Macpac Clothing Scoop!

We're just back with an audience with the guys from Macpac in New Zealand. Well, we say New Zealand, but it was actually New Zealand House. Anyway, we spent a convivial hour or so getting a guided tour of Macpac's clothing developments for next year...

Clothing? Yes, we did say clothing. Although the hardcore kiwis are probably best known for their bombproof packs and tents in the UK, they also have a full range of technical wear that's available in the UK right now.

We've been using the technical Prophet Gore-Tex XCR shell jacket, the Powerstretch Stealth soft shell and Mission pant already this winter and we're highly impressed. In keeping with their 'Real People, Hard Places' slogan come mission statement, the company's produced technical wear that's cut to fit closely and efficiently and perform.

That's bad news for bloaters, but a breath of fresh air for anyone looking for close-fitting technical kit. The only other brand we know that's similarly styled for race whippets is Arc'Teryx and we all know how much that costs...

Anyway, here's a quick look at what's new for next year as well as some of what's around at the moment...

Macpac's 'big story' for 2004 is something called 'Interwool'. It's a full range of technical baselayer wear and being from New Zealand, it's based around Merino wool. Merino is a very fine-fibred wool which is great for temperature control, doesn't smell bad and is extremely comfortable against the skin too.

Unfortunately Merino's not that durable and being wool, dries slowly, so Macpac have upped its versatility by using a combination knit with Merino against the skin and an outer layer of conventional polyester baselayer fabric which helps to dissipate fluid and is harder wearing to boot.

There are tees, leggings, crews, zip-necks and even boxers in different colours - light shades for hot weather - and both light and mid-weight versions. The Mid version incorporates Lycra for a closer fit and seams are cunningly twisted and displaced to minimise any chafing with packs and harnesses. Looks good and available late summer, though we have some to try right now.

Our experiences with Odlo's new similarly built baselayers suggest that it should be worth waiting for.

Macpac's premier technical shell is called the Prophet. It has a really neat tapered cut, which we like a lot, together with a pronounced drop tail that works well with a harness, a brilliant hood with a stretch panel at the base which optimises it for use with or without a helmet plus stretch panels behind the shoulders for improved reach.

Macpac also tell us that they adopted the Extremadura version of XCR after the prototype XCR fabric they used was comprehensively trashed by New Zealand ski patrollers in a matter of weeks. The end result feels reassuringly tough and fits quite beautifully, which, for £300, it should.

The updates for 2004 include newly angled chest pockets with water-resistant zips, a new altimeter pocket on the sleeve and a stretch XCR cuff closure that really grips well. Looks like they've improved an already excellent jacket.

If you're after a technical lightweight shell with a great cut at a decent price - maybe to team with a soft shell top - then the Zone looks to be right in the ball park. Weighing in at just 320 grammes it uses Macpac's own Reflex 2.5 fabric and shares the Prophet's form-hugging, technical cut.

You get a full alpine hood to accommodate a climbing helmet and all the de rigeur technical features like water-resistant zips for both the main closure and the chest pocket, plus articulated sleeves and a laminated chin flap and hood peak. The main zip is also offset to reduce bulk at the neck.

The use of glueing technology to attach zips makes for lower bulk in those areas, plus a small reduction in weight. A definite contender in the lightweight shell market we reckon and at a decent price.

Also brand new is an insulation piece called the Mercury. It's a synthetically-insulated, Primaloft-filled jacket that should perform well in damp conditions - think NZ or Scotland - as is, but the cherry on the icing is that it has a Gore Dryloft outer.

The Dryloft is highly water resistant and, with the cunning placement of seams and the use of Primaloft, should make for a great fast-drying, damp weather insulation jacket.

Price, when it's available late next summer, will be around £130 and the claimed weight is 500 grammes, which puts it in mid-weight fleece territory.

There are a few other tweaks too. The very neat £160 Stealth soft shell Jacket, which uses Polartec's near windproof Powershield fabric, gets some minor cosmetic changes with the big mesh chest pocket from this year's version being replaced by neater-looking conventional twin chest pockets.

Plus the less technical Nemesis which combines three different fabrics for an allround mountain jacket - Powershield, Windpro and Stretch Ripstop PTFE if you were wondering - is re-styled with new handwarmer pockets. Looks very neat.

To the Macpac guys, including Bruce, who started the company, for flying all the way from New Zealand just to talk to us and sample British beer... For more information on the kiwi company, see their web site.