German sports giants up their game for next spring with jackets, footwear and a lightweight mountain pack on the cards.
We came away from our recent visit to adidas outdoor in Germany quietly impressed with the sports clothing and equipment brand's commitment to producing genuinely good outdoors kit.
Part of that was down to the people we met there, genuine outdoor enthusiasts and part down to the impressive level of testing and technology that the brand's using. But the acid test of course, is the kit itself and, in particular, the new range due out in spring 2011.
Sponsored climber Thomas Huber reckons it's on a par with the gear from other major brands, but accepts that adidas stilll has a a long way to go to convince retailers in particular that it's serious about the outdoors.
One thing that is really noticeable is that the branding – the famous three stripes – has been toned down from this year. No more stand-out, contrast colours, for spring 2011, the clothing at least uses stripes in the same colour as the body fabric for a much more subtle effect.
Anyway, here's a quick run through what's new from the brand.
Terrex Feather Jacket – Lightweight Mountain Shell
The Terrex Feather is a lightweight mountain shell jacket made from three-layer Gore-Tex Pro Shell and designed to be compact enough to stow easily in your pack, but protective enough to cope with extreme conditions when needed. The face fabric is polyamide, so should be tough.
It apparently has a 'FORMOTION' 3D cut for easy movement and big chest pockets sited to clear a harness. One feature we saw in Germany is that it has a true helmet hood designed by the fella behind the excellent Berghas Raptor hood, so it should be able to take any helmet and still give excellent facial protection and mobility.
Weight is quoted at 415g for a medium in both men's and women's – in reality we'd expect the women's version to be lighter. Price will be 449.95 euros. Colour is very green...
Terrex Hybrid Jacket – Hybrid Soft Shell
We have a proto of one of these sitting on our desk right now. It's an interesting jacket based on climate chamber testing and mixing panels of Gore Windstopper Active Shell with a lightweight, highly breathable, membrane-free soft shell fabric.
The men's and women's versions are subtly different in panel arrangement to allow for the differing needs of male and female users and the idea is that it mixes protection from wind and wetness with enough breathability to allow fast movement or use as a mid-layer under a shell jacket.
There are jacket and vest versions along with a 'jumper'. Adidas quotes the weight at 215g, but our sample is more like 350g, so we're not sure what the final version will tip the scales at.
Terrex Solo – Approach Shoe
We really liked the look of this when we saw it in Germany. It's a lightweight – 375g – approach shoe developed with sponsored climbers like the Huber brothers and Beat Kammerlander which is claimed to combine climbing and hiking ability in one package.
It has a smooth, asymmetric climbing zone in the forefoot of the sticky outsole for rock grip along with grippy toe protection. Then there's a plate in the forefoot to protect the foot from sharp stones and the three stripes, made from TPE, are actually functional and stabilise the instep. Interestingly, the EVA insole is shelled with a 3mm layer of TPU which acts as a stiffener and protects the EVA from abrasion, which is neat.
In the heel area, proven adiprene cushioning makes for more comfortable walk-ins. There's also an EVA tongue, EVA insole and twin asymmetrical heel loops to allow easy racking on your harness.
They also look really good. Price will be 109.95 euros.
Terrex Fast X FM Mid GTX – Lightweight Hiking Shoes/Mids
We've been using the current version of these for a few months now and we're very impressed. They're really comfortable, stable and light too – each shoe has the weight badged on it – and having seen the adidas test centre in action, we can see why.
The FORMOTION chassis actually adapts to the terrain underfoot to give a smoother walking action and reduce stress and the danger of twisting an ankle, particularly downhill.
A forefoot protection plate adds to stability and protects the foot from sharp stones and a Gore-Tex liner – you have the option of non-Gore-Tex versions too – keeps your feet dry.
Bottom line is that adidas has adapted its running shoe technology to work really well for lighweight hiking footwear.
And The Rest...
Those are the highlights as we see them, but there are also baselayers using high-wicking ClimaCool technology and a close, performance fit and the Terrex Multipant, a four-way stretch mountain trouser with vents and zipped pockets.
Finally, the Terrex 35 pack is a mountain rucksac in two versions, the standard and the Terrex 35 wome's specific variant. Features include a pull forward hip-belt making it possible to adjust tension with just one hand, padded but breathable and wicking back system, lots of pockets inside and out and a two-litre hydration system pocket.
Adidas says it should suit anything from climbing through to lightpacking with a weight of around 980 grammes and a price of 109.95 euros.
