Introduction, disclosures and comparison to the Beyond A4
I purchased this after looking at several wind layers. My search criteria was a lightweight, stowable windproof and water repellent layer which could be stored on my person without adding any meaningful bulk or weight to my kit. It had to be available in Multicam and have a hood, ideally one which could be stowed within the jacket and deployed as required.
Before starting the substantive review, it’s important to clarify that I paid for the Crye Precision Windliner privately and I do not have any relationship with either Crye Precision (obviously…) or UK Tactical, who I purchased the jacket from. I do, however, highly recommend UK Tactical as a company – I’ve bought kit from them routinely since about 2015 and they’re a great company.
After a fairly broad search, the shortlist came down to the Windliner and the Beyond A4 Windshirt. They retail for a very similar price - and both brands are held in exceptionally high regard by cool guys all over the world - but there were two key factors which drove me towards the Crye offering: the full-zip front closure and the cut through the torso. The Beyond is a half-zip, so has to go overhead to don and doff, where the Crye is full front zip, which I have a fairly strong preference for. Mainly, I think a full zip poses less potential snagging issues with getting the jacket on and off when using bulky headwear (especially when night vision devices are in play). It also allows for the jacket to be pulled on quickly and worn (unzipped) over the top of load bearing equipment, which is a big plus for me.
While I couldn’t confirm it first hand, multiple reviews of the Beyond A4 also suggested it had a more athletic, slimmer cut through the torso. Obviously this is a preference point and it is going to come down to how you prefer pieces of clothing like this to be cut. Personally, I think a more generous cut through the torso is more comfortable, and also increases versatility in terms of layering up or down underneath the Windliner as well as above it. Where an item like this is a part of a wider clothing system, this added versatility is a big bonus.
Price
Price is probably the elephant in the room when it comes to the Crye Windliner. At £230, it is very expensive for something which, on its face, fulfils quite a niche role in a clothing system. Certainly, when you compare it to things like the Arc’Teryx Squamish which is slightly over half the price of the Windliner (though it should be noted that the Squamish is not specifically designed for tactical applications), you can’t help but be slightly taken aback at the price of the Windliner. Obviously, it’s impossible for me to say whether you should or shouldn’t consider purchasing it at that price. I would be remiss not to note, in all fairness, that Crye Precision gear does retain value well, so I wouldn’t expect it to shed a significant amount of its value if you were considering re-selling it down the line. I have developed some thoughts (which I’ll come back to towards the end of the review) around whether I feel the Windliner justifies its price tag, but whether it’s something you want to drop the cash on will be determined by your budget and requirements.
Cut and proportions
The Crye offering, as indicated earlier, is cut more generously through the torso, which I see as a real plus point for the reasons discussed above. On the whole, it is very generously cut; if you’re not going to be running this over LBE and aren’t bothered about having the option, you could almost certainly size down for a more athletic fit.
The slight drop-cut in the shoulders unrestrictive and allows full range of motion with no impedance. I wouldn’t have any concerns around this getting in the way of comfortable and effective weapon manipulation. The cut through the arms is generous, bordering on excessive at points, but the extra room is probably necessary where navigation devices etc may be located on the forearm. This is also a major plus where you’re running rolled sleeves on whatever is underneath the Windliner because it means the layers don’t interfere with each other, as is often the case in layers with a beater fit through the arm. Quite contrary to the baggy cut in the arms is the elastic cuff, which I personally find to be a little on the tight side (albeit I have fairly large wrists).
The jacket is cut quite a lot lower at the back than the front (a difference of at least a couple of inches on the XL size). I am concerned that this may cause excess fabric to bunch if running a gun belt setup in conjunction with this layer, so I will definitely be monitoring this ongoing.
Feature set
Fabric and construction:
Starting with the fabric and construction, the jacket is exceptionally lightweight so isn’t burdensome to carry as part of a layering system. It is machine washable and can be tumble dried so maintenance is easy - this is a big plus as combat gear can often end up stinking. A fringe benefit here is that many waterproofing agents require tumbling to set, so it will be fairly straightforward to re-waterproof this jacket when the DWR coating eventually breaks down.
