A spate of new shell jackets - hard or soft - top-up the Mountain Equipment range for 2008...
It’s time to view the future of Mountain Equipment in the crystal ball. In amongst all the mist and haze we can distinctly make out a big improvement to the summer alpine range, not to mention a fair few hooded soft shells. Won’t the editor of OUTDOORSmagic be pleased?:-)
Hard Shell
Let’s block out all of the elements to start with though and have a look at the hard shell range, which has undergone a fair few developments.
The first is the Pro-lite Jacket which is brand new for spring/summer 2008. It’s made of three layer Gore-Tex – that’s the new Pro Shell version – and the features look well-cut, including high pockets that can be used whilst wearing a rucksack or harness and a prominent wired peak on the hood. Retail price is expected to be £180 and this is what the fella looks like …
Next up is Mountain Equipment’s lightest hard shell - the Prolite Jacket -made of the brand’s new Drilite Ultra fabric, using 2.5 layer technology. It weighs in at 295g and again the features include two taped hand pockets and an adjustable hood and hems. This time the jacket also comes with its own ‘Clip N Carry’ stuff sac for when the sun comes out.
Suggested retail price is £120 and there’s also a Particle Pull On which weighs in at a slightly lighter 275g.
That’s it for the upper body but there’s also help at hand for anyone wishing to avoid wet trousers, and it comes in the form of the Particle Pant. The Pant – that’s a pair of trousers to you or I - is also made of 2.5 layer Drilite Ultra fabric, with three quarter length side zips. The waist is part-elasticated, the knees are reinforced, and the srp this time is £73.
Other new hard shells include two jackets made of two-layer Drilite Ultra, called the Shelterstone Jacket and the Rainfall Jacket, with a Rainfall Pant to join them.Soft Shell
The soft shell pickings are just as rich. Firstly there’s the new Astron Jacket, which comes in a pull-on, hooded and unhooded version and uses a polytech powershield fabric. There are also powerstretch panels down the shoulder blades, where rucksack straps are likely to make their presence felt. Retail price is £120 for the hooded version.
There’s also a women’s version, although it doesn’t come in a hooded version, and the price tag on this one is £100.
The Rimo Jacket is another new soft shell for spring/summer 2008 and this one also comes in a hooded or unhooded version. It has a Pertex Equilibrium outer shell, which is wind and water resistant, and Mountain Equipment describe it as “arguably our most adaptable mid-layer”. The roll-away hood is helmet-compatible, and the four pockets are all cut to be accessible with a rucksack on. The main downside is that there’s no equivalent for the gals:-) Suggested retail price is likely to be £120.
Other soft shells include the G3 jacket, which is Mountain Equipment’s lightest Windstopper shell (295g), and the Ibex Pant made of Mountain Equipment’s own soft shell material. The women’s version is called the Chamois.
And more …
For example, a new Capri Pant for the gals and a short sleeved version of the Momentum Zip-Neck base layer... It’s not that long until the spring/summer range reaches the shelves though, so we’ll leave you to browse it in full when it arrives at an outdoor shop near you.
In the meantime, full details of Mountain Equipment’s current range can be found on their website.
