Technical kit for winter claims to outperform leading brands thanks to new waterproof fabric.
You might associate
Rohan
purely with travel clothing, but new for this winter, the company is
launching a full range of more technical mountain kit under the
Pinnacle Series
banner.
The idea is to take Rohan's fast and light heritage and expand it into
more technical outdoors clothing. In fact it's not entirely new ground
for the company, Reinhold and Messner's team used Rohan kit during the
first oxygenless ascent of Everest back in 1978.
Barricade Fabric
Central to the new range is a waterproof membrane fabric called
'Barricade', which Rohan is very pointedly saying outperforms the
leading waterproof materials on the market. It's claimed to be 'more
breathable' but also uses something called 'Active Diffusion', so the
more heat and vapour your body produces, the more the fabric will
breathe. Sounds similar to Schoeller's C-Change fabric.
They also say that Barricade is highly waterproof and, in three-ply
form, 'more durable and water resistant'. All of which is interesting
stuff. We're waiting on Rohan for full details of the membrane
technology, so watch this space.
Pinnacle Jacket
Having a great fabric is one thing, but effective mountain
jackets also rely on the right cut, features and design - you can have
the most waterproof, most breathable fabric in the world, but if the
zips leak, the hood doesn't fit properly and so on, it's useless.
The centerpiece of the Pinnacle range is the waterproof
Pinnacle Jacket in
both men's and women's versions. We haven't seen one up close and
personal yet, but the spec looks decent on paper / screen.
For starters, Rohan has specced the excellent Riri Aquazip, also used
by Crux, which is mechanically waterproof thanks to the way the teeth
interlock rather than just water resistant. The hood looks to have a
big stiffened peak, there are big core-vents with flaps and
water-resistant zips, a detachable snow skirt and more.
Rohan is marketing the Pinnacle as a serious mountaineering jacket and
at
£293.61
it's priced to match. One slightly query we have is over the claimed
weight of 750 grammes on the Rohan web site - that's a fair chunk for a
modern mountain shell, even with a removable snow-skirt, so we'll be
interested to see what it scores on the scales.
Also In The Range...
There are also matching
Pinnacle Bibs again in three-ply Barricade fabric with
Riri Aquazips. reinforced ankle scuff panels, detachable inner gaiters,
stretch back, chest pockets and more. Price is
£269.14
and weight claimed at 880 grammes.
We like the look of the non-membrane, adjustably-hooded
Strata Jacket which
is a closely woven, Polyamide soft shell jacket with built-in stretch,
DWR, venting pockets and a microgrid fleece liner, which should make it
an interesting, cold-weather soft shell option. Price is
£171.27
and weight a claimed 710 grammes. Men's and women's versions.
Finally, on the new stuff front, the £190 Nightfall Jacket is
an insulated top filled with 'premium white goose down' and an outer
fabric which is said to use nanotechnology to shed dirt, resist stains
and make for a 'wipe-clean' finish. Weight is claimed at 640 grammes.
More Information
The new Pinnacle range is in the shops right about now.
We've got some test kit winging its way towards us imminently, so we'll
be able to tell you more shortly, but you can find full details of the
Pinnacle range - which also includes the classic Striders and Super
Striders legwear and Merino baselayers at
www.rohan.co.uk
