Delta Roam Beaumont Robe: in review
A down-free alternative for cold and wet weather
When it comes to cold weather layers, it seems that down (or down alternatives) are the popular insulation these days. But, what if you don’t want to have that “puffer” look, or to feel like that ultra-thin down isn’t going to be warm enough? How about a longer jacket, something that can handle keeping you warm in the wind and dry if the snow turns to rain? That’s where the Delta Roam Beaumont Robe comes in.
Delta Roam Beaumont Robe: what it is
As you can see, there is nary a bit of down - synthetic or otherwise - to be found in the Delta Roam Beaumont Robe. The waterproof nylon outer is made from recycled nylon. On the inside, you’ve got recycled polyester fleece for warmth. Internally, you’ve got 5 pockets (four of which have zipper closures), with two of those pockets on a piece that can be unzipped from the jacket itself. Think of it as a way to organize some important stuff, and then take them with you even when the jacket is off.
Externally, you’ve got two hand pockets that can be zipped closed, and that’s it. Which is fine, because less pockets means less openings to let cold - or water - in. To that end, you’ve also got a hook-and-loop flap that closes down over the zipper, to help seal things up even more. And, should you zip it all the way up, the oversized hood does a solid job of enclosing your noggin, keeping you warm and dry (even without hat).
Now, while I was putting it to use as a colder (and wetter) weather layer, that’s not the only way it can be put to use. In fact, Delta Roam actually considers this to be a changing robe. In other words, if you’re headed to the waterside for, say, surfing or paddle boarding, the Beaumont can be your changing robe out there.
Putting it to the test
Given how weirdly warm our fall leading into winter was, it took some time for there to be appropriate weather to test out the Delta Roam Beaumont Robe. Then, all of a sudden, it hit. In the 30s, the jacket was plenty warm enough, and when it dipped below freezing, I found that a vest - or some other layer - was helpful. At least, until you got moving some, and then it was adjusting zippers and layers, and perhaps even dropping the hood to cool down some.
On a windy day, I rather appreciated having the longer length of the jacket, as it helped cut down on the wind, well, cutting through and chilling you from the legs up. The same went for when we had snow mixing to rain (because of the weird temperatures), as it kept me plenty dry and warm. Sometimes, with a rain coat, I’ve felt like I’ve needed to have a hat with brim to keep the rain off of my face, but found that the hood on the robe overhung well enough that that was not necessary.
To put it another way - the Delta Roam Beaumont Robe has been an excellent cold/wet weather layer, with additional room to layer in as the temperature drops, and plenty of internal pockets to keep things organized. The only fly in the ointment I found with this jacket came from the main zipper. While the two-way zipper was helpful to give you room to sit down in the coat while it was zipped, it also made things finicky.
By that, we mean when you’re zipping it up after putting the coat on. For whatever reason, the zipper would just refuse to zip up. So, it can take some times of pulling the two-piece zipper up a bit and down (to ensure it’s fully set), and then re-inserting the other side into that hardware to get it slip down to where it needs to be to engage. I couldn’t see anything obvious where it was snagging or getting hung up, so not 100% sure why it’s behaving like this. That said, it sometimes takes an extra 30 seconds to get zipped up, and then you’re on your way.
Wrapping things up
As you can see from the photos, we reviewed the Delta Roam Beaumont Robe in Navy, but it also available in forest green, anthracite, warm sand, chestnut, or opal, in unisex sizing XS -XL (there’s also a kid-specific version as well) (size guide). If you’d like to get one of these onto help you through a messy winter, you can do just that for $225 direct from Delta Roam. If you’d prefer a shorter coat, they’ve got that as well, in a style called the Cirrus for $195. You can check out all the options, as well as their accessories (like beanies and crossbody bags) directly at deltaroam.com
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