The elasticated cuffs (though slightly tight for me as noted) and waist hem contribute to keeping the jacket lightweight and slick without compromising on a closer fit in these areas to prevent wind ingress. The sleeves also incorporate thumb stirrups - these are certainly helpful where I’m layering over the windliner, but I would have liked them to be Velcro lined so they can be closed over to prevent wind or moisture ingress when they are not in use. I think ease of layering is the stirrups’ main purpose, as the sleeves aren’t, for example, cut at a bias which would indicate that they are designed for constant use. Velcro strips on both upper arms reduces bulk as compared to a traditional panel without compromising on functionality - no complaints there whatsoever.
Being a very thin and lightweight fabric, there is definitely a compromise made in terms of resistance to abrasion or perforation. I used the Windliner as my outermost layer in some reasonably dense woodland for a game day recently and it came away with a few pulls on the fabric and one minor tear at the elastic hem, which, admittedly, left me reasonably unimpressed. I will probably stick to using this as an outer layer in more urban environments in the future. In any case, it is manufactured with rip stop fabric to minimise any damage incurred (and, to be fair, even with some pretty rough use none of the actual fabric perforated). The fabric, while not silent, is reasonably quiet - I certainly wouldn’t have concerns about it increasing sound signature while moving in any meaningful way.
The jacket incorporates perforated mesh panels in the underarm. This is an interesting choice - I assume in the first instance that it is to promote breathability and it maybe has a marginal impact on noise reduction. This is another contrast to the Beyond A4 which instead uses a stretch material under the arms. The mesh is the same material used to line the inside of the stow pocket, which sits on the right bicep when the jacket is being worn. This is positive as it means moisture won’t be completely trapped when the jacket is stowed, which could cause all manner of issues in the longer term.
I think this jacket would have benefitted from an additional pocket on the left arm: as the right arm pocket needs to be available for stowing the jacket, I am going to be reluctant to use that (though there probably would be space for a couple of small items like sharpies or an A6 rite in the rain even with the jacket stowed in there).
Stowability:
One of the “big sells” of this jacket is that it stows down very compactly when not in use. I definitely can’t argue with that - the Crye Windliner can easily cram down to around the size of a 330ml can. I’m a bit perplexed, then, as to why the stow pocket is so much larger than that. The stow pocket is about 6”x6”, and while you can very easily compress it into a smaller size, there’s nothing holding that in place unless it’s compressed by whatever is around it. To me, it feels like Crye missed an easy win here - even something as simple as poppers or additional Velcro tabs to fold the stowed ‘pouch’ onto itself, or elastic compression bands at the top and bottom, would have halved the size of the jacket when stowed. Don’t get me wrong, it isn’t exactly the end of the world, but where the whole emphasis of the Windliner is lightweight and minimalistic, I am left scratching my head as to why the stowed package is so much larger than it needs to be. It also might just be my unit, but the finish on the hems of the stow pocket (which are on the outside when the jacket is stowed) were raw, meaning the fabric wants to fray and produces a lot of loose threads. This was easily neatened with a good pair of scissors, but for the money I do feel that details like this should be observed and rectified in the factory.
Hood:
The hood of the Windliner is lightweight and easily deployed. By design, it doesn’t significantly impede peripheral vision, but it definitely isn’t big enough to accommodate any sort of headgear in the way Crye’s Halfjak hood is designed to, for example. The hood is secured by way of three velcro tabs along the back neckline. While I’ve read some reviews which are critical of this, personally I prefer it to poppers or a zipper in this application, mainly due to the dexterity needed to use poppers not always being easy with gloves on or in the cold (as well as the risk of nylon poppers breaking), and the increased risk of fabric getting trapped in a zipper and causing damage to the garment or losing the functionality of the hood altogether if it gets badly jammed. I find the Velcro tabs inoffensive here.
