Oakley Sub Temp RC Jacket and Pants: Sage Kotsenburg's Signature Snowboard Kit Reviewed

Introduction

Most of us don’t get as many days on the mountain in a season as professional riders, but that time on snow is exactly why the pros tend to develop a strong sense of what makes gear genuinely worth wearing. Oakley has leaned on the experience of its team riders to build an outerwear line aimed at the most demanding needs of any snowboarder, and this season that includes Sage Kotsenburg’s signature kit. After a career on the slopestyle circuit that brought numerous X Games medals and Olympic gold, Sage has more recently focused on filming in the backcountry, and his jacket and pants are designed to blend warmth, weather protection, style, and comfort into one package.

For anyone who has been caught out with the wrong gear on the wrong day, poor performing outerwear is at best an inconvenience and at worst genuinely dangerous when you’re far from the piste. That context matters here, because this is one of the most functional and performance-driven outerwear sets we’ve looked at this year.

Weather Protection and Eco Credentials

Both the jacket and pants are built around a Gore-Tex membrane, which sets the industry benchmark for combining waterproofing with breathability. It’s designed to protect against the most extreme mountain conditions, and on top of that there’s lightweight but genuinely warm insulation in both pieces, with slightly more insulation in the jacket.

The eco credentials deserve attention too. The face fabrics are made from 100% recycled polyester, sourced from post-consumer plastic bottles, so the outerwear performs in the mountains while also reducing its impact on them.

There’s also progress on the chemical side. Most jackets use a DWR, or durable water repellency, the coating on the face fabric where moisture beads up and runs off without soaking in. The problem is that conventional DWR treatments often contain toxic chemicals known as PFCs, which are bad for both the environment and the body. Oakley is making real headway in removing these more toxic PFC chemicals from the DWR itself, which is a meaningful step for this category.

Feature-Loaded Construction

Both pieces are stacked with practical features. The seams are fully sealed, there are waterproof zippers on the chest, hand, and lift pass pockets, and the main zip on the jacket sits behind a protective flap.

Internally, the jacket gets a removable snow skirt, while the pants have gaiters at the hem that can clip onto boot laces. Lycra cuffs on the jacket do a good job of keeping snow out of the arms. You also get the standard touches you’d expect: an adjustable hem cinch system and hood on the jacket, Velcro waist adjustment and belt loops on the pants, pit zips under the arms and on the inner leg of the pants, and internal pockets on the jacket.

Fit, Comfort, and Who This Kit Suits

The fit is performance-oriented, meaning a streamlined look with articulation in key areas to optimise movement and mobility. The fabric itself carries a little stretch, which makes the whole set feel natural and unrestricted whether you’re riding, hiking a line, or building a jump.

For riders wanting a more technical layering system, Sage has also put his name to a super lightweight, ultra durable Gore-Tex Pro Shell jacket and pants. But for most riders who aren’t skinning up on a splitboard or boot packing serious backcountry lines, the combination of warmth, protection, breathability, and style here is right on the money.

Whether it’s a jacket for the coldest days around the resort, a set-up for building a kicker out in the backcountry, or even just a late night of après beers in the Alps, this kit is genuinely hard to beat.

Buying Advice

If you ride resort days and want one dependable Gore-Tex set that covers warmth, protection, and comfort without feeling bulky, the Sub Temp RC jacket and pants make a coherent pair and are designed to be worn together. If your focus is exclusively lightweight, high-output touring, the Pro Shell option in the same signature line is the more technical alternative. For everyone else, this is the more versatile choice.

Conclusion

Oakley’s Sub Temp RC line takes pro-level input and turns it into outerwear that performs where it matters: waterproofing, breathability, warmth, and freedom of movement, all with recycled face fabrics and a move away from toxic PFC-based repellents. It’s a thoughtful, well-specced set for riders who want gear they can trust all season.