Lightest XCR Jacket In the World UK Bound

Would you believe a Gore-Tex XCR jacket that weighs just 330 grammes? Nope, us neither, but Japanese brand Mont Bell make one and it could be coming to the UK soon.

The Torrent Flier, as modelled by Hugo of ESC Outdoor, is claimed to be the lightest XCR jacket in the world and weighs less than quite a few Paclite tops into the bargain.

It uses a 15 denier Ballistic Airlight rip-stop face fabric - the layer on the outside - which is very, very light along with a similar weight lining and also includes pit-zips and a full hood.

So how come European XCR jackets are significantly heavier? Well, as we understand it, in Europe, XCR is marketed as a mountaineering, heavy-duty fabric, but Gore Japan have more autonomy and can develop different versions of fabrics, hence this lighter version of XCR.

And as Mont Bell work closely with Gore-Tex in Japan, they get first use of it. Interesting stuff. We'll let you know when Mont Bell kit is actually available in the UK, but in the mean time you can see what else is in the range at www.montbell.com