Front closure:
As outlined, and one of the main reasons I went for this jacket over the Beyond A4, the front YKK zip of the Crye windliner is full length. I do feel it would benefit from some form of additional pull tab on the zip, but this can be very easily retrofitted so it isn’t a huge issue. The zip features a chin guard at the top - this is especially appreciated by bearded guys as getting your beard caught in a zip is no fun at all. The closure is backed by a baffle to dissipate any wind which makes it through the teeth of the zip, and the zip itself is reversed to provide a bit more protection against wind. Crye are obviously a very premium brand in the tactical gear world and their attention to detail here is of the standard I would expect from them, having used their equipment for many years. The neck and baffle are lined with an extremely soft and comfortable wicking material which is a huge plus for me - fabrics like the nylon shell of this jacket have a tendency to get extremely sticky and uncomfortable when you sweat while wearing them. To be honest, I’d probably have taken the trade off of the jacket being a touch heavier for this material being incorporated into the sleeves, as putting nylon against sweaty skin is pretty unpleasant where it can be avoided.
Effectiveness as a weather layer
The Crye Windliner is, titularly, designed as a wind layer. It is only fair, then, that that is the criteria it is judged on. This might seem obvious, but a significant of the criticisms I’ve read of the Windliner in reviews etc nevertheless seem to relate to either its inherent warmth, or its waterproofing. On these points, briefly, the Windliner has no real inherent warmth over and above any body heat it traps as you generate heat through movement. I run the Windliner in conjunction with my Arc’Teryx RHO LT base layer for added warmth as desired (as an aside, I can’t recommend the Arc layer highly enough: I have had mine for at least six years of near-daily use and it has held up phenomenally well). As regards waterproofing, the DWR coating will hold up to light showers, but it is in no way a waterproofing layer. Its lightweight nature means it dries quickly, though. Personally, I am not at all against these being separate items in a layering system: I don’t want to have to run around with a Goretex layer on unless I absolutely have to. There are also myriad after-market wash-in waterproofing coatings etc which I am sure could be investigated if you wanted to increase the Windliner’s water resistance, though for obvious reasons it would be improper to review the jacket on the presumption that one of these has been applied after purchase.
As a wind layer, it is very effective. It massively cuts the amount of felt wind, which is precisely what it is built to do. I live in an area where wind chill is usually a massive contributing factor to perceived cold - often much more than the actual temperature. Obviously we’re not yet in the dead of winter, so my thoughts on the application of the Windliner in much colder weather alongside other layers will continue to develop, and I will maybe post an update in a few months once we’ve had a proper cold snap.
Nevertheless I’ve had a good few hours out and about with the Windliner in temperature ranges about 10°-16°c with reasonably strong winds. At the lower end of that spectrum (up to about 12°c), I was pairing it with the RHO LT as a base layer - at those temperatures, a base layer is definitely called for unless you are generating a significant amount of body heat through exertion. This is really where the Windliner shines through for me: worn as a standalone or with a fairly thin base layer underneath for some extra warmth, the Windliner punches massively above its weight in terms of killing wind chill, which means you don’t have to layer up in the way you would if you were fighting with the wind. While I am neither an outdoor runner nor a cyclist, I do think the Crye Windliner would be of great use in those applications, too (though whether you'd necessarily stump for the MultiCam offering is a matter of personal discretion...).
Final thoughts
The Crye Windliner is good at what it’s designed for. It is very good at beating wind and it absolutely fits the bill of being lightweight and unobtrusive both in use and when stowed. There are definitely some design/ execution points that I think could have been improved, and, though I don’t think any of these are either terribly significant or impossible to find workarounds for, at the price point I would have expected small niggles to have been dealt with by design. In terms of the longevity and ruggedness of this jacket, while I didn’t expect it to be as bombproof as a heavy smock, for example, I must admit that I expected a little more than it has offered based on usage to this point.
What this jacket doesn’t do - though I don’t think it’s necessarily fair to label this as a criticism - is anything much outside its wheelhouse. It’s not wildly versatile in the way some items of clothing are, but it’s really pretty good at what it does do. That’s pretty much the crux of the review: if the Crye Windliner fits a gap in your clothing system for a lightweight windproof layer which can be worn with or independently of warm layers, then it will do that job to a good standard. If the role that the Windliner plays in a clothing system either (i) isn’t one you need filled or (ii) you already have something that does the job, then I think the significant amount of money that the Windliner costs would be better put to use elsewhere.
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