[Review] The Vivid Mono Suit by TOBE

I didn’t think skiing in deep pow could get any more awesome. That was, until I got the Vivid Mono Suit by TOBE. This suit has improved my pow days immensely for multiple reasons. Not only does my Vivid Mono Suit keep me entirely dry, it’s also durable and fits me really well. After wearing a mono suit on most every powder day this year, it’s definitely going to be hard to go back to a jacket and pants combo.

My favorite feature of the Vivid definitely has to be the fact that it keeps me entirely protected from the elements (aka gnar). No matter what conditions you find yourself in, TOBE’s Mono Suits will keep you dry. Combined with fully sealed seams and YKK Aquaguard® zippers, they’re also using Sympatex® material to achieve 45,000mm of waterproofing throughout the suit. Many of my layers in the past have been somewhere around 15,000-30,000mm of waterproofing and so when I read about Sympatex® I was quite surprised. Not only have I stayed dry on pow days but I have stayed dry on some extremely wet pow days (we’re talking snow that is on the verge of being rain). The Sympatex® works magic against moisture however you wont feel like you’re wearing a plastic bag.

I’ve also been overly impressed by the durability of my TOBE Mono Suit. They designed this mono suit with the idea in mind that perhaps someone would actually be wearing it into harsh environments. Between my ski edges and the snowmobiles, my outer layers are almost guaranteed to get beat up. You’re probably just as surprised as I was to see both Kevlar and Cordura as two of the materials used to build the Vivid Suit. I have to say hands down that the reinforcement on my Vivid has to be the burliest and sturdiest I’ve ever seen on outer layers. Armortex® Kevlar reinforces the suit in the knees (thank you I ski tele and so yes I needed that one big time), inner calf, and leg cuff. Other companies could take note of this because like I said this is by far the best reinforcement I have ever seen. I don’t think I could cut up the inside of my legs if I tried!

As far as pockets and venting goes, I’d say the Vivid Mono Suit has everything that you need and nothing that you don’t. I’m not one to really stuff my pockets full when I’m heading out for a day of skiing but I do have enough room for some snacks, a perfect pass pocket, usable inner media pocket, a small inner pocket for valuables, and two practical hand pockets.

At first I was definitely skeptical of the venting system but I’ve really grown to love it. I was a little bummed that the Vivid Suit didn’t have traditional pit zips but I’ve found the core vents to work better than pit zips ever have. It makes sense, seeing as how your core is what regulates your temperature. The thigh vents help to intake air while the core vents exhaust that air, really giving you a solid cooling system. I have noticed that with the mesh that TOBE is using on the vents, it may not be fine enough and occasionally lets snow in. I have just learned to unzip for the lift ride and zip up for the ski down. I would be hesitant to leave them down in fear that I would take on snow while snowmobiling.

I’m not usually one to wear insulated outer layers and I’m glad the Vivid Suit is simply a shell. It allows me to wear it early season, mid season, and late season and is easy to adjust my base layers and mid layers to the temp I’ll be skiing in. I love that the fit allows for additional layers and won’t make me feel like marshmallow man.

I’m also more impressed with TOBE’s size guide over any other company I’ve ever seen out there on the web. They show you an interactive-ish guide to sizing by putting different sizes of suits on the same person so you can see how the fit works on that person’s specific size and shape. I was really nervous when ordering my TOBE because I thought for sure the size would be off. When it showed up and I tried it on, I found it to be perfect and I think I credit that in part to the fact that they show you the different fits through their size guide. I am normally a size large and am 6 feet tall and weigh 200 pounds. My Vivid is a size large and like I mentioned I can layer liberally underneath if I need to. I also wear knee pads (tele thing) and padded shorts and both of those work just fine. On other suits I’ve tried, I feel like when I raise my hands up I get a bit of a wedgie. I’ll be honest, sometimes I tomahawk down the mountain and what would add to the disappointment of that would be if my ball sack ripped apart because my mono suit was too tight. Luckily with my TOBE, that won’t be a problem (uh, the ball sack ripping open not the tomahawking).

The bottom line here is that if you’re one who loves to ski deep pow and does so often, it’s time for you to get on this train. TOBE specializes in the mono suit and I truly think they have it dialed. If you want to stay dry, warm, and indestructible, your next purchase for you outerwear quiver will be a TOBE Mono Suit. Also be sure to check out Cally’s review of the Novo Mono Suit, another great option to protect yourself from the elements.