The Beyond Ventum K4 Jacket/hoodie gives you an ultralight wind proof DWR treated shower proof jacket that packs up small into its own pocket. With 2 external zip pockets and a 4 way stretch fabric this jacket is useful during the changes in the season when a windy or showery day happens more often. With articulated elbows and tailoring this jacket looks great and represents superb value for money.

Full In depth review

You all know the days I’m talking about when there are gusts of wind and the odd shower. It’s not worth going out with a large jacket but you don’t want to get wet or slightly cold. Living in New England means you can get 4 seasons of weather in one day so the Ventum Jacket is something that comes in useful far more often than you would think.

The Ventum is your well made secret insurance bet against bad weather for the times you might not be carrying a backpack

You might also be interested in my guide to jackets for hikers or my guide to the best warmer jackets for hiking or camping.

Fabric

The Ventum Jacket fabric is a 4 way stretch breathable fabric with a DWR coating that means it’ll bead water on the surface if you get caught in a light shower or short rain bursts. I wouldn’t rely on this to keep you dry in a rain storm that lasts all day but for the times you get caught in a shower it does a great job of repelling water. It also ‘shakes dry’ quickly because of the way the material is made.

Pockets

The jacket has 2 zip pockets on the outside which is enough for your keys, phone and wallet. It also uses one of the pockets as its own built in stuff sack so you can keep it out the way easily.

Fit

The 4 way stretch means the jacket can be tailored a little bit more to look good. It also has articulated elbows so the arms feel more comfortable when extended and bent. There is also elasticated cuffs to help keep the wind out round your wrists.

Anther feature I see with Beyond is the option to have either regular or long fit on jackets. This isn’t something I need ( I’m 5ft 7) but I can see taller people finding this option a really big benefit.

Fits in your pocket

The left zip pockets allows you to turn the jacket in on itself and pack it up into a small bundle weighing only about 12oz. For ultra light campers and hikers I would use this jacket as a possible pillow when sleeping too.

Color Options

The Ventum comes in a range of colors including Grey, Blue, Green and Black as a well as a useful camp option for people out hunting or wanting to be more covert when stealth camping.

Gripes

It’s hard to fault a jacket thats made so well with such good materials. The price point is highly competitive and the company is USA firm based in Seattle so you get to support American businesses.

Verdict

The Beyond Ventum K4 Jacket gives you an ultralight wind proof DWR treated shower proof jacket that packs up small into its own pocket. With 2 external zip pockets and a 4 way stretch fabric this jacket is useful during the changes in the season when a windy or showery day happens more often. With articulated elbows and tailoring this jacket looks great and represents superb value for money.

PURCHASE $127

Specs and Features

Body Material 4.28 oz. 86% nylon/14% spandex

Weight (Size L)12.7oz

Insulated. No

Durable Water Repellent (DWR). Yes

Wind Resistant Yes

Breathable Yes

Fast Drying. Yes

Pockets. 2 external zip pockets (stow feature in left)

Articulated Elbow Yes

Cuff Partial Elastic

Zipper Pulls Yes

Source Imported

About Beyond

Truly wild places—well beyond your local park or bicycle trail—have so many enriching experiences just waiting to be had. But moreover, we firmly believe they provide unique benefits for your physical, mental, and emotional health. The trick is how to safely access them, and that’s where we come in: Beyond Clothing is your access pass to the world’s wild places.

Beyond’s highly technical products enable you to meet the environmental challenges standing between you and your outdoor adventure. Our products may look like clothes, but they’re quite a bit more than that: they’re tools, gear crafted to work together as a system of layers. There are many different layers and they do many different things, but the main thing that unites them is moisture management. Every single layer is exceptionally breathable, lifting moisture—whether it’s yours or the climate’s—up and out of your system to get you dry in a hurry. 

Beyond’s years and years of system development stretch back to 1996. Layering systems are highly technical tools: nature’s elements are powerful and unpredictable, and so protection from them must be of the most exacting capability. Beyond’s first system, AXIOS™, was the product of ever-innovating fabric technology and rigorous testing by professional teams in some of the harshest environments on Earth.