Looks Like a Teddy, Wears Like a Grizzly

Welcome to my cave. An igloo, really.

My home office faces a small courtyard. Something about how the buildings are situated back there turns it into a polar tornado this time of year. I can hear the wind licking my window. A radiator clicks to life at my feet. But even that can’t protect me from all the chill. Some of it slips through.

I need armor. A second skin. A coat of (faux) fur.

The Nike ACG “Canwell Glacier” Jacket looks like a teddy. But it wears like a grizzly.

Come, come. Join me in my igloo. Have a seat. Rub your hands together and breathe on them. I have a story to tell.

The jacket fits like I’ve been wanting a jacket to fit for a year now. Finally found one. It droops a little off my shoulders, giving it that I don’t care, I’m warm energy. But the length is ever so slightly cropped. It hits right at my belt line.

I ordered a Small. Which isn’t unheard of, but my default is Medium. I highly suggest sizing down if you’re a tweener. For reference, I’m 5’10”. 5’11” on a good day. Average build.

It’s made from a super-plush fleece. I feel like a grizzly bear when I put it on. Even if my wife insists I look like a teddy bear. I like this contrast. I like feeling powerful while looking sweet and cuddly.

You feel the weight immediately, but it’s not too much. It doesn’t wear like it’s swallowing you, the way some shaggy fleeces do. Instead, it wraps you up in its windproof magic and feels less like a jacket and more like your winter coat finally growing in.

Rawr.

On the inside, there are pull tabs if you need to cinch the waist. Useful on extra-chilly days.

There’s also a patch that reads:

Canwell Glacier
Originally inhabited by the Tanana Athabaskans, the Tanana Valley is a remote, lowland region of Central Alaska, USA that features thick fog, midnight suns, and frigid temps. Accessed via a frozen riverbed, the massive Canwell Glacier features soaring ice caves.

Translation? It can handle the frigid wind. It was made for that purpose.

Plus, the interior liner is buttery-smooth fleece that reminds me more of leather or suede than anything fuzzy.

Under the arms and down the sides, a darker brown takes over. I like to tell myself it’s because the Alaskan midnight sun has faded my exposed grizzly areas. But really, it’s just a smart design move that gives the jacket depth.

It also comes in a teal colorway, where the darker shade is the body and the lighter shade lives underneath. I opted for brown.

Because bear.

I love the way the different shades play when you’re living in it, when you’re moving. Something that’s tough to capture in static, 2D photos. (Though I tried my darnedest.) When you’re walking, fixing your hair, reaching for coffee, the dual-color scheme adds real character.

No bears were harmed in the making of this article. Nor in the making of this jacket. In fact, it’s made with at least 75% recycled polyester fibers.