More new kit for the spring / summer season, this time from
The North Face. This is all due in the shops in the next month
or so, so you won't have long to wait if anything hits the gear spot.
G-spot, gear spot, erm...
Apex Elixir Jacket - £90 - fast-moving softshell
The North Face's range of Apex softshell kit has been around for a
while now with frequent updates. The new Apex Elixir is part
of the Flight Series, so aimed at fast movers. The fabric's the
light, but tough feeling 4-way stretch Apex Aerobic complete with
DWR. It's available in both men's and women's versions, like most
other items in the range.
Highly wind resistant but should still breathe well, plus there
are vented pockets, a fleece-lined collar, reflective TNF logos and
adjustable hem and cuffs. Looks nice and weighs around 445 grammes.
Looks good for running, biking and moving fast in dreary conditions
:-)
Antigravity Jacket - £200 - lightweight all-round
waterproof
The new Antigravity is a new £200 waterproof shell jacket
that's not made from Gore-Tex. Instead it uses TNF's own
HyVent fabric, which the company says is close to Gore-Tex in
performance. The jacket's a bit of a hybrid using three different
types of HyVent - DT (Dry Touch) for the body, tougher HyVent Alpha
for reinforcement and stretch panels behind the shoulders.
The spec really is impressive with 13mm microtaped seams,
water-resistant zips, TNF's slimmer 'performance fit' and a
fully-adjustable hood with a stiffened peak. And the weight? Around
450 grammes which is pretty impressive for a lightweight
all-round mountain jacket. Again the Antigravity is also available in
a women's version with a female-friendly cut and nicer colours, as
usual...
Stitchless Fountainhead Jacket - £300 - top of the range
mountain shell
The Stitchless Fountainhead was actually new for this winter, but
we've not covered it before so here's a quick heads-up pending a test
report next week.
It's TNF's top-of-the-range shell jacket and again doesn't use
Gore-Tex instead opting for own brand HyVent Alpha, a highly
breathable PU laminate. What really marks it out is the use of
completely stitchless construction. All the seams are sonic welded to
reduce weight and bulk, increase seam strength and improve mobility.
Just like the ultra-lightweight DIAD in fact.
The Fountainhead gets every feature you can think of - reinforced
wear areas, massive pit-zips with water-resistant zips,
water-resistant main-zip, adjustable waist cuffs and hem, big alpine
pockets and so on. There are also neat, funky-looking lazer-cut
stretch inserts in the upper back and elbows - below.
A medium weighs a genuine 615 grammes on the OM scales, so
it's pretty light for what feels like a tough, short-cut mountain
jacket.
DIAD jacket Updated - 220 gramme waterproof gets more
features.
The DIAD - Done In A Day - Jacket is TNF's ultra-lightweight,
stitchless waterproof. We liked the original a lot and for this
spring it gets some updates. The fabric and stitchless construction
are unchanged, but the pit-zips have been moved round onto the trunk
and double up with new venting pockets to add carrying capacity -
last year's had a single chest pocket - and make for easy
venting.
The weight is now claimed as 220 grammes, up 20 grammes from last
year, but we've known companies overstate the weight before, so don't
assume that's a definite. Good fabric too and still one of the
lightest waterproofs you can buy.
Apex Cypher Jacket - £120 - Windstopper softshell with a
hood
Another interesting hybrid. This one uses a mix of Gore's totally
windproof and very water-resistant Windstopper and Apex Aerobic 4-way
stretch fabric. The more breathable, stretchy stuff lives down the
sides of the trunk and on the inside of the sleeves.
And
glory be, you also get a hood for instant noggin coverage when
needed. It's not a full-on technical one, but should do a job when
the going gets nippy. A DWR treatment should make it good in drizzly
stuff too. Should be a good combination of protection and
breathability.
Arnuva 50 Boa - £100 - all-round running shoe
TNF's running shoes really are up there with the best now. The new
Arnuva 50 is a lightweight runner with a mesh upper designed for
ultra-runners who may have to tackle trails, dirt paths and even
road.
The lacing system is TNF's snowboard-derived Boa. The laces are
ultra-thin 49-strand stainless steel and a knob behind the heel
allows you to dial in optimum tension in seconds. To remove, pull the
knob out to release tension.
The shoe has everything you'd expect from a top-end running shoe
too including TNF's grippy Tenacious outsole, stability system, an
exterior cage designed to reinforce the cushioned section of the heel
and prevent it from collapsing, air cushioning front and rear and an
ergonomic footbed.
Claimed weight is just over 700 grammes per pair, so nice and
light.
Terra Packs Updated - all-round daysacs get a makeover for
2007
The Terra pack range has a facelift for the spring and looks much
neater and more modern. New features include stretch front panel and
side pockets, big mesh waterbottle pockets, sleeping bag compartments
with crescent zip access and well-padded harnesses and back systems.
Looking good and available in 60, 40, 35, 30 and 25-litre sizes or as
a women's 40.
And finally, shirts made from bamboo...
Last but not least, shirts made from bamboo fibres. Actually 55
per cent cotton, 45 per cent bamboo poplin. The stuff is odour
resistant, has good moisture management qualities and is renewable
and eco-friendly.
What's more this £42 Coos Bay shirt felt lovely and soft and
looked rather nice too. Watch out for more eco-fabrics coming soon.
More Information
Information on the current TNF range at www.thenorthface.com
Chris Parkinson 2
The indoor ice wall at the TNF store in Manchester is open for business with 40 tons of ice just waiting for a good kicking from your expertly wielded crampon points :-)
