Soapbox

Nice one Jon. Light the blue touch paper and retire indeed :o)

I can't believe nobody bit. I'm away to bed in the huff :o)

Jon.......you're wrong ;-)

the stuff just doesn't suit jon. the velez test he did before proves that.

in which case, why review it when you don't like it. could that cloud judgement?

<makes mental note not to buy anything jon feels ok in as it will be too cold for me>

Looked seriously at the Alta II as a harsh weather jacket over the last couple of weeks but in the end plumped for the Aspira as a better all round jacket, even when used for hillwalking.

The Aspira's more active cut seemed to be generally better for all activities; it seemed to be lighter and hence hopefully slightly less warm, the styling is more modern and the overall design just seemed to 'work' better.

I'm hoping that with just a thin base layer it should be just about right for cold weather work.

Nope, I'm not 'wrong'. Paramo simply works well for some people and not for others. Anyone who thinks that I'm in some way biased should note that my standard cold winter mountain biking top is a Paramo Velez Smock :-)

All I'm trying to do is give people enough information to make up their own minds as to whether Paramo kit will suit them or not. If you run on the cool side, Paramo works extremely well. If you run hot then it is unlikely to suit you except in sub-zero conditions. I also don't like the cuff arrangement - cinch them down and the fabric bunches annoyingly under your wrist - and I think the arm vents are more of a token gesture than an effective cooling measure. You get a lot more benefit from simply rolling up your sleeves, which laudably, Paramo's cut allows you to do.

It's also beyond me why anyone leaves the ends of their hood drawcords hanging loose. You only have to spend a few hours having your face whipped by loose cords to appreciate that this is a daft thing to do. Also the shockcord is too elastic, which exacerbates the problem.

If I wrote a rave review of the Alta II saying that it's damn near perfect, suits everyone, has no obvious flaws and is the ideal hill-walking jacket, where would that leave people who don't suit it? The big problem with garments that are too warm is that it's difficult to make them less warm without removing them completely. It's far easier to make a cool top warmer by adding, say, a microfleece, than it is to cope with one that's too hot.

In the end, I hope we simply give people enough information to make up their own minds about what will and won't work for them and all I can do is be as honest and transparent as I can. I do accept that my comments on the aesthetics of the garment are very subjective, but then you can make up your own mind about that by simply using your eyes :-)

I really like my Alta 2; I think it's the best winter jacket I've ever had. It is a winter jacket, and I do run cool, but it has done very well for me in a variety of circumstances. I find that the venting is very good, including the arm vents, which are particularly effective when combined with opening the cuffs - which really do open very wide. One point on sizing - I would normally take a large in most things, including the other Paramo kit I have, but I thought the Alta 2 and the Cascada, which I tried on at the same time, were very big and baggy, so I chose a medium, which suits me fine.

Interesting. I've had an Alta II for a year and am very impressed with it.

I wonder what baselayer - or other layers - were worn underneath it, as this can make a big difference.

Paramo's reversible baselayers are a perfect match but Smartwool, for example, is often far too warm for me except in very cold conditions. Last Saturday I made the mistake of combing the two and I had to stash the jacket in my rucksack several times which was a bit annoying - I can usually get away with using the venting.

Jon, Andy and I are a very good illustration of how kit works differently for different people.

Jon finds it too hot, Andy finds it just right and I'm often too cold in my Paramo without a midlayer. I suspect we're all fairly slim, so the difference isn't about personal insulation making a big difference.

Fwiw, I'm glad we can rely on Jon to tell us what he really thinks about kit. There's no point in reading reviews if they're not objective.

Andy, do you find the paramo baselayers cooler than the lightweight merino's then?

I wore a icebreaker 200 (their lightest) baselayer under a velez at the w/end with the temp aroudn freezing and while I felt comfortable (bit chilly when stopped), the base later was soaked at the end of the day. Therefore I'm wondering what to wear under my nice shiny new Aspira. Merino, typical TNF/Lowe thin baselayer or if I have to spend more cash (and I'd rather not) maybe a paramo base layer? Any thoughts/advice greatfully received.

