouch in the back of my pack.

So nothing too big, more of a couple little comfort things for me.

Video Review of the Outdoor Vitals Nebo Windbreaker

Before my final thoughts here is a quick video review of the Outdoor Vitals Nebo Windbreaker. If you enjoy the review make sure to subscribe to my YouTube channel to be the first to see my new content.

Wrap Up of the Outdoor Vitals Nebo Windbreaker

I was cautiously optimistic when I first tried out the Nebo Windbreaker from Outdoor Vitals. The first thing that I noticed was just how lightweight it was. At just around 4 ounces it is the most ultralight piece of clothing I think I have. I wasn’t sure how it would work at a technical windbreaker with being so lightweight but I was pleasantly surprised. The Nebo held up to all the wind that I tested it in. I was really impressed. Being so light weight also makes it really easy to include in my pack for every hike. You never know when you are going to need a windbreaker! The Nebo was really nice and fit great. It was also available in bigger sizes which is important to me as a bigger body myself. Overall, I really like this a windbreaker and stylish light jacket.

More from the Fatman

For a list of other products that I have reviewed you can check my Product Review page here. If you have any products you would like me to review or any comments you can email me at fatmanlittletrails@gmail.com or you can follow me on any of the below social media platforms. Happy Hiking!