Product Review: Nike STORM-FIT Elite

We’ve all been there … The weatherman said “20 percent chance of rain” so you figured there’s an 80 percent chance of no rain. You don’t need to be a mathematician to figure out that equation.

With math and science on your side, you book a tee time. Sure enough, you’re three holes into your round and it starts raining. Edward Murphy – of Murphy’s law – was right.

Most golfers fail to carry an umbrella, so they either run for cover or play through the rain drops – getting soaked and heading toward a miserable feeling and corresponding horrible score. Those who carry an umbrella stay relatively dry, but hurry shots in an effort to get back under their portable cover.

If most golfers have no protection from the rain, while some have umbrellas, you can imagine the fraction of overall players with the foresight to pack a rain suit in their bag. I have been one of those players – a rare breed with an umbrella strapped to the side of my bag and a rain suit inside my bag. Yet I ALWAYS chose the umbrella over the suit. Why?

First, let’s address the annoying noise most rain suits make when moving. Petty, yes, but still enough to make me leave it in the bag.

Second, I’ve never been able to swing freely in a rain jacket. They’re too constricting if you buy one to fit and too large if you buy one that allows you to swing.

Third, they’re hot. They just don’t make them to breathe, so mid-summer rounds when days are hot are made even worse by cooking inside a cheap rain suit.

I could go on, but I’d just be piling on. Besides, if you can’t say anything nice …

Well, thanks to the folks at Nike Golf, I can finally say something nice and leave the umbrella on the bag. The new Nike STORM-FIT Elite jacket and pant are the answers to any foul-weather golfer’s prayers.

Developed through valuable insight generated from Nike Golf Tour athletes and consumers, the STORM-FIT Elite outerwear accommodates the athletic movement of the golf swing because the four-way stretch material provides extended range of motion. To reduce weight and bulk, the Nike STORM-FIT Elite features no-sew bonding technology of which Nike introduced in its apparel and rainwear in 2007. They’re waterproof, windproof and breathable.

And the look is sharp, too. You’ll want to wear the jacket on cool mornings when there’s zero chance of rain and you won’t look foolish keeping it on after the round.

The pants are much more than your standard rain pant, too. For one, they have a snap and zipper like actual pants – making them much easier to get on. Also, the pockets are two dimensional – useful as “stand-alone” pockets or easy access to the pockets in your original pants.

The STORM-FIT collection is not cheap, but worth every penny. Golfers, like any other consumers, get what they pay for and they’re paying for comfort and quality with this product. The STORM-FIT Elite products in the fall/holiday 2009 line come in Full Zip Jacket (available in black or red, MSRP $300), Half Zip Jacket (available in black or red, MSRP $260), Short Sleeve Half Zip (available in black or red, MSRP $200) and Pant (available in black, MSRP $200).

Our recommendation: Buy this product and pray for rain.

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