# Burton [ak] Swash 2L GORE-TEX® Snowboard Jacket Review.



## Craig64 (Jul 16, 2015)

*❄** Burton [ak] Swash 2L GORE-TEX® Snowboard Jacket Review.*

*❄ Brand:* Burton,
*❄ Model:* [ak] Swash,
*❄ YOM:* 2021,
*❄ Waterproofing:* GORE-TEX® 2-Layer Printed Polyester 150D Plain Weave Fabric Blocked with Nylon 200D Plain Weave Fabric (Side Panels),
*❄ Insulation:* PrimaLoft® Silver Insulation (60g body), Living Lining™ Mapped with Lightweight 20D Ripstop Down-Proof Water-Repellent Coated Fabric, Closed Cell Mesh and Soft Taffeta,
*❄ Size:* Men’s XL (Chest 43-46", Waist 37-40"),
*❄ Fit:* Regular Articulated,
*❄ Venting:* Mesh-Lined No-Snag Pit Zip™ Vents ,
*❄ Colour:* _"Slate Shelter Camo",_
*❄ RRP:* $Au769.99, ($US464.95) @2023
*❄ Rider:* 192cm (6'4") 95kg (210lbs),
*❄** Rider Outerwear*: Giro Range helmet, Anon M4 goggles, Burton [ak] Hover/Cyclic pants, [ak] Powergrid base layer, [ak] Guide gloves, [ak] Endurance socks, Burton SLX boots, Quiksilver TR Platinum 24L riders backpack, OT Chips 2.0,
*❄ Board*: Burton Show Stopper 162 / Burton Genesis EST™ (Large) / Burton Straight Chuter 162 / Burton X Base EST™ (Large),
*❄ Location:* Perisher, NSW, Australia,
*❄ Camera:* GoPro Hero 7 Black/Smatree S2C carbon pole/Samsung Galaxy S8.











Over the last few years, I've really come to love the high quality and superb performance I've experienced from my Burton [ak] Helitack and [ak] Cyclic 2L GORE-TEX® jackets which I’ve selectively tested in both Japan and Australia. Years ago, I owned an older '15 Burton [ak] Swash that I used for a few seasons in Australia however I unloaded it when I grabbed the more recently technically updated [ak] Cyclic Jacket for Australia.









Burton [ak] Helitack 2L GORE-TEX® Snowboard Jacket Review


❄ Burton [ak] Helitack 2L GORE-TEX® Snowboard Jacket Review. ❄ Brand: Burton. ❄ Model: [ak] Helitack. ❄ YOM: 2019, 2020, ❄ Waterproofing: GORE-TEX® Stretch Twill Fabic [2-Layer] ❄ Insulation: (2019) Stretch Lightweight 20 Denier Down-Proof Lining (120grms Body / 100grms Hood and Sleeves)...




www.snowboardingforum.com













Burton [ak] Cyclic 2L GORE-TEX® Snowboard Jacket Review


❄ Burton [ak] Cyclic 2L GORE-TEX® Snowboard Jacket Review (Part 1). ❄ Brand: Burton, ❄ Model: [ak] Cyclic, ❄ YOM: 2020, ❄ Waterproofing: GORE-TEX® 2-Layer Nylon 70D Plain Weave Fabric Blocked with GORE-TEX 2-Layer Nylon 200D Plain Weave Fabric (Side Panels), ❄ Insulation: Living Lining™ mapped...




www.snowboardingforum.com





In the past on some of my Outerwear Reviews, I’ve rated pretty highly both the Quiksilver 2L GORE-TEX® Inyo and Impact insulated (60/40g) snowboard jackets for use in slight to moderate sub-zero temperatures. Quiksilver however have followed a path known as _"Skimpflation"_ in marketing down their premium level snow outerwear that they've sold in the past by withdrawing the higher technical features they once use to include.









Quiksilver Inyo 2L GORE-TEX® Snowboard Jacket Review


❄ Quiksilver Inyo 2L GORE-TEX® Snowboard Jacket Review (Part 1). ❄ Brand: Quiksilver, ❄ Model: Inyo, ❄ YOM: 2016, ❄ Waterproofing: GORE-TEX® 100% Polyester Plain Weave [2-Layer], ❄ Insulation: 3M™ Thinsulate™ Type G™ (60grms Body / 40grms Hood/Sleeves), ❄ Size: Mens XL (Chest 43-46", Waist...




www.snowboardingforum.com













Quiksilver Impact 2L GORE-TEX® Snowboard Jacket Review.