(interestingly I had not noticed at all during the day that my base layer was wet and their was no condensation on the inner of the Velez when I took it off. Which probably says a lot about the warm-even-when-wet properties of merino, its relatively poor wicking and the ability of the pump liner to shift anything that did wick out.)

(One of my reasons for moving to Paramo is that I routinely run hot & sweaty and overload goretex, so I might as well be hot in something that can cope with the moisture!)

>Merino, typical TNF/Lowe thin baselayer or if I have to spend more cash (and I'd rather not) maybe a paramo base layer? Any thoughts/advice greatfully received.

The cambia base layers are cheaper than all the others you mentioned above!

Having been asked a few times recently about Paramo I came up with the following thoughts:

If you usually wear a base layer and a shell you'll probably be too hot in Paramo.

If you usually wear a base layer, thin mid layer (e.g. Polartedc 100) and a shell then you'll probably be fine in Paramo shell + base layer.

If you usually wear a base layer, midweight mid layer (Polartec 200) and a shell then you'll probably want to wear Paramo shell + thin mid layer + base layer.

If you usually wear a base layer, heavyweight mid layer (Polartec 300) and a shell then you'll probably want to wear a Paramo shell + midweight mid layer + base layer.

I run hot but I still prefer Paramo over anything else in temperatures below 10C, which means between October and May. I do find it necessary to use the vents frequently to stay cool in above freezing temperatures. The last few winters I've been wearing the thinnest Smartwool and Icebreaker merino wool base layers under Paramo and they've never got more than slightly damp.

I've only had my Aspria for a week and having been out in it trying different baselayers,I'd say the Cambria baselayers the one to go for..

My Gods John, how many (paramo) jackets have you got? Didn't you buy a vaszco lately?

Yes Commander-but at £130 it was too good to miss.

The Aspria is a fine addition to my Paramo collection:o)

I find my Lowe Alpine Dry-Flo base layers work really well with my Viento. I wore the lightweight one on weds and my Paramo, and i was too cold. Put on the explorer top, and i was still cool so had to keep moving. And it didn't help that my coffee tasted of washing up liquid....

Typically, that's after wearing the heavyweight one for all my outings this winter, and being rather too warm in it.

I'd like the cambia baselayers, but not until the ones i've got need replacing (i have 4 decent ones), and even then it will probably depend which baselayers are half price. Has anyone found the cambia baselayers work any better with Paramo than ordinary wicking layers?

bought an aspira today. mainly because i am unimpressed with the breathability or lack of
with my gortex jacket, plus it was cheap
i usally were a thin base layer and either i or two medium fleece tops not jackets depending how cold it is.so what should i try as a starter with the aspira.
any sugesstions most welcome

Some sort of wicking baselayer, Mav, and I'd also suggest taking a warm mid layer in your pack just in case that combination's not warm enough.

I generally wear a thin Icebreaker merino wool baselayer these days, but there are good synthetic ones too.

For a midlayer I'm currently using a down smock, as it's pretty cold out there. An alternative would be something like Primaloft, or perhaps something lighter if you run warmer than me.

Congrat's on the Aspira: they're great.

I agree with Chris Townsend about how to decide whether you'd be too hot for a Paramo jacket.

What I can say, is that it is LUDICROUS that you'll be too hot at 5degreesC with all the vents open with a Paramo jacket. UNLESS you are wearing a midlayer under it and you run really hot.

I run hotter than anybody I have ever met, and I am fine up to about 10degreesC in a Velez and a wicking baselayer. If the temperature goes much below 5degreesC, then I have to use either a thicker baselayer or a light midlayer, or I get a bit cold and I run HOT..This is at modertate levels of exercise, obviously not trail running, when I agree this type of garment would be unsuitable.

Not ludicrous at all. At 5 deg C with a thin base layer + Paramo, I'm fine walking on the flat with vents open. Once I start climbing, this combination is way too hot and sweaty. I'd normally use something like a mid-weight base layer alone in those conditions. Anything windproof would be a bit sweaty.