Looks gorgeous, and at really quite reasonable prices. What's the fill weight of that down piece, do we know?
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 Details here, Andrew. Jamie Bassnett had one on his recent trip in the Cairngorms - loved it. I like the look of the Bear fleece myself - just the sort of thing to snuggle up in - but they only do it in men's!  Has Montane's men's fit changed over the last 3 years or so? I have their Anti-freeze and Verso jackets and the small used to fit me fine, but if the shape's changed they may not do so now, like the women's.
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 You called Maam!  The North Star is £157 at Go Outdoors. I'm sat at work in it right now as a I type as I'm about to nip out into the freezing cold streets of Manchester for lunch!  I will do a proper review of it on my sites blog soon. Can't find a fault though at the moment as it is snuggly perfection. I wore it in rain on the way home last night and also last week in Glen Feshie for a few showers and it sees them off as the DWR is excellent. The hood and neck on it are ace, the cuffs are both elasticated and velcro, pockets are great, two hand warming pockets and fairly large chest one which fits a map. Me in mine in Glen Feshie...
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 Is it just me, or are there no/very few differences between the Flux and the current Prism 2 which currently retails at £30 less?
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 - North Star Jacket Fill weight: 185g for a size M - Wmns version of the Bear: On its way - The Prism uses 40g/m2 Primaloft throughout and the Flux uses a combination of 40g/m2 and 60g/m2 so it is warmer but of course heavier - The Prism has 2 exterior pockets and the Flux has 4 - The Flux is a little bit longer than the Prism Keith @ Montane
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- Wmns version of the Bear: On its way Keith @ Montane
Thanks, Keith!
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 I wish folk would be more open when it comes to down products though. The North Star looks like a lovely jacket. It uses Ukrainian down, according to the specs, so you think the 800 fill power would be an EU fill power using the Lorch Test. It's not until you search the site you find that Montane are using the US system for measuring fill power. The US system gives a higher reading than the EU system for the same sample of down.
So why is a UK company, using EU down, using the US test? C'mon Montane, you're a top outfit, one of my favourites. You don't need to play these games.
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 Quite agree, Mike. If you quote a fill power, it should always be accompanied by 'US' or 'EU'. Otherwise, it's a meaningless number. I don't care which test is used, but I do care that I'm told which it is.
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 Yup. It's a deal breaker for me. A while back my finger was hovering over the buy button for a Cumulus bag. I then realised they were being not entirely transparent with the FP ratings. I bought one elsewhere instead, not necessarily because the bag was better but because I knew from the outset what I was buying. I'm probably not the only one who's done that.
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 It might be fractionally irrational but I really can't stop myself thinking about the heat lost via the quilting when I look at the north star.
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Not really bothered myself as its still well priced and a cracking piece of kit and kept me warm at well below zero last week. I just wanna know its got a decent amount of decent down tbh.
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Oh I'm sure its still nicely warm with a really good outer fabric, sensible design and certainly a good price. I guess its mostly annoying as I really can't think of an objective, technical reason to have the quilting in something with this sort of fill level. The standard mens anti freeze doesn't for instance, although the womens one does.
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 aha... Mr Keith Hudgeon can you please tell me if the women's BEAR version will be a straight jacket even in size eighteen ?! I'm a big girl but normally take a size sixteen. Montane womens stuff seem to be really SMALL. Plus something else please : how does the montane women's extreme JACKET shape up? straight jacket or comfy fit ? cheers
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| Edited: 15/12/09 23:31 |
er... spect that depends on your size / shape, outdoors. I've just got the women's Extreme Jacket, in size 14 (I'm a pretty standard 12 in most stuff, but as you said Montane women's stuff is small). It fits fine, on sunday I was wearing it with a LA powerstretch zip-neck underneath, and would probably have had room for my 100-weight fleece too if I'd needed it. (I know it's not usually expected to wear so much under a P&P top in case anyone starts worrying, I was being a 'casualty', so lying around for long periods).
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I like the fact that Montane's womens small stuff IS small. Their tops are one of the few brands that fit me! I tried on the men's bear jacket in small the other day. It was slim cut, but not slim enough for me, and the arms were long and baggy - otherwise I would have had one anyway Furry!
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 So is the 'Bear' jacket a replacement for the 'Jaguar'?
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Thanks for feedback Metric Kate. I've just bought an extreme jacket size 18 - nice item but it only justs fits me... plus are you really supposed to wear in in the buff ? Montane you should take heed - I'm not a fat person although this jacket would fit me better if I lost a couple of inches from my waist i suppose, just athletically built... Tall at 5'11" but not overweight at 12 stones. There are loads of tall women around who can't buy outdoor clothes. Please could you maybe cater for the large sizes a big more Montane ?!! have you thought of increasing your top end ..maybe up to a size 20 for women ? (that would be a normal size 18 in the real world!) cheers outdoors
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Ha! There was a 'discussion' in Gear about Pile & Pertex and someone was saying it was best worn 'in the buff' and that Buffalo should definitely be. I didn't join in, but it's patently obvious that the Montane women's Extreme Jacket is NOT intended to be worn in the buff, unless Montane think that their female customers like exposing themselves! For those that don't know, Montane have discontinued the women's smock, and the jacket is just that - a jacket, with a zip down the front which is not only for getting in and out of it - it's also the only way to vent it. Thus, this P&P top at least appears to be designed with the expectation that it'll be worn with a base layer.
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I think you'll find the pockets are part of the cross-vent venting system - they are mesh lined, and if they work anything like the ones on the smock, give you brilliant controlled ventilation. That and lowering the front zip a modest amount (and maybe, just maybe, one of those sports-bra thingies, (i'm guessing)) should be all you need. 
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.JPG) What I don't understand is, why the Extreme jacket (ditto Buffalo jackets) doesn't have side zips like the smock - I have an old original one, which is longer than a smock. It's a better length for me, with shock cord hem - much less draughty round the middle than my Buffalo smock. More flexible too - can get away with wearing it as an actual jacket too. The allegedly venting pockets don't work that well - too small,and it's not always the best option to open the front zip too much - eg headwind I'm tempted to get some side zips fitted , but it's well down the list. edit to add - side zips on the jacket needn't go all the way down to the hem like the smock, as the (well - my)jacket is longer than equivalent sized smock
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| Edited: 17/12/09 20:12 |