❄ Quiksilver Impact 2L GORE-TEX® Snowboard Jacket Review. ❄ Brand: Quiksilver, ❄ Model: Impact, ❄ YOM: 2017, ❄ Fabric/Waterproofing: 100% Polyester Plain Weave, GORE-TEX® [2-Layer], ❄ Insulation: PrimaLoft® Silver (60grms body / 40grms hood/sleeves) embossed taffeta and brushed tricot knit...




www.snowboardingforum.com





So consequently, I thought to myself, let's grab the current seasons '21 Burton [ak] Swash and give it a descent run through its paces to see just how it now stacks up.










Well, let’s start here…, the price. The Burton [ak] Swash punches in at a whopping $Au769.99 ($US464.95) RRP which mate..., is a fairly hefty amount to outlay for just the upper half of your body’s outerwear. No arguments, it’s sitting up at the top tier for 2L GORE-TEX® snowboard jackets, however, with this big-ticketed price you're getting a hell of a lot of premium inclusions thrown into the mix as standard.










So, let’s firstly look at the construction. Like all of Burtons [ak] outerwear lines the [ak] Swash is a premium level jacket which sits superbly on your torso with its regular articulated fit. The rear has a slight drop tail in design similar to the cut of the [ak] Cyclic which adds protection whilst seated on the lifts and smashing through the powder. The chest and back areas of the [ak] Swash are insulated with a 60grams PrimaLoft® Silver fill weight, mapped with quilted soft taffeta and a 20D lightweight down proof lining. The weight of the [ak] Swash is not overly heavy for a partially insulated jacket and the 150D main plain weave printed fabric with additional 200D plain weave action side panels feel fairly robust in denier but not uncomfortably stiff.

The Burton [ak] Swash is the men's version of the Burton [ak] Embark Snowboard Jacket and closely parallels it with insulation levels. The Burton [ak] Embark is insulated with PrimaLoft® Silver [60g] fill weight throughout (body/arms/hood) as opposed to the [ak] Swash only having the body area matched at this same [60g] level.









Burton [ak] Embark 2L GORE-TEX® Snowboard Jacket Review.


❄ Burton [ak] Embark 2L GORE-TEX® Snowboard Jacket Review. ❄ Brand: Burton, ❄ Model: [ak] Embark, ❄ YOM: 2020, ❄ Waterproofing: GORE-TEX® 2-Layer cross dyed polyester fabric blocked with stretch nylon twill fabric, ❄ Insulation: PrimaLoft® Silver insulation [60g] throughout and Living Lining™...




www.snowboardingforum.com














Personally…, I have no concerns with the regular sized cut of the Burton [ak] Swash with the XL size which fits really nicely on my 192cm/95kg platform. The sleeves are a pretty decent length and wrap over the top of my gloves with ease. Additionally now, the [ak] Swash sleeves come fitted with adjustable Lycra wrist gaiters and powder gasket cuffs which I really love and can slide them nicely inside your gloves to lock in the warmth. I ran this jacket with just a mid-weight 200 [ak] Powergrid baselayer which was perfect for our Aussie conditions around sub 0°C.










From 2020 the Burton [ak] Swash now has a really generous sized 2 point rear adjustable StormForm Fulltime Contour™ hood with superb 3 point embedded Cohaesive™ cinch (1 x rear) and hood length (2 x R&L front) adjustment. The hood sits pretty nicely over your helmet (Giro Range) with zero problems moving your head left to right to the full extremes.










I'm definitely not a big fan of multiple pockets scattered all over the front of a snowboard jacket which I rarely ever use anyway and consequently love the minimalist single chest pocket design layout of the [ak] Helitack and [ak] Cyclic. However, the positioning of the dual front chest pockets are not overly obtrusive on the [ak] Swash and in some colours are slightly visually inconspicuous anyway.

Riding in Australia practically warrants running with the full level of GORE-TEX® outerwear due to our Winter temperatures hovering around +/- 0°C. The Burton [ak] Swash has absolutely no problems with water proofing thanks to the 2L GORE-TEX® protection and a solid DWR external fabric. As to be expected down here it rained/snowed then melted on the [ak] Swash which never faced an issue with incurring any wet spots. Water just beads off the outer layer of the jacket with ease, keeping me totally dry the whole day.

