Flylow Malone Ski Jacket Review

Support our work! The Inertia may earn a small commission from affiliate links in this article. Learn more about our gear review policy here.

Skiing in the Flylow Malone Jacket at Palisades

The Flylow Malone Jacket was made to shred powder on either side of the resort boundary line. Photo: Will Sileo//The Inertia

Flylow has long been the Carhartt of ski outerwear — hardwearing, no-nonsense gear at prices that don’t make you wince. The brand’s bestselling Baker Bib has held down the top spot in our best ski bibs guide for years running, and for good reason: it’s the kind of bombproof, fully-featured piece that wears in rather than out.

The Flylow Malone Jacket ($420) brings that same DNA to the top half, but adds a twist, swapping the stiff, crinkly feel of a traditional hardshell for a stretchy, softshell-like material that moves with you like a favorite sweatshirt, without giving up an ounce of that Flylow toughness. It’s an incredible choice for a ski jacket, and the one we think will suit the most skiers, whether they shred the resort or spend their time in the backcountry.

The fit of the Flylow Malone jacket is one of our favorites – loose and roomy, but not baggy. Photo: Ken Cox//The Inertia

Bottom Line: We just named the Flylow Malone Jacket our Best Overall Ski Jacket of 2026, and we didn’t do so lightly. Ridiculously comfortable, genuinely weatherproof, durable, super versatile, well-featured, and priced far below $500 – there’s just not much to complain about.

Check Price on REI

Photo: Will Sileo//The Inertia

Testing the Malone Jacket

I’ve tested a ton of Flylow gear in the past, including the legendary Baker bib, the Quantum Pro jacket, Lab Coat, and more, so I’m very familiar with the brand overall, how it fits, and what their priorities are with the ski gear they produce.

I tested the Malone Jacket in a size Medium, which fit my lanky 6’0” 155 frame perfectly. I received it at the beginning of this season, and have spent many hours since then testing the jacket, mostly on the resort, with some time in the backcountry as well.

It’s been a bit of a tough season for testing here in the U.S. West with massive snow dumps followed by warm, dry stretches, but as such, I’ve been able to get out with the jacket in a variety of conditions and am excited to share what I’ve learned, so let’s dive in!

A chest pocket, two hand pockets, and a pass pocket on the left sleeve round out the jacket’s exterior storage. Photo: Will Sileo//The Inertia

Notable Features

Best All-Around Ski Jacket (Shell)

Flylow Malone Jacket ($420)

Flylow Malone Jacket

Style: All-around
Weight: 680 g
Fit: Loose
Notable Features: Fleece-lined hand pockets,

Pros: Exceedingly comfortable, great cut, great softshell-like material
Cons: Not quite as stormproof as some other options in this list

Material

The material of the Flylow Malone Jacket is truly the highlight feature. It’s a 3L construction, with a waterproof membrane rated to 20k/20k, so it is reliably waterproof and quite breathable. With just the right amount of stretch, however, it feels more like a softshell than a true hardshell.

To put that in layman’s terms, the jacket uses three fabrics bonded together to create the shell – an outer face fabric, the waterproof/breathable membrane, and an interior lining for comfort. The waterproof membrane is rated to 20k waterproofing and 20k breathability, which I’ll let you research yourself if you really want to nerd out.

Suffice to say, 20k/20k is basically the gold standard for a waterproof/breathable membrane, guaranteed to keep you dry in just about anything, while also allowing hot air and sweat to escape so you stay dry underneath. The inner lining is a jersey backing – super low-profile and sleek, but comfortable against the skin in a way that keeps the jacket feeling supple and easy-moving rather than stiff or technical.

A brushed tricot lining on the inside of the hand pockets is a nice touch. Photo: Will Sileo//The Inertia

The face fabric is where the difference is from your traditional hardshell. Instead of a stiff, crinkly shell fabric, Flylow opted for a stretchy 100-Denier material that gives the jacket a softshell-like feel and freedom of movement that most hardshells simply can’t match. This makes the Malone jacket a great choice for backcountry and the resort alike, as it’s breathable, easy-moving, and hard-wearing, a very tough balance to strike indeed.

The PFAS-free DWR (Durable Water Repellent) does a great job of keeping water from soaking in, but like any jacket, enough exposure to water and it will get overwhelmed. With the stretchy softshell face fabric, that water then soaks in, making the jacket feel heavier and clammy underneath as the breathability gets compromised. It’s not a dealbreaker, but it’s worth keeping the DWR dialed — a spray-on or wash-in treatment will go a long way toward maintaining performance.

inside pocket of the flylow malone jacket

Plenty of room for essentials. Photo: Ken Cox//The Inertia

Pockets

I’m a big pockets person, as I love to have a variety of places to squirrel away Chapstick, a GoPro, some snacks, and maybe even a beer or two. The pockets on the Malone are fairly standard, but very roomy. Two hand pockets, one chest pocket, a ski pass pocket on the left arm, and two interior drop-in pockets round out the full suite of storage. My favorite detail? The lightly brushed fleece backing in the hand pockets. A small thing, but it makes a real difference for cold hands on and off the hill.

As long as you’re not regularly skiing truly nasty conditions, the Flylow Malone Jacket is hard to beat. Photo: Will Sileo//The Inertia

Drawbacks

The tradeoff with such stretchy, comfortable material is the weatherproofing. No, the jacket won’t start leaking in a rainstorm, thanks to the waterproof/breathable membrane and full seam taping, but the face fabric can wet out in prolonged rainy conditions — and once saturated, the jacket can feel heavier and clammy underneath as breathability gets compromised.

That’s true of any ski jacket, but those with stretchy shells or more fabric-like exteriors are more prone to this than a stiff, burly hardshell. All that said, a little jacket maintenance goes a long way. Keep the DWR fresh, and you’ll be in good shape for just about anything.

Medium-sized pit zips help ventilate as needed. Photo: Will Sileo//The Inertia

The Competition

Another great jacket from Flylow that’s also featured in our Best Ski Jackets review is the Quantum Pro ($440). Another shell design, this one is a true hardshell, made with material that is more durable and more weatherproof, but stiffer and less effortlessly comfortable. Another cool feature of the Quantum Pro is the zippered drop-in pockets that drop into the lining of the jacket, behind the powder skirt. Pretty nifty.

Trew Gear’s Cosmic Primo ($600) was our prior “Best Overall” shell ski jacket, and this year the Malone took the crown. The Cosmic Primo has more pocket space and a burlier shell with slightly better weatherproofing, but the Malone wins on mobility and comfort, and does so for $180 less. For most skiers, that’s a pretty easy call.

Testing the Flylow Malone Jacket on the Tower 16 run, one of my favorites at Palisades Tahoe. Photo: Forrester Pickett//The Inertia

Final Thoughts

If you’re looking for a shell jacket that can do it all without the stiff, boardroom-serious feel of a traditional hardshell, the Malone is the one. It wears more like a favorite sweatshirt than a piece of technical outerwear, which is exactly what makes it so good. Unless you’re regularly skiing in truly nasty, wet conditions where bombproof stormproofing is non-negotiable, the Malone Jacket’s balance of protection, comfort, and price is hard to beat.