Burton 2L Gore-Tex Highland 2013 Review by The Good Ride

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The Burton 2L Gore-Tex Highland Jacket is the Twin Peaks Grill Jacket from 2012 with a new name.  It is an affordable insulated Gore-Tex Jacket for those that don’t like too much layering and want their jacket to take care of some of the warmth. The Grill isn’t insulated like a puffy but it has light to borderline medium insulation throughout the entire jacket. Everyone has a different warmth needs so it’s hard for sure to say how well this will keep you warm. Some ride puffy’s even on a sunny day and some ride shells on super cold pow days with only a layer or 2 beneath. So this can be a 1 layer underneath for most days and for others, you might need a layer or 2 extra.

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Size Tried: Large
James’ Specs:
Height: 5’10”,
Weight: 195 lbs,
Chest 44”
Torso Length (collar bone to pant line) 23”
Shoulder Width (widest point of shoulders) 22”
Arm Length (pit to wrist) 19.5”
Turn On’s: Size L Jackets that fit well around my chest, Riding with Friends, Open Roads, new gear and my wife.
Turn Off’s: Size L Jackets that don’t fit well around my chest, traffic and people who can’t park inside the lines.

Fit: Feels a little on the tight side for a large and there isn’t much room for me for layering.  That being said I’m a little thick in the chest and shoulders so if you have a thinner build then it will fit fine.

Comfort:  Burton’s jackets are all comfortable and I like how the liner feels on bare skin and even better with a 1st layer on.

Construction: The construction is solid and there are plenty of pockets for just about anything you need.  The Gore-Tex Highland Jacket doesn’t have the ultra waterproof zippers that the AK line has but they do conceal most of the pockets with waterproof material. The material feels sturdy and this jacket feels like it could last for a very long time. Also, it feels pretty comfortable despite the more snug fit.

Hood: Some like articulating hoods and some prefer continuous hoods. This has an articulating hood. The good is the hood tucks neatly back when it’s not on and the collar looks better.  The bad is when it’s up parts of your cheeks below the goggles aren’t covered and you have to rely on a bandanna or balaclava to keep your whole face completely protected. Some don’t care at all about this and some do.  If you think you do go with a jacket that has a contoured hood.  If you don’t this is a great jacket.

Insulation/Warmth:  The Highland offers up some decent warmth and it makes for a good

Waterproofing: If you ride in areas that get wet snow this should block out just about anything coming at you and it can even deal with some rainy days. Gore-Tex has great waterproofing.

Breathability:  The insulation does make it feel like there is less breath-ability.  Burton wasn’t too clear on how breathable it is but we do know that the Gore-Tex insert is at or above 20K for waterproofing.  My guess is there is probably about 15k breath-ability but I’m not 100% on that.  It could be better or worse but that’s how it felt.

Overall:    If you like articulating hoods and aren’t into layering a lot the Burton Gore-Tex Highland Jacket is one of the better choices you can make for a low cost insulated 2 Layer Gore-Tex Jacket.