Burton AK 2L Gore-Tex Cyclic Jacket 2019 - 2011 Review by The Good Ride

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Ethics Statement: We don’t get paid by the manufacturer to write these reviews.  No one is perfect and we do make money from the “Where To Buy” links below, but this is our best attempt at an honest and objective review from an average riders’ perspective.

Grant’s Jacket Specs
Size: Medium
6’0”
165lbs
Chest: 42”
Upper Chest by lats: 42”
Arm Length (pit to wrist) 22.5”
Neck: 16″
Torso Length (collarbone to pant line) 22”
Shoulder Width 17.5” wide
Inseam 32.5”

Size Tried: Large
James’ Specs:
Height: 5’10”
Weight: 185 lbs
Chest: 44.5”
Upper Chest by lats: 46”
Arm Length (pit to wrist) 19.5”
Neck: 16″
Torso Length (collarbone to pant line) 23”
Shoulder Width 19” wide
Gloves: Burton AK Guide Glove
Helmet:  Smith Vantage
Goggles:  Anon M2

Size Tried: Large

James’ Specs:
Height: 5’10”,
Weight: 195 lbs,
Upper Body-:44” Chest, Torso Length 23” (collar bone to pant button), Shoulder Width Approx 22”, Arm Length 19.5” (pit to wrist)
Lower Body: 33” Waist, 42” Hips, 30” Inseam,  24.5” Thigh
Turn On’s: Size L Jackets that fit well around my chest, size M pants that fit well around my thighs so I can get in and out of my pockets, open roads, Surfy Powder Turns, Riding with Friends, new gear, and especially my super-hot super smart super funny wife.
Turn Off’s: Size L Jackets that don’t fit well around my chest, super tight Size M Pants that I can’t get up over my thighs, traffic and people who can’t park inside the lines.

The Burton AK 2L Cyclic Jacket Series has been around for a while and they have done a good job on making a very good minimalist technical shell.   There are many varieties of AK 2L jackets.  There is the Turbine, The Stagger, The Cyclic and the Anorak.  As far as Gortex jackets go this is reasonably priced along with a lifetime warranty.

Fit: Nice not too loose and not too baggy fit that can handle a decent amount of layers.

Comfort: This is a shell with a light mesh lining and it feels comfortable even on bare skin as well as goes on smoothly with any underlayer even fleece.

Construction: It is light, well made for a snowboarder and will last a long time. It holds up well and the seems have never come apart.

Hood: One thing we like about the Cyclic jacket is the hood is contoured instead of articulating.  The Cyclic Jackets hood completely covers every part of your face except for the goggles where some jackets with the 2 piece hood can leave little places on your cheek exposed. What we don’t like is how small the hood is so it’s barely helmet compatible.  It restricts your movement from side to side.

Insulation/Warmth: None. This is a shell.  Even as far as shells go this is even a bit on the cold side of non-insulated shells. The Cyclic Jacket does block wind and not let it pass through.

Waterproofing: 2 Layer Gore-Tex is very waterproof and it can hang just about anywhere.  It’s not the end all be all of the waterproofing but it’s very good and probably it’s somewhere in the upper 20k range in terms of waterproofing.

Breathability:  Now the Breathability of Gore-Tex is good but it’s not as good as the waterproofing.  It’s probably more in the 15k-20k range which is pretty good but not exceptional. Love that the 2015 Cyclic Jacket’s Pit Zips doesn’t have mesh so you get much more venting and you also don’t get the mesh caught in the zipper when zipping it back up.

Overall: There aren’t many snowboarding companies that put out the effort to make technical outerwear that can compete with the high-end ski companies and we commend Burton for doing so.