Gearing up for a powder day and top-of-mountain concert, I knew I was heading out for one of the best bell-to-bell days of my season. I would need a day’s worth of food, sunscreen, a 360 camera, a selfie stick, a beanie, earplugs, and more. I contemplated bringing my full backpack.

But it was one of the better powder days of the year for the pow cam, and I wanted to ride hard without a bigger bag. Yet, I needed to carry all of my gear. I wanted to look stylish for both the camera and the concert. 

Luckily, I had the perfect kit. The Burton Reserve 2L 3-in-1 Jacket and Pants are stylish and eye-popping with enough waterproofing for a powder day. The relaxed fit is great for freestyle riding. And the jacket’s nine pockets meant I could ditch my backpack and still have everything I needed for a long day at the resort — all while riding at an unrestricted level. 

In short: The Burton Reserve 2L 3-in-1 Jacket ($380) is the best 3-in-1 system I have tested in a snowboarding kit. Each layer can stand on its own individually, and when combined, it creates a jacket you could wear all season long. This 2-layer shell jacket offers a 20,000mm waterproof rating, providing ample protection for resort riding. It comes with mesh-lined pit zips, a helmet-compatible hood, and a powder skirt with jacket-to-pant connection. Plus, the shell features seven usable pockets. The removable, insulated liner adds two more pockets.

Take your magnifying glass to the full lineup of picks in the Best Snowboard Jackets buyer’s guide.

Men’s Burton Reserve 2L 3-in-1 Jacket Review 

Burton sells the Reserve snowboard jacket as just a shell. It offers an insulated version of the jacket, but the 3-in-1 is by far our favorite. Essentially, you get three different jackets for the price of one. 

On warm days, the exterior jacket stands alone as a high-quality shell. For colder days, you can add the removable liner for an insulated jacket (yes, the liner is insulated). And the best part? The liner actually looks good as its own layer — it’s one that I confidently wear out to après or around town without it looking like a liner. 

Fit: Highly Mobile, Semi-Park Steeze

I am 5’9″, 150 pounds, with a 29-inch waist and very broad shoulders. My body type has been described as an upside-down triangle. As such, I generally fall between a small and medium. For this jacket, I went with a medium, and the fit felt perfect. 

That said, the inner liner runs slightly smaller than the outer shell. The liner stops at my waist and wrists, while the shell jacket covers my butt and stops halfway on my hands.

When wearing the jacket, a little shell fabric bunched up around the wrists, but the fit felt perfect for mobility and a semi-park style. I wouldn’t describe it as baggy, but there’s enough room to add layers underneath. On sub–0-degree days, I liked to add another midlayer under the liner to stay extra warm in the lift line. 

Lastly, on fitment, even with full pockets, I still felt like I had enough room for mobility, sending backflips in the park with my collapsed selfie stick, action camera, phone, airpods, and more, all in my jacket pockets — a feat not always doable with loaded pockets. 

Insulated, Removable Liner

The shell jacket comes with a removable midweight synthetic puffy liner. The jacket contains 100 g of ThermacoreECO, Burton’s proprietary synthetic insulation. It’s low-profile, packable, and soft, with its puffy patterning giving it a relaxed, unrestricted feel. 

The liner itself has two large hand pockets with no closure system, but it does have a key clip inside the right pocket. The neck has a 1-inch elastic collar that gives a retro feel. It’s held closed with six snaps down the front.

I found the liner to be a perfect level of insulation for the vast majority of riding conditions. Meaning, even on warmer days, I would keep the insulation layer inside the jacket until temperatures reached the 40s.

On a slushy park day with vents open, I was able to hike multiple short laps around the park without sweating while wearing the liner. But when things get hot, the liner is easily removable with one snap per arm, followed by six snaps on each side of the jacket. 

It is considerably faster to remove the liner than it is to reinstall it. On very cold days, sub-0-degrees, I would add another midweight puffy jacket underneath the factory liner to stay toasty. 

Plenty of Weather Protection

This jacket will handle any kind of pow day in the Lower 48. The Reserve does a great job of keeping snow, wind, and water out thanks to its high 20K waterproofing and breathable ThermacoreECO insulation. 

The 2-Layer DRYRIDE is a 100% recycled polyester plain-weave fabric with a 100% polyester ripstop liner.  Even the powder skirt is water-repellent, not just the shell jacket, and both are made without PFAS. 

The hood is fully helmet-compatible and has two different adjustment straps for when the snow comes in sideways.

Additionally, when fully bundled up, the collar that covers my chin is soft thanks to a microfleece lining. All these little details mean the shell does a great job of keeping snow out. 

It is important to note that the powder skirt is partially blocked when the removable liner is installed, and the fit is exponentially better without the liner. Though you can unsnap the bottom two buttons of the liner and still get the powder skirt to connect, it just bunches some of the liner fabric at the waist. 

Pockets

The storage capacity of this snowboarding jacket truly rivals that of a backpack, and I would frequently choose to fill my pockets fully rather than wear a pack when riding. 

Even with loaded pockets, the jacket maintains even weight distribution, and the extra room doesn’t hinder mobility. 

When it comes to pockets, the 3-in-1 really outshines the competition with nine total pockets between both layers.

Exterior Pockets

The shell jacket has seven pockets in total, starting with five on the exterior:

• A pass pocket on the left wrist.
• Two zippered chest pockets, one on each side.
• Two zippered hand pockets closer to the bottom of the jacket. 

The chest pockets are large: I was able to fit my iPhone 15 Pro Max in one and a collapsed selfie stick and Insta360 X4 (not attached to the stick) in the other. Both of these pockets are easy to access with gloves on — perfect for filming on the mountain.

The hand pockets are fleece-lined for warmth and also large enough to fit a variety of things like protein bars, a 12-ounce beverage, sunscreen, or more. The left-hand pocket has an interior key clip for car keys. The right-hand pocket has a small Velcro inner pocket designed for a tool, but I used it for my car’s electronic key fob.

Interior Pockets

Moving inside the jacket, the left side has a large mesh dump pocket that’s perfect for gloves, beanies, and a selfie stick with a camera attached. I was even able to fit the packed-down insulation liner inside. 

The right side of the jacket has an interior zippered chest pocket with some insulation between the exterior shell and the pocket. This design helps keep electronic devices more protected during cold days. I found it perfect for storing extra action camera batteries on the slopes. It also has a headphone cord passthrough for riders who still use corded headphones (though, you won’t catch me without my AirPods on the hill). 

Critiques 

It is important to note that both of these interior pockets are functionally inaccessible with the liner installed, as they sit underneath and behind where the liner snaps in. You could unsnap some of the liner snaps and reach into each pocket, but this was an inefficient and tedious process. I used these pockets as inaccessible storage when riding with the liner installed. 

Conclusion

I tested the Glow Yellow Green color pattern and have had more positive comments on the color and style of this kit (Jacket and Pants) than any layer before. Well done, Burton, on making the Burton Reserve 2L 3-in-1 Jacket truly stand out on the slopes. 

The downside to the very light, bright color was that it showed dirt very easily. I had to be extra careful walking in parking lots, and being around vehicles with road grime as the kit feels a bit of a magnet for those, and one accidental lean on a fender was enough to stain the shell (though a wash removed it). 

Overall, for snowboarders who want a shell and liner combo that looks good on its own and together, has enough pocket space to supplement most backpacks even with the liner installed, and want one jacket system for a season of conditions, the Burton Reserve 2L 3-in-1 Jacket is the best bang for your buck.