Tips - Buying A Winter Jacket

Jacket buying - dead easy right? I mean, you read a few reviews on the web and in the mags, pop down the shops, pick a nice colour, wave your arms around a bit then, whooomph, it's out with the credit card...

Great till you find that the hood doesn't do up properly, the front of the jacket explodes like a pregnant llama as soon as you shoulder a pack, you can't manipulate the zips wearing gloves and wearing a harness prevents access to every pocket in the garment.

But believe it or not, there is a better way - even if it does look a bit silly - just follow our top jacket-buying tips and while you may look a bit of a trog, long term embarassment will be smugly avoided.

The Cut Start with the general fit, you're looking for fit that's snug, but not restrictive. You need the option of wearing a mid-layer underneath when it's really cold, so hell, try one on. If the cut is big and baggy you'll be looking at billowing fabric in the wind, unsightly bulges and convection currents that will rob you of body heat. Can you reach up easily above your head as it scrambling or climbing?

Pack Test You'll be wearing a pack right, so try the jacket with a pack on your back. Yes, it's a bit of a hassle, but it's worth it. Does the pack harness cause wads of material to billow out at the chest? Can you access all the pockets you need to without difficulty? What about pit zips if you have them - can you get to them easily still? Last but not least, is there anything caught or rucked under the hip-belt that could cause discomfort - you'd be amazed where some manufacturers decide to site cord grips... Can you still reach up easily above your head as it scrambling or climbing?

Hood Hassle Hoods are crucial for winter use, but good ones are surprisingly rare. First try it with a bare head. Can you cinch it down to leave a close-fitting face opening for maximum protection? Is the peak stiff and effective enough to provide some protection in strong winds? When you look around up and down, does the hood move with your head or do you find yourself with a birds-eye view of the lining?

Look up, down and around and make sure that the neck fastening stays fastened. Try adjusting the fit wearing winter gloves and see what happens - better to find out in the shop than in the Cairngorms...

Put A Lid In It If you climb then repeat the same test with your usual climbing helmet in situ. Make sure you can still look around freely, especially upwards and that there's enough space to cinch down round your face. Designing a hood that works with and without a helmet is difficult and few work really well in both situations. Does the neck fastening stay done up when you move your head around? Is it comfortable against your neck? Be wary of thick, fleecy inserts which can get damp and freeze unfcomfortably solid...

Harness Test If you're a climber, don't wait to get on the crags. Try your harness on with a rucksack in the shop. Is the cut still neat, do bits billow? Most important of all, is your movement restricted when you lift your arms high above your head as if climbing (or worshipping). If your cuffs are pulled down your arm, try another jacket, or you'll be looking at a spindrift party in your sleeves. It sounds so basic, but some jackets simply aren't cut with enough arm-lift for climbing and it's better to find out in the shops... Free but snug is the way to go.

Pockets And Fastenings Start with the basics - does it have enough pockets for you? What about handwarmer pockets, even climbers might find them useful. Are they in the right place? Can you access them while wearing a rucksack? Is the map pocket taped in position so it doesn't flop around when loaded?

Next look at how well the zips are protected and make an educated guess as to whether the water will get in. Water-resistant zips are good, but still need protecting at the ends, or water can seap in past the zipper. Few pockets are genuinely waterproof, but some are better than others and, if a pocket is mesh-lined, poorly protected zips will fasttrack water to your mid-layers - yuk...

Main Zip Gore jackets have to pass tests for waterproofing, but check out the main zip. Make sure any Velcro or stud fastenings are secure and easy to use and secure, try them with gloves as well. There should be at least one layer of material protecting the main zip and two if the Velcro isn't a continuous strip.

Drawcords Check that they are easy to access and use and operate smoothly without rucking up the material. If you're a climber, watch out for loose cords and ends that could catch in a belay or abseil device and cause serious problems. Few do these days, but check anyway to be safe.

Overall Quality And Feel If all the above is present and correct, you can worry about finish and quality - colour even... Gore fabrics and construction are actually lab-tested by WL Gore before garments are approved, but own brand and other fabrics should also be well made and finished.

If you're Mr or Ms Hardcore Mountaineer and seriously will be thrutching up rocky chimneys look for reinforcement to forearms, elbows and shoulders. If you're going to be backpacking, look for shoulder reinforcement to protect from long term abrasion from pack straps.

Breathability shouldn't be an issue with top-end jackets, so get the basics right before you start panicking about variations on the RET scale...

Colour Okay, now you can start worrying about which glorious colour to select. We like the burnt orange hue that Patagonia used to favour, but whichever you choose, make sure you can still reach up easily above your head as it scrambling or climbing. Purple can be very restrictive.