I was pretty fortunate with the Covid resort shutdowns last year in Australia that I was able to land this XL Burton [ak] 2L GORE-TEX® Swash in _"Slate Shelter Camo"_ at a truly not to be missed EOS (50% off/delivered) price. My son below is running with the '19 Burton [ak] Swash (Medium) in _"Canvas/Safari/Kelp"_ and [ak] Freebird 3L Bibs.










Burton Snowboards YOM '20 onward with their [ak] Helitack, Swash and Cyclic range have introduced their meshed No-Snag Pit Zip™ rather than open zip design from the past. Personally, big fan here as I much prefer this design which prevents the vent from opening up like a flapping sail at speed. The Burton [ak] Swash has also kept with its signature dual right and left front chest pockets both with YKK® water resistance zippers. The central front YKK® bi-directional zipper now comes standard with heavier improved twin sliders and larger teethed elements that feel heaps more robust than prior generations.










The Burton [ak] Swash over the last few generations comes with the added ability to completely zip out and remove the internal powder skirt for more comfortable street use outside mountain riding. There is also an insulated media therma-pocket inside the front left chest pocket to keep your phone battery from getting iced out and they've added the zippered electronic lift pass pocket onto the left bicep side similar to what they've done with most of their jackets now. Now a little problem I’ve discovered with this higher positioned lift pocket is when being a taller rider you practically always have to squat/bend down (especially in Japan) at the lift gates in order to get within the proximity zone to establish the electronic pass sensor.

Burton have also gone a lot bolder with the graphics on all their 2020/21 outerwear however the darker _"Slate Shelter Camo"_ tones sort of subdue this effect due with its colour similarity with the black writing.










Now running the Burton [ak] Swash through its paces in the wild feels amazingly good. The Jacket was not at all restrictive or overly hot with the venting working superbly well when needed. The storm collar is truly an unreal design for keeping you snuggly protected from the elements when needed whilst the hood is dropped. We had one of the coldest I've felt in alpine Australia the other day creating a perfect stage that amplified just how good the Burton [ak] Swash performs in these sub 0°C conditions.

This ’21 season Burton [ak] Swash jacket is a big step forward from my older ’15 model loading up with a fair amount of additional technical inclusions featuring; Cohaesive™ hood stoppers, Lycra wrist gaiters, meshed bi-directional twin pit zips, insulated media pocket, zippered external pass holder, along with the fresher styling.










As expected, no surprises here....., the Burton [ak] Swash is a superbly constructed and technically solid high performance 2L GORE-TEX® partially insulated snowboard jacket. It’s super comfortable with the fit, cut and design allowing your ability to ride all day long whilst being perfectly suited for conditions around -10°C to 0°C.

*A brilliantly executed and well deserved. ⭐ ⭐ ⭐ ⭐ ⭐*


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## ridethecliche (Feb 27, 2019)

I have that jacket and freaking love it. Just picked up some of their AK bibs on sale at an outlet store at the end of the season... somehow those seem to have been nicked already after only a few wears (which shocked me tbh) but lifelong warranty means that I'll just keep wearing them and figure out what to do about it once they actually bother me.

I'm a huge fan of burtons outerwear and their reflex bindings. Buy once, cry once kinda mentality here.


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## Craig64 (Jul 16, 2015)

Had a great day on mountain with the Burton [ak] Swash today running it through some surprising Aussie powder.









Riding the [ak] Swash matched up with Burton [ak] Hover 3L GORE-TEX® Pro pants and Expedition base layer as it was slightly cold in the morning.










Internal temperature was okay if not a slightly warmer after a few runs. Lucky you can just vent out with the [ak] Swash.










Might be a need to return back to the [ak] Cyclic jacket if it warms up much further during the week.


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## ckang008 (May 18, 2009)

how does the AK powder skirt perform in deep snow? I've been using Volcom and will like to switch to Burton since Volcom's customer service has been a pain to deal with.


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## Craig64 (Jul 16, 2015)

ckang008 said:


> how does the AK powder skirt perform in deep snow? I've been using Volcom and will like to switch to Burton since Volcom's customer service has been a pain to deal with.


I've been waist deep in the [ak] Helitack and no problems. It's fitted snug around my hips of my pants and I don't have to bother to attach powder skirt tabs to lock into the pants.


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## mjayvee (Nov 18, 2015)

ckang008 said:


> how does the AK powder skirt perform in deep snow? I've been using Volcom and will like to switch to Burton since Volcom's customer service has been a pain to deal with.


Using varying models of [ak] shells for the past 10 seasons, the powder skirt has always worked well for me in deep snow. I have never had a problem, as long as the powder skirt is properly attached to the loops on my pants.

