Summary

The Burton AK 2L Cyclic Jacket is a very solid technical shell that I've used almost every year. It's not cheap but if you are into layering this is a great weather barrier to go over any of your under layers.  This is one of our favorite light and thin shells. Like all AK jackets, it has a lifetime warranty.

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Type Shell
Gore-Tex Yes
Hood Type Contoured
Powder Skirt Yes
Jacket to Pant Interface Yes
Fit

Semi Tight

Packability Thin
Construction Excellent
Vents 2 Meshed Pit Zips
Layer Count 2 Layer
Waterproof Rating Unpublished
Breathability Rating Unpublished
Manufactured in China
Warmth

Poor

Waterproofing Excellent
Breathability Great

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Burton AK 2L Gore-Tex Cyclic Jacket 2024 - 2011 Review by The Good Ride

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
GogglesAnon 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.

 
Burton AK 2L Gore-Tex Cyclic Jacket Past Reviews

2013 vs. 2012 AK Cyclic Jacket Review
So there are a few differences between the 2012 and 2013. The mesh is removed in the pit zips which is awesome because the mesh restricts the venting and it also catches on the zipper.  The 2013 is also just a tad bit more snug than the 2012.  There is also a taffeta lining instead of a mesh lining and it’s less catchy on your helmet or other things.

2012 AK Cyclic Jacket Review

 
Burton AK 2L Gore-Tex Cyclic Jacket Specs

 
Burton AK 2L Gore-Tex Cyclic Jacket Images

We try to get as many images of the Burton AK 2L Gore-Tex Cyclic Jacket, but forgive us if they're not all there.

2024

2019

2017

2016

2015

2014

2013

2012

Burton AK 2L Gore-Tex Cyclic Jacket User Reviews

Burton AK 2L Gore-Tex Cyclic Jacket 2011-2024 Review SKU UPC Model

Great Jacket

Sep 21, 2016 by Clark Starr
Ability Level: Beginner/Intermediate • 
Riding Style: Try not to fall • 
Days You Ride A Year: 16 

Bought this last year on clearance, but it was still the most expensive piece of clothing I've ever purchased (to this day I've managed to avoid suits in my professional life). It was worth every penny. Can fit a down sweater under it for cold days, fleece then flannel as it gets warmer. Clips to my snowpants fine. Like that the skirt can be removed. I wore it the first time on a trip to Colorado/Utah where we boarded Snowmass then hiked Arches NP. Worked well for both. Only complaint is I wish it had a second front chest pocket.


Burton AK 2L Cyclic Jacket

Feb 03, 2015 by Matej
Ability Level: Advanced/Expert • 
Riding Style: All mountain • 
Days You Ride A Year: 30 (used to be more) 

First of all thanks to the Good Ride for the reviews, I wasn’t sure which jacket to get Cyclic or Swash and this site helped me to make a fact/experience based decision.

I am riding for more than 15years, noting extreme since I am a family guy now, just enjoying free ride, ground/butter tricks and occasionally doing snow-kiting. Based in Eastern Europe (Slovakia). 183cm (6ft) tall 84kg (185p) weight and size M fits me well, leaving some room for layering.

Since I already have Brtn AK VT jacket (for the occasional extra insulation combined with after-hours wear) and contour hood was important to me - Cyclic was the winner.
I was lucky and could compare side by side Cyclic 2014 and 2015 models. There is no point of acknowledging its waterproof and windproof qualities … with that said:

The main difference for me is the size of the hood – 2014 has slightly bigger one with 1-2 inch bigger circumference which makes a big difference how the hood fits over my helmet (Bern G2 model 2013). Cyclic 2015 collar was really tight and I could barely fully-zip the jacket with my helmet on but on the other side it doesn’t expose your neck when hood is down in normal position as much as 2014 model (not a big deal since I wear a thin balaclava with helmet anyway).
Another difference is the position of outer pocket – 2015 has a bit more vertical alignment and the inner one has zipper instead the of velcro closure in 2014. Those are not a big deals at all.

There is some room for improvement for Burton, as mentioned in other reviews:
1) Wrist gaiters to lock my thumbs into but not like those used in Swash jacket. This would be a nice addition and will not add bulk to the minimalistic shell. Maybe it will be a DIY project after some time (will see if it is worth it breaking the lifetime warranty)
2) Outer chest and inner pocket placement – they should be one on each side. Note: 2015 model color “Welcome To Paradise Print” has already the media pocket on other side according to Burton’s official page pics.
3) Adding an inner mesh pocket on the “other side” as the media pocket will be a good option w/o adding bulk IMO (again DIY project after some time)

These are small things and the jacket is just a hell of good minimalist looking serious piece of gear. And on top of that 2014 was a bargain (you won't believe ;) ).


Go goretex bro

May 09, 2014 by matt
Ability Level: Advanced • 
Riding Style: All mountain • 
Days You Ride A Year: 100 

Great simple goretex shell. Fits really well and does a great job of keeping your dry. I don't tend to use a lot of pockets so the minimalist style was great for me. A couple of things bugged me though:
1. i like having wrist gaiters to lock my thumbs into and stop the snow getting up the sleeves. this jacked has nothing like that.
2. The pit vents are completely open when you unzip them. This probably is great for hiking missions where you totally vent then zip up for the descent, but at resorts where i needed them undone on warmer powder days it was not so awesome!


4.0 4.0 4 4 Bought this last year on clearance, but it was still the most expensive piece of clothing I've ever purchased (to this day I've managed to avoid suits in my professional life). It Burton AK 2L Gore-Tex Cyclic Jacket 2011-2024 Review

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