Marmot Autumn Winter 2008 Preview

The guys at Marmot have obviously been busy judging by their new range for autumn/winter 2008 which includes some seriously slick-looking Gore-Tex mountain shells, some very neat softshell kit and an interesting new cooperation with Polartec giving them sole access to a new fleece-based fabric.

Pro Shell Jackets

There are three new Gore-Tex Pro Shell waterproof jackets in the new Marmot range. The top of the range is the new Alpinist Jacket - right - which - and this should please traditional mountain jacket wearers - is cut longer than usual.

It uses a tough 70-denier fabric, has Napoleon pockets and laser-drilled collar/hood vents to reduce condensation when wearing goggles with the hood up. There's also a removable powder skirt for increased versatility.

Also new are the mens' Troll Wall and women's Fjell jackets, again made with Pro Shell. Both use a lighter weight fabric than the Alpinist and have a shorter overall cut with drop tail. Other features are the same, but there are no collar vents.

Soft Shells

Marmot has overhauled its Genesis Jacket for this winter with a complete update, so all it really shares with its predecessor is the name. Fabric is a new four-way stretch with Marmot's MemBrain laminate giving a combination of waterproofness with a soft feel to the fabric.

The seams are bonded with dyed glue making for an eye-catching look. The Genesis is classed as M1 by Marmot, which means it offers high levels of water and wind resistance. The integral hood should also increase versatility if the weather does clag in and makes a lot of sense to us. We're mystified by high weather resistant shell jackets that come without a hood.

Unique Fleece

Last but not least, Marmot is the only brand which is going to be using a new fleece fabric from Polartec called Polartec Power Stretch Hardface. As you can probably work out for yourself, it's based on the excellent stretchy Power Stretch lightweight fleece, but a polymer infusion on the face of the fabric gives much more abrasion resistance and a DWR effect without compromising breathability or stretch.

Sounds like it should make for an excellent lightweight mountain top. The jacket is called the Torrid Jacket and looks like being a nice basic zipped top complete with handy pockets.

The new styles should be in the shops around September time, we'll also be reviewing a few of the more interesting pieces on the site, so watch this space. Details of the current Marmot range at www.marmot.com