Cannondale Morphis: Rip Off Your Sleeves (And Re-Attach Them!)
It's an unfortunate fact of life that technology has not yet brought us to the point of Transformers. Sure, we've got incredible wireless touchscreen computers that fit in our pockets, and some camping gear is pretty compact and portable, but most gadgets and gear generally have a form and stick with it.
It might not be programmable matter, but the Cannondale Morphis Jacket is pretty nifty indeed. Unless you're an athlete or really fond of the outdoors, you might never have uttered the words "I wish my sleeves were removable". But now they can be, and it actually turns out to be useful.
The first questions that needed pursuit were obvious- does the jacket or vest look weird? Is it hard to convert between the "modes"? And does the new feature effect the basic functions? Luckily, the answer to the first two questions is a definite no, and the last one a pretty resounding no as well. The jacket looks like… well, a jacket, available in a few colors (ours was black), and offers a reflective strip near the well-made zipper, and another on the back. We liked the elastic around the wrists for warmth, and the three zippered pockets, plus the draw-string waist.
As a vest, it also looks like a normal hiking vest, adding a bit of wind protection and a nice layer against rain or moisture. Made from polyurethane and nylon, they call it a 2.5 layer fabric, and though the magic of a half-layer is a bit of a mystery, it felt good and held up well to sun and sudden downpours alike.
The real twist here is the pull-off sleeves, accomplished through magnets. We were initially worried that pulling it on might somehow detach the sleeves, but no worries- it's impressively designed, and uses a bunch of magnets that are cleverly hidden and work pretty much automatically. Tug on the sleeves hard enough and an entire back panel comes away with the sleeves (it's one piece). Re-attaching is also easy, though we did notice the back lower magnets didn't always connect without a little nudging. Adding the magnets does add a bit of weight- we didn't care, but super-serious, fraction-of-an-ounce-conscious bicyclists might.
At $110, it's not inexpensive, but will have everyone around you asking questions when you suddenly transform. Nifty! Maybe the next edition will have a hood as well, the only thing missing from making this our favorite new lightweight rainy day outerwear.
About the Author
Greg Greg dreamed up the idea for the Truly Network while living in Hawaii, which began with a single site called TrulyObscure. In 2010, when advertisers and readers were requesting coverage beyond the scope of that site, TrulyNet was launched, reaching a broader audience over a variety of niche sites. Formerly the head technology correspondent for the Des Moines Register at age 16, he has since lived and worked in five states and two countries, helping a list of organizations and companies that includes the United States Census Bureau, TripAdvisor, Events Photo Group, Berlitz, and Computer Geeks. He also served as the Content Strategy Manager for HearPlanet, a multi-platform app that has reached over a million users and has been featured in the New York Times, Hemispheres Magazine, National Geographic Adventure, Fox Business News, PC Magazine, and even Apple’s own iPhone ads. Greg has written as a restaurant critic and feature journalist for a number of national and international publications, including City Weekend Magazine, Red Egg Magazine, the Newton Daily News, Capital Change Magazine, and an arm of China Daily, Beijing Weekend. In addition, he has served as a consulting editor for the Foreign Language Press of Beijing, as well as a writer and editor for the George Washington University Hatchet, the school newspaper of his alma mater. Originally from Iowa, Greg is currently living in the West Village of Manhattan.
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