Black Diamond Distance Wind Shell Review

As an option that rivals our Editors' Choice Award winner in terms of lightweight and amazing packability, the Distance was gunning for the top spot. But this jacket fell just short of that mark in a few key areas, namely water resistance. When traveling fast and light in the mountains, you want to know you're covered when you get hit with a quick-passing rainstorm. Unfortunately, the revolutionary DWR fabric built into the Distance significantly underperformed in our testing.

But you can be certain that this one layer is going to both breath during your high-output adventure and do its job — block the wind. On a few morning ski tours, we found that the fabric dumps heat well on the uphill. At the top of the climb, the jacket holds onto just the right amount of warmth to keep you cozy and protected from the elements while transitioning. In warmer weather, the jacket is so light it's hardly noticeable on your body while trail running. In any activity where you want to push your physical limits, know that the Distance will comfortably keep pace.

Performance Comparison

Wind Resistance

The Distance is built with unbelievably lightweight nylon ripstop with a grams per square meter rating of 30 — that's comparable to tissue paper — But compared to other single-layer nylon options, this piece is lighter AND does a better job standing up to winds pushing zero-degree wind chill.

Similar to the nylon builds, it is difficult to force air through this jacket with one's mouth, and both options are just as hardy in gusting winds on an alpine ridgeline. However, the Distance does a better job facing winds head-on, thanks in part to the draft-flap behind the zipper.

Breathability and Venting

As a trade-off for properly blocking the wind, single-layer nylon jackets generally do capture some moisture, and the Distance is no exception. Although overall, it is less clammy than others, the lightweight material is visibly damp after a run. But in a magic trick similar to the Houdini, this jacket seems to dry out enough in a steady breeze to continue to wear comfortably.

The best option to improve venting is to push up the sleeves or unzip the jacket partway. Thanks to fully elastic cuffs, pushing up the sleeves is more comfortable than the half-elastic cuffs of the Houdini. But the weight of the material means that the Distance feels billowy when partially unzipped. Regardless of how you decide to weigh this fact, this jacket scores highly in terms of breathability and venting.

Weight and Packability

As stated a number of times now, the Distance is insanely lightweight; our size medium tips the scales at 3.5 ounces, the lightest wind jacket in review, and as far as we can tell, one of the lightest options on the market today.

Very comparable to the other thin windbreakers in terms of packability — it's actually hard to tell which of them packs down smaller — this jacket readily hangs off a climbing harness or easily stuffs into a mountain bike top-tube fuel tank.

Fit and Functionality

Expecting an ultra-tight fit to fit its ultralight image, we were happily surprised how versatile a size medium fit a 5 foot, 10-inch, 165-pound, skinny mountaineer's frame. The Distance feels comfortable as a stand-alone outer layer over any base layer and easily pulls over a synthetic puffy. And when it comes to running in warmer weather, this jacket feels as light as air with plenty of room to move. The ultralight material means the jacket feels billowy in a steady wind, and in particular, the hood whips around during a ski descent or in a heavy crosswind.

The Distance is a minimally built jacket. The main difference between the two and where this jacket loses points is that it looks like a minimalist jacket: the material is see-through to the point where it causes lapses in self-confidence. That being said, the Distance is purposefully built for endurance adventures. An elastic hem on the hood means it can be pulled over a climbing helmet without unzipping the jacket. Full elastic cuffs keep sleeves in place, and a single drawcord cinches both the hood and the hem when the weather calls for the jacket to be sealed up tightly.

Although the Distance has no hand pockets, a big advantage over the practically comparable jackets is a larger chest pocket that easily accommodates any size cell phone. Another major plus is the draft flap behind the zipper, a thoughtful addition that could have been ditched to save a few grams, but one that is appreciated by all who will use this jacket in the high mountains or on a chilly bike commute.

Water Resistance

What makes this new jacket a standout is the revolutionary engineering technique developed by Green Theme International, creating a DWR that is fused into the fabric. This new manufacturing process uses no water and is completely PFC-free, making it incredibly eco-friendly compared to traditional methods.

While a few months of testing isn't quite enough time to test their claims of never needing to refresh the jacket's DWR, the Distance does not seem to support superior water-repellency. In a drizzle, the material will bead off some water, but by the end of our hose test, this jacket soaked through the shoulders and neck, a disappointing outcome.

Value

Black Diamond touts that the Distance is “tailor-made for fast and light mountain adventures,” and without a doubt, this is exactly where it excels. This jacket has a tag that is pricey compared to other single-layer nylon jackets. But for ski mountaineers, alpine climbers, and long-distance trail runners, this is a highly technical piece worth the extra cost.

Conclusion