Snowboard Canada

Grade EH Peer Review: Bonfire Beacon Jacket and Harrison Bib Pant

Tester Nick Khattar checks that UFD mobility

Bonfire is one of the most classic shred brands out there, with deep roots in snowboarding and a focus on PNW performance.  After seeing team riders Darrah Reid, Beau Bishop, and Dustin Craven looking oh so fresh in early season grams, we decided we had to put some of Bonfire’s 2017 line to the test. So, we zipped up Nick Khattar in the 20k/15k insulated Beacon jacket with the 20k/15k semi-insulated Harrison Bib, and sent him out for some boardin’.  Here’s what he had to say:

I put this gear through the proverbial paces. I wore it night riding in the rain and sleet on Seymour, opening weekend in Revelstoke, and basically lived in it for three days splitboarding in Rogers Pass, where temperatures dropped to -40. Throughout all those conditions I was dry and warm.

The 20k/15k Bonfire Beacon Jacket

At Rogers Pass, I wore the Harrison Bibs without a base layer– east coast temps in nothing but tighty whiteys and Bonfire, and no complaints!  Standing around shooting photos for hours at a time I was cozy; naked-on-a-bear-rug-in-front-of-a-fireplace cozy. Past that, sensible cuts kept me limber and loose splitboarding into the alpine with 50 pounds of gear.

The Bonfire Platinum gear is what you want if you are riding in the Pacific Northwest. The Beacon Jacket has pockets for days, and if you ride with a BOA system, the Harrison Bib has dual BOA windows. The Harrison also has upper and lower snaps to keep your cuffs clear of kook-drag.  The jacket has a very mellow slim fit and the pants are just wide enough to have an acceptable sag.  I was a bit skeptical of the fabrics at first; the Beacon Jacket uses a denim canvas, and the Harrison pants have an almost cotton feel.  Though the fabrics look great, I was worried they’d soak up water.  Definitely not the case– whatever Bonfire’s using for waterproofing works!

The 20k/15k Bonfire Harrison Bib pant

The technical stuff aside, I was most impressed with was the breast pocket on the Harrison Bib and the bottom-up zipper on the Beacon Jacket. In cold temperatures the breast pocket on the Harrison Bib is the perfect location to keep shitty phones from dying, and the bottom-up zipper on the Beacon Jacket allows for quick access to the gram.  And let’s be honest here: the only reason you need technical outerwear in the first place is so you look like a badass in your story, right?

There you have it, straight from a dude who’ll spend a month in a tent to tag a few lines.  You can scope Bonfire’s full 2017 line here, and find a dealer close to you here.  Keep an eye out for more Grade EH Peer Reviews as the season keeps firing!