A belay Jacket for Mont Blanc?

Hello everyone, I'm heading off to climb Mont Blanc next month (normal route) and I'm trying to decide on a Belay Jacket. I need something to go over my Montane extreme Smock and I'd like to keep the price below £150. I'd also like something that I can get some use out of after I return home to Ireland, so synthetic would probably make more sense than down.

 Among the jackets I'm considering are the Berghaus  ignite belay jacket and the Rab Photon Jacket (not Belay). Or else I might go with a Buffalo Belay. The Buffolo Belay is designed to go over the Buffalo smock which is very similar garment to the Montane smock I currently use.

Has anyone any thoughts on what might be good?

Thanks,

Tadgh

Thanks for the advice Geek. I had been thinking of bringing my Montane Salopettes to go with my Montane smock (complete cold weather system when used together) however, I fear that would be too warm for Mont Blanc.

 I'm yet to find a satisfactory use for the Montane salopettes while hiking in Ireland (thats how warm they) are and if I do get too hot in them they are rather inconvenient to get out of and with crampons on even more difficult. That's why I thought I'd be better off wearing my heaviest insulation on my top half in the form of a Belay Jacket; easier to don and doff when needed.

agree with geek that you probably wont need one especially if wearing an extreme smock...but you never know eh?

i wore paramo  - cascada trousers and velez smock but my mate was in his zipped off keks and pertex top.

careful not to get too warm. i carried a cheapish primaloft jacket. which i would take again. i was totally knackered so pleased not to be carrying much extra weight.

Thanks for the advice guys. Dan, I think I'm going to follow your lead and bring a cheap primaloft jacket ( given that I mightened even need it if I keep moving and don't intend hang around on the top for long).

I'm looking at the Keela Advance Belay Jacket as being abount the cheapest warm jacket of it's kind (£55 off amazon).

 However as I'm between sizes I'm not quite sure what size I should get. My chest measurment taken over the Montane sz M smock is 41.5 inches and the size M Keela is rated as 40 inches.

I'd like to get away with a Size "M" in the Keela and save as much weight as possible (585g for the M) I'm sure the size M Keela will go over the size M montane smock as the Keela is a loose fitting Belay while the Montane is almost skin tight.

 I wonder though, how much insulation would I be risking by trying to fit into a Belay jacket that is slightly too small? Would I be seriously over-compressing the layers of both the Keela and the Montane?

On the other hand the size L Keela is cut to fit a 44 chest which is a good 2.5 inches larger than my chest measurment + the Montane smock. I don't want a jacket to be flapping around me like a sheet in the wind while I'm on the top of mont blanc either..

If you were me and trying the garmant on in a shop wasn't an option, which size would you go for? 

These are the chest sizings of the Keela Belay; 

     S       M        L          XL         XXL  

34/36"  38/40"  42/44"  46/48"  50/52"

Thanks GOF! I'll go for an L then. Can't see myself needing an XL by any stretch especially since the Keela is a looser fit. Anyway, if it's still too small I can always send it back to Amazon.

Case closed.