Lowe Alpine New Clothing Scoop

We've been up in the Lakes hobnobbing with the chaps at Lowe Alpine and we thought you might like to know what Lowe has up its sleeve for next spring / summer - that's kit that'll be in the shops from about February onwards - the outdoors industry obviously knows something about the seasons that we don't...

Before we get on to specifics, a quick note that Lowe Alpine is going to be using Gore-Tex from next winter onwards. That means that not only will the new and impressive eVENT fabric be phased out of the Lowe range, but there are no new eVENT jackets in the wings for next spring either.

There's a fair bit of other stuff though, so here are some of the clothing highlights... Packs early next week.

Warm Zone's already out there in the shops. It's a weird sort of thing - see above - but worth keeping an eye on. Lowe has taken its Dry Zone idea - thinner bits of Dry Flo in areas where you need to lose heat - and turned it on its head so you get thicker blocks of insulation in areas where you need warmth.

We're using a Warm Zone top at the moment and it's interesting. The fabric doesn't feel soft and lovely, like, say microfleece and looks kind of weird with grid patterns of thicker fabric in specific areas. It's actually reversible and sold 'blocky' side out for a more technical look, but in fact performance is 25 per-cent better with the blocks worn against the skin.

Warmth is around microfleece levels, but lighter in weight and US mag Backpacker liked it enough to make it 'Best Winter Shirt' in a recent test.

For next spring summer Lowe's resurrecting the classic Ninja Hoody technical top, but in body-mapped Warm Zone instead of the original mid-layer fleece. Old timers will recognise the hood and thumb holes from the mid 90s.

One to watch we reckon, with a little bird telling us that the fabric's going to get a radical revision in the next year or so...

Dry Zone - Dry Flo with mapped zones corresponding to hot spots on your bod - is functionally pretty much unchanged, but the different zones are much more defined next year so the garments look more technical and it's easier to see that there are two different fabric densities being used.

We also like the look of the Pursuit Top (right), it's sort of halfway between a baselayer and a microfleece, feels dense and tough, but comfortingly soft and has had a makeover so it looks the business for next year. Should be ideal for those days when you need slightly more than a base layer, but don't want the extra warmth of a 100 or 200-weight fleece.

And on days when you do feel the need for something warmer, Lowe Alpine offers you the DryPhase Pull-On. Priced at £55, it's another one of those tops with a windproof Micorfiber shell backed up with soft, insulating microfleece liner - think Marmot's DryClime or ME's Microtherm.

Detailing looks nice with a brushed fleece-lined collar for comfort and a trendy-looking angled chest pocket.

We're becoming increasingly convinced that Schoeller-type legwear with its combination of wind and water resistance, toughness, stretch and breathability is the way to go outside summer.

Schoeller itself is good, but very expensive, but there's an increasing number of fabrics with very similar qualities out there at a lower price, but still with good performance. Take the Berghaus Fastrek Pant for example.

Now Lowe has its own version in the form of the Multipitch Pant. It's aimed at climbers, costs £65 - not cheap but less than Schoeller - and though you can't see from the pics, is very nicely detailed with an ergonomic articulated knee, curved leg and practical fly opening.

It might be aimed at climbers, but there's no reason why mountain walkers shouldn't wear it too and we reckon it looks like a potential winner.

More information about the current Lowe Alpine range on their web site.