Exclusive - Montane's New eVENT Mountain Jacket

Here's a bit of scoop for you, it's a quick first look at a pre-production prototype of a Montane eVENT jacket that's not due in the shops until this September.

The jacket's called the Super-Fly XT - below - but it's a completely different animal to the existing, super-lightweight Super-Fly that's had rave reviews from pretty much everyone who's used it.

That was still a relatively lightweight jacket, so for those of you who regularly trash your kit on mixed routes, alpine ascents and barbed wired fences, the Montane guys designed the XT, which they say is 'engineered for extreme use where protection is required'. That means the use of a tougher, more abrasion-resistant grade of the excellent eVENT waterproof and breathable fabric on vulnerable areas combined with a lot more features than the minimalist original Super-Fly.

Essentially then it's intended to be much more of an all-round, heavy-use mountain jacket which should do anything from hardcore backpacking through to climbing and mountaineering. It's till intended to be relatively lightweight though.

The big changes start with the fabric. You only have to pick up the XT to appreciate that the 'Abrasion' three-layer material that Montane has used for the shoulders, elbows, hips and seat - the black areas in the photos - is significantly tougher than the lightweight fabric used for the rest of the jacket. It has a reassuringly robust feel to it.

Montane haven't skimped on features either. There are four chest pockets for easy storage complete with mesh linings to maximise breathability, then tucked away under protective flaps are a pair of mesh-backed zip openings allowing easy ventilation even when wearing a harness or pack.

The hood is a nice big, adjustable helmet-friendly job with volume adjustment and a classic, big, wired peak, plus you get simple but effective, two-position Velcro-fastened cuffs, adjustable hem and waist cord fastenings and, in a nod to its lightweight relatives, a drop-tail for ease of movement.

There's no skimping and a durable-looking double flap protects the main zip from rain.

The Super-Fly XT may feel robust., but it still tips the scales at a very reasonable 625 grammes for the medium prototype. That's light for a fully-featured all-mountain jacket and reflects on the clever combination of materials in the design.

It's even more impressive when you put it on and find it has a fullish length and a more generous cut than the figure-hugging Super-Fly original which, when we tested it, weighed around 400 grames in the same size. Bear in mind though that we're dealing with a prototype garment here and the production version may be lighter.

The fabric is still super impressive. Appreciably more breathable - or strictly speaking, with better moisture vapour permeability - than any other waterproof breathable fabric we've used. That means you stay drier for longer. You can still overwhelm eVENT if you're working hard and running hot, but for the moment, this is as good as it gets.

So you're getting great breathability in an all mountain rather than a lightweight jacket with a reassuringly robust, protective feel and enough room to layer underneath in cold conditions. You also get shedloads of pockets and those vents. To be honest, the vents - above - work best in windy conditions, if it's stiller, it's arguably more effective to roll-up the sleeves, which is easily done. Thank you Montane.

If you're going to quibble, the hood isn't quite as neat and well-fitting as a Mountain Equipment or Arc'Teryx one, but it's not far off, gives decent protection complete with wired peak and moves with your head when you turn it. It also accommodates a helmet, making it suitable for mountaineering use.

If you're in the market for an all round mountain jacket and can hold fire till September, put the Super-Fly XT on your shortlist. It's fully featured, uses what we reckon is the best material out there and despite a tough, robust feel and generous cut, still weighs in at just over 600 grammes for a medium.

If we had to make changes we'd taper the cut more around the waist and hip area and maybe tweak the hood so the tensioner cord sits stlghtly lower on the head. Other than that, the XT looks like a cracking jacket and we'll bring you a more detailed write-up when we've had the chance to use it a little more in more demanding conditions.

Oh, it looks nice too, not that that matters, of course....