Top-end Canadian clothing brand Westcomb hits the shops this autumn and it looks good.
We're just back from seeing the guys at Beyond Hope where we had a
sneak preview of the kit from a new-to-the-UK
Canadian outdoor clothing brand
called Westcomb, which you'll find in a few, select shops
from early autumn 2009.
Westcomb was started by a couple of ex-Arc'Teryx employees and
manufactures and designs its kit exclusively in Canada using a
family-owned factory next door to their own HQ, something they say,
which gives them access to skilled local workers and enables them to
tweak their designs quickly and easily.
Top Spec Fabrics
They use high-end fabrics from the likes of eVent, Schoeller, Polartec
and Primaloft and unsurprisingly, the Arc'Teryx influence is pretty
obvious in colours, design and features. Less obvious is the attention
to detail in manufacturing. Apparently they use two, differentially cut
dies when stamping out pockets, for example, to give better adhesion
for the glue and minimise fraying at edges and use ice water-cooled
plates because cooling the adhesive rapidly gives better long-term
results.
Unusually for an eVent brand, they use microtape on seams to reduce
weight and improve mobility and there are some nice features on the kit
as well, like a pair of bibs / salopettes with the leg section in
eVent, but a detachable upper bib section made from Powershield, so you
use them either as a bib or straight overtrousers. Neat.
More about the brand once it's available, but we thought you might like
a quick look at a couple of styles just so you can see what we're on
about. Above is the
Phantom
Hoody a technical eVent hard shell which also features
Schoeller C-Change stretch panels, articulated sleeves, water-resistant
zips, twin cargo pockets and lots more. Not cheap at
£375, but
very, very neat. Like all Westcomb's designs, it's available in both
men's and women's versions.
Above is our favourite jacket from the range, the
Specter LT Hoody,
it's a neat, lightweight eVent alpine shell that weighs in at just 315
grammes, one of the lightest eVent jackets we've seen. Right now it has
only a single chest pocket, but from spring 2010, it gets two
hand-wamer type chest pockets but without any significant weight gain.
Price for this autumn 2009 is
£210.
Finally, there are also some very neat insulated jackets in the range
including a very nice Primaloft-lined and eVent shelled
Specter IS Hoody
belay jacket. It's cut over sized to fit over lower layers, uses
ultra-warm and water-resistant 170g Primaloft, which is laminated to
the lining for a smooth, snow-shedding interior, has a whopping great
helmet hood, taped eVent waterproof shell and more. At that spec you
wouldn't expect it to be cheap and at
£375 it
isn't, but it looks like a very effective bit of kit.
The above kit and lots more will be available from a small but select
group of outdoor specialists from September including V12 in North
Wales, Outside in Hathersage and Peglers in Arundel.
More about the brand at
www.westcomb.com
