Sunice Bollon Rain Jacket: Performance, Comfort & Flexibility

Remember the days when rain jackets felt like over-sized garbage bags and looked even worse. They were bulky, noisy and either too warm or not warm enough. Not to mention, you could have a rain jacket in any color as long as it was black. (Henry Ford would have been proud.)

Thankfully, those days are behind us. Due to the advancements in technical fabrics, brands are now creating rain jackets that are lightweight, warm, quiet, flexible and highly breathable, and the Bollon jacket from Sunice possesses all of these characteristics.

There was a five year stretch where every Christmas my wife gave me a different jacket from a different brand. I could never find one that I liked. One was too bulky. One was too stiff. One was too restrictive. And, one had sleeves that were too long. Needless to say, I switched to sweaters and resorted to rain jackets only when it was, well, raining. Sunice’s Bollon jacket has me reassessing my cold weather apparel, though. I’ve worn it for three straight rounds — none of which included a drop of rain. That’s how good it is.

The Bollon jacket is like a treasure chest of well-thought-out features. The more I wear it, the more great things I find — like the small towel I found in the left pocket in the middle of my second round wearing it.

Everything about this jacket is designed for comfort and performance on the course. The outer shell is constructed of a FlexVent™ knit fabric and coated with a Super WxTech™ finish. What does all this technical talk really mean? The Bollon is as soft, flexible and quiet as a sweater and it rejects rain like Dikembe Mutombo rejects basketballs. The full length front zipper and the side pocket zippers form waterproof seals to keep you dry, and the comfort factor of the Bollon is increased through the use of a tricot fabric lining. Tricot has a very tight weave that is lightweight, breathable and silky smooth.

Since I received the Bollon rain jacket, I’ve been hoping for a rainy day on the course, but the Bollon appears to repel water in more ways than one. Even though this is the middle of the rainy season here in Northern California, we haven’t seen a drop of rain since I received the jacket and we are officially in a drought. Apparently, just owning the Bollon jacket keeps rain away.

Like any good golf apparel blogger that can’t find rain, I did the next best thing — the shower test. Yes, I hit the showers with the Bollon jacket and board shorts and emerged totally dry from the waist up. If the Bollon performs this well in the shower, then I’m sure it will stand up to the heaviest downpours on the course.

There are a lot of rain jackets on the market that will keep you dry, but dry and comfortable are two different things. Comfort is an area where the Bollon really shines (pun intended).

The collar of the jacket features Sunice’s patented ‘V collar’ with a neoprene finish. I thought the ‘V’ simply enhanced the aesthetics of the jacket, but during my conversation at the PGA Show with Sunice President, Mark Fletcher, I learned that it actually helps the collar stand up. When zipped to the top, the collar fits snugly around the neck to keep water from dripping inside and it has a buttery soft feel. The top of the collar also has a fabric guard that houses the zipper and prevents it from scratching the chin while swinging. This is a key comfort feature. I’ve booted other jackets out of the rotation for making my chin look like it was in a battle with Freddy Krueger.

The cuffs on the Bollon are also built for performance and comfort. The inner cuff is constructed of a soft Lycra that forms a silky bond with the skin, while the outer cuff features a Velcro tab, which allows the openings of the sleeves to be customized to the size of your wrist. This keeps the cuffs away from your hands and out of your way when swinging and putting.

As golfers, we’ve been conditioned to size up on rain gear in order to have the freedom of movement needed to execute a golf swing. The result has been over-sized, baggy jackets that create a sloppy look. Due to the innovative fabrics in the Bollon jacket, a slim fit can be achieved without sacrificing performance. You do not need to size up with the Bollon. Ordering your normal shirt size will provide a sleek, modern fit. I’ve even comfortably layered a sweater or a vest under it.

One issue I’ve had with other rain jackets is that they tend to bunch up around the mid-section. The Bollon, however, has an inner drawstring around the waist that helps the front of the jacket to lay flat. Tightening this drawstring also creates a slimmer fit and a second drawstring around the waist does a great job of preventing wind from getting under the jacket.

From a style standpoint, the Bollon is fairly understated. It is available in a solid black and a solid white colorway. If you are looking for a bit more pizzazz, it is also available in a grey plaid and a grey houndstooth. The laser cut pockets not only look cool and add a technical vibe to the jacket, but they are also essential to the waterproof performance of the jacket.

The Bollon, and all of Sunice’s rain jackets, are designed to be combined with the brand’s other layering pieces. For example, in the picture above, the ‘Tennis Ball’ yellow of the mid-layer piece complements the ‘Citadel/Tennis Ball’ yellow colorway of the Langford jacket.

For 2014, Sunice is offering three different collections of outer shells (jackets). The Bollon is joined by the aforementioned Langford and the Halifax in the Tornado Collection. Each of the jackets in the Tornado Collection feature the FlexVent™ waterproof technology, and offer a 4-year waterproof guarantee.

There are only a couple of brands that have Gore-Tex® jackets in their line ups for 2014 and Sunice is one of them. Each of the jackets in the brand’s top-of-the-line Hurricane Collection (the colorful Collins, the Garrett, Ultimate V6 and the Albany) possesses a Gore-Tex® shell and a lifetime guarantee. You can’t get a better guarantee than that.

Embossed prints along with brilliant blues and grassy greens are characteristics of Sunice’s fashionable Typhoon Collection. Each of the jackets in the Typhoon Collection features Zephal™ waterproof technology and is accompanied by a 3-year guarantee.

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Sunice offers a perfect blend of performance, technology, comfort and style. If you’re looking to upgrade your outerwear and rain gear in 2014, Sunice should be on your short list — and this is coming from a guy with a drawer full of rain jackets that haven’t made the cut.

Web: www.Sunice.com. Twitter: @SuniceGolf. Facebook: SuniceGolf.