[Review] The Novo Mono Suit by TOBE

I’ll be the first one to tell you that I love skiing pow but I’ll also be the first one to tell you that I get cold easily and when I get cold I start to not enjoy myself. Now that I have the Novo Mono Suit by TOBE, I can have my pow and stay dry and warm too. Not only do I absolutely love the look of the Novo, the fit is amazing and it is truly the best way to keep the gnar from getting where it shouldn’t.

The Novo Mono Suit holds up to abuse from both the elements and things like trees etc. Made with a Cordura® blend, the outer shell is going to last for many seasons ahead. I can definitely attest to the 45,000mm Sympatex® membrane keeping me dry on the inside as I’ve not only skied some deep days with the Novo suit, but also some extremely wet days. The Novo is 100% waterproof, windproof, and gnarproof, and you also won’t be getting any snow down your pants or up your jacket. We all know how much that sucks when you take a digger and have to drain snow from everywhere. I don’t know about you but once my base layers get wet I’m pretty much cold until I get home and jump in a steaming hot shower.

Continuing on with the durability of the suit, I have found this design to be the best I’ve ever seen on an outer layer. Shredding your pants with your ski edges is pretty much inevitable and we’ve all done it (on every single pair of ski pants we own). TOBE has generously reinforced the knee, inside calf, and leg cuff with Armortex® Kevlar. This material is so beefy (yet you don’t notice it’s there) I don’t think you could destroy it if you tried. I love the fact that my mono suit isn’t getting shredded and don’t even get me started with how rough snowmobiles are on everything!

Usually when I hear that something is “Unisex” I get really disappointed and assume I’ll look like a dude when I’m wearing said unisex piece of gear. When the Novo showed up, I was absolutely ecstatic. There’s nothing manly about the suit and even the fit is perfect! Even though TOBE Mono Suits are technically Unisex, they have a wide range of sizes (XXS–XXL) and colors. TOBE caters to many different sizes and styles and to me this also sheds light on the fact that women need as equally well-performing gear as men do and TOBE believes it too.

I’m a bit taller at 5’10 and weigh around 150 pounds and I’m extremely happy with how the small fits me. I don’t feel like it’s overly baggy, however it is plenty long in both the torso and legs and I can easily layer up as much as I need to underneath the suit. The size guide on TOBE’s website is nicer than any guide I’ve ever seen and really gives you a great idea as to what size you’ll want. I knew that I would need room to layer and being a little bit taller, the small seemed to fit the bill. The one thing I will mention about the fit is that I feel like the legs are really wide. Not that it is a huge deal but I have felt them get kind of caught up in a turn a time or two. They could be just a titch narrower but I’d rather have them too wide than too narrow.

The one question that I get asked all the time while wearing the Novo is does it suck to go to the bathroom? While it takes a bit more time than just pulling down your pants, do I wish that there were a quick zip access? No way! Not only would that ruin the aesthetic of the suit, I think it would also add problematic ways for snow and cold air to make its way into the suit. I try not to have to go to the bathroom too many times throughout my ski day and honestly the trade off is totally worth it (we’ll see what TOBE comes up with in the future—I may be eating my words—but for now I’m happy without bathroom access)!

I feel like you can never really have too many pockets and what I love about the Novo is that there are two inside zippered pockets (media on one side, small normal pocket on the other) perfect for housing your valuables. There’s also the ever-convenient pass pocket on the upper left arm as well as an outer chest pocket where I keep my phone if I’m not listening to tunes. At first, I was very skeptical of the two hand pockets and using those for snacks, hand warmers, extra buff etc. I filled em up and off I went, never even realizing I had my pockets full. Being where they are on the suit I thought having anything in the hand pockets would drive me nuts but I couldn’t even tell. There aren’t any pockets on the butt as there shouldn’t be (ok if you use back pockets while you’re skiing/riding you’re just crazy).

The venting system works really well on the Novo and unfortunately with the warm winter we’ve been having, I’ve been able to ensure it works properly. I love having the vents on the front of the suit because it is a much more efficient way of cooling your body versus pit zips PLUS THEY ARE SO EASY TO GET TO. The thigh vents work nicely as an intake and the core vents as an exhaust. Once you get your layers dialed for different temps, the Novo is truly a perfect all season suit. It’s also worth mentioning that everything on the Novo suit is easy to access while wearing a backpack (realize how on some jackets they say “backpack compatible” and you trust that and then you’re skinning up the trail and you want your snack so badly but you actually can’t access that pocket and now you’re just hungry and bummed?).

It’s really hard for me to not get excited about the Novo Mono Suit because I feel like it has changed my powder days for the better (and who knew they could get any better). Not only am I warmer and dryer but I’m probably better looking too. If you’re a pow skiing enthusiast and you have yet to board the mono suit train, it’s about time you do. Like I say to the many people at the resorts who ask about my Novo, go get yourself one you won’t ever regret it.