Golf is a sport that is played in virtually all types of weather, and, depending on where and when you play, that means you need gear for almost all conditions.
The evolution of outerwear means not only golf clubs can aid in performance, but what one wears can significantly help improve the final outcome. Sunice has met that challenge head on and created arguably one of the best golf jackets available. The Hurricane Albany jacket is part of Sunice's top tier line and has everything that makes a great jacket, well, great.
It starts with the fit. I was sent an Extra Large jacket to try. I have to say I have a modest collection of Sunice clothing and it is mostly XL, with a few being Large. I'm not a fan of overly loose clothing, and, at first glance, it looked like I was going to be swimming in the thing. That wasn't the case. It ended up fitting perfect. The Albany's design would be best be described as “Euro Fit".
The jacket is available in three colors: black, blue and navy blue. It would be good to see some more diverse colors brought out to match the current trend in golf, but these colorways are pretty standard in outerwear.
The sleeve ends have Lycra inner cuffs, which prevents wind from crawling up the sleeve even if the Velcro on the outer cuffs is not attached. The Velcro is very strong and fastens very securely. The nice thing with the Velcro outer cuffs is the tension can be adjusted to suit one's swing or personal preference.
An issue that I commonly encounter when testing outer shells is how a base or mid layer can snag on the outer layer, and can make a swing quite a challenge. The sleeve is lined with a slightly stretchy, very smooth material called X-Static that will not interfere with a base layer.
The inner part of the jacket is made of the same material found in the sleeves and there is a draw string to make the lower portion of the jacket snug the body tightly. It is cleverly hidden in the side pockets. I never did adjust the draw string as the jacket fit that well. The shell material itself doesn't really stretch that much, but it is supple enough that it doesn't hinder the swing either. Sunice claims that this jacket stretches 25 percent more than the competition, and from my experience that claim holds true on the course. While it doesn't expand as much as their lower-tiered Tornado series, it still is quite an accomplishment for a jacket in this class to have that capability.
There are three outside pockets on the jacket, all of them having water-resistant zippers. The left side pocket has a chamois attached that is great for cleaning sunglasses and even balls or grips. It is completely removable so it can be cleaned separately from the jacket. The upper right chest pocket is sized large enough to fit a cell phone or wallet, but small enough that it is not noticeable when it is empty. It's supposedly for scorecards, but not once did I use it for that purpose. Oddly enough, there is a double main zipper. Not sure what the thinking is on that as I never did split the zipper up. I would imagine a single zipper would be perfectly acceptable.
A product in this category is exceptional when it can be used in a variety of settings. I tested the Hurricane Albany in a multitude of conditions and applications. They ranged in temperature from 80 degrees down to 23 degrees Faherenheit and in wind, rain, sleet, snow and sun. This jacket blocks the wind exceptionally well and provided very good comfort when out for a late evening walk. There are some reflective surfaces, but not enough to make it a good late-night visual aid. It was also neat to see the snow land on this jacket and just sit there. The only issue I had was that while in a torrential downpour, some rain came through the neck area, but that is pretty much impossible to avoid from happening, no matter the jacket.
I wore a variety of base and mid layers under the jacket, from compression to light hoodies. The only thing I really needed to do was adjust the Velcro sleeve closure to ensure proper fit around the wrists. The jacket is classy enough to be worn out to a nice restaurant and is great to have in the car for “just-in-case” scenarios. I found myself wearing it more than my other jackets, primarily because of how versatile it turned out to be.
The jacket is able to be folded quite easily and stored in any carry bag's main pocket. It is also light enough that it won't be much of a burden either. The jacket comes with a lifetime waterproof guarantee, albeit I'm not sure if there will be many who actually will follow through with a claim.
The Hurricane Albany carries a price tag of $300, which is in line with other high-end outerwear. Is the jacket worth the $300? Well, if ultimate performance and versatility is what you are looking for, then with out a doubt it's worth every penny.
