New From Mountain Equipment Scoop

New for this year and aimed squarely at outdoor women who are looking for a serious mountain jacket that doesn't make them look like a bag of spuds. Fabric is classic Gore-Tex three-ply rip-stop with reinforced panels on main wear points. Like the men's Latok it's based on, the Manaslu has ME's excellent wired hood, pit-zips using easy-access water-resistant zips with no superfluous overflaps, big chest pockets, concealed draw cords and a map pocket.

Looks classy in a neat, understated sort of way and it's good to see a British company turning out well-designed women's kit. One neat touch we liked was the half-cord waist that means the front of the jacket sits flat when cinched up, great for being able to see your feet and coincidentally flattering, not that women worry about such things of course.

Another new arrival, the Cirrus uses ME's effective Drilite Extreme own-brand hydrophyllic laminate fabric in 2-ply form and is aimed at minimalist users like adventure racers and lightweight alpinists. It weighs in at around 680 grammes, which isn't that light, but you're getting a full-spec roll-down hood with wired peak which will also accommodate a climbing helmet plus two big pockets, concealed draw cords etc.

Another neat design aimed specifically at women. As everyone knows, buy your partner a down jacket and they will love you forever. Proven fact... Well, maybe. At any rate, the women's version of the classic Dewline jacket is, erm, cut to fit women. It also gets 'Box' stitch-through detailing front and rear (yes, that's the box-shaped stitching), weighs 540 grammes and has the same technical features as the men's version.

That means ME's 90 per-cent down filling with 600+ fill power, two large hand warmer pockets and a large internal chest pocket, plus Lycra-bound cuffs, mmm... Sorry.