But if you are concerned about deeper days, how about getting some bibs?

My favorite combo for pow days is the [ak] Freebird bibs with the [ak] Velocity Anorak.


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## Sheddy1990 (3 mo ago)

Craig64 said:


> *❄** Burton [ak] Swash 2L GORE-TEX® Snowboard Jacket Review.*
> 
> *❄ Brand:* Burton,
> *❄ Model:* [ak] Swash,
> ...


Hey mate 
Loving your reviews! Ive been struggling to pull the trigger on a high end jacket as Ive only rode in Aus where my mid range jacket and pants have been fine. This year Im doing the season in japan then heading to Canada for next season. So just wondering what your reccomendations would be? i run pretty hot normally so was thinking swash jacket cylic bib??


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## Sheddy1990 (3 mo ago)

Sheddy1990 said:


> Hey mate
> Loving your reviews! Ive been struggling to pull the trigger on a high end jacket as Ive only rode in Aus where my mid range jacket and pants have been fine. This year Im doing the season in japan then heading to Canada for next season. So just wondering what your reccomendations would be? i run pretty hot normally so was thinking swash jacket cylic bib??
> I also dont care how much i spend just want the best stuff!!! Cheers


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## Craig64 (Jul 16, 2015)

Sheddy1990 said:


> Hey mate
> Loving your reviews! Ive been struggling to pull the trigger on a high end jacket as Ive only rode in Aus where my mid range jacket and pants have been fine. This year Im doing the season in japan then heading to Canada for next season. So just wondering what your reccomendations would be? i run pretty hot normally so was thinking swash jacket cylic bib??


You can ride in a shell in Japan but you'd have to load it up with heavy weight baselayer as well as insulation in a technical layer. Especially through peak Winter ie Jan to Feb in Hokkaido it's pretty damn cold around sub -15°C. I'm a big fan of Helitack but it's a specifically cold weather Jacket so not at all usable in Oz. 

A Swatch is only 60g in body and shell in arms so it would be okay for Japan with 300 weight baselayer. Like I mentioned if you can afford it buying the right level insulated jacket is definitely the go but higher end outerwear is now very expensive at full RRP down here so look at trying to strike on EOS sales. Now our big problem is Australia gets low import numbers from manufacturers that's why you see Retail now doing the pre-order system as well so they'll book the order with the brands to import you one in when the container ships in. I've done this in the past for a specific colour.
In Australia as it hovers around +/-0°C and snow melts to rain a bit so a GORE-TEX shell is the clearly the preferable option. In Japan the lower temperatures prevents the snow melting so GORE-TEX is not that critical....., however insulation is.


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## Sheddy1990 (3 mo ago)

Craig64 said:


> You can ride in a shell in Japan but you'd have to load it up with heavy weight baselayer as well as insulation in a technical layer. Especially through peak Winter ie Jan to Feb in Hokkaido it's pretty damn cold around sub -15°C. I'm a big fan of Helitack but it's a specifically cold weather Jacket so not at all usable in Oz.
> 
> A Swatch is only 60g in body and shell in arms so it would be okay for Japan with 300 weight baselayer. Like I mentioned if you can afford it buying the right level insulated jacket is definitely the go but higher end outerwear is now very expensive at full RRP down here so look at trying to strike on EOS sales. Now our big problem is Australia gets low import numbers from manufacturers that's why you see Retail now doing the pre-order system as well so they'll book the order with the brands to import you one in when the container ships in. I've done this in the past for a specific colour.
> In Australia as it hovers around +/-0°C and snow melts to rain a bit so a GORE-TEX shell is the clearly the preferable option. In Japan the lower temperatures prevents the snow melting so GORE-TEX is not that critical....., however insulation is.


Awesome mate thanks alot for that!! thats super helpful I think ill go the freebird bib and just keep my eye out for a helitack somewhere overseas. Theres stuff all avaliable here!! What are the shops and prices like in Japan??


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## Craig64 (Jul 16, 2015)

Sheddy1990 said:


> Awesome mate thanks alot for that!! thats super helpful I think ill go the freebird bib and just keep my eye out for a helitack somewhere overseas. Theres stuff all avaliable here!! What are the shops and prices like in Japan??


Trigger Bros have extra 15% off on their ebay site at present. I always grab gear in Australia (a lot cheaper with EOS) as I find it's expensive in Japan for Boards and outerwear when I go over. They also don't have XL sizes I need in Japan.


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