As promised, we popped over to see the guys from Mountain
Equipment in their palatial Manchester HQ for a quick preview of
their new spring/summer 2007 range. This is stuff that will be
appearing in the shops in just a few weeks time, spring - in outdoor
industry terms - starts in February...
We'll give you the low down on the clothing later, but first,
here's a quick look at what gives with their sleeping systems, or
sleeping bags and mats to you and me.
Bags Get Feminine
The big news from ME on the sleeping bag front isn't so much
radical new models, but no fewer than a dozen women's-specific
sleeping bags designed specifically to cater for the feminine
form.
That means they get the same quality and quantity of filling as
the men's versions, but the bags are shorter - there's around one
baffle less - shaped to fit women and have strategic extra insulation
in some areas, notably the foot of the bag. We're saying nowt about
lasses and cold feet, but it sounds like a good idea to us.
The bags chosen to show their feminine side are the most popular
versions of existing ME bags, so in the Extreme Range there are now
women's versions of the Frostline and Lightline Ultra
plus a pair of women's Glaciers, Dreamcatchers, Classic,
Sleepwalkers and Dreamwalkers.
Prices are the same as the men's versions as are nominal
temperature ratings, but we'd expect them to be slightly warmer,
thanks to the smaller shells holding the same quantity of
filling.
New Ultralightweight Bag
There is a completely new model on the block too in the form of
the ultralightweight Xero. It's aimed at lightweight
backpackers and gramme-counting mountaineers and uses ME's own
ultra-lightweight shell fabric - similar to Pertex Quantum - along
with the same 700 plus fill power, 93/7 down as the Extreme
range.
There's a shortened 3/4 zip to slash more grammes and the upper
portion of the bags use ME's elasticated, body-hugging EXL system.
The lining is supersoft as well.
Three models, the 250, 350 and 550 with recommended temps ranging
from freezing point to minus 10C. Weights are 550, 700 and 950
grammes respectively, which - if correct - means that they undercut
the equivalent Rab Quantum bags significantly.
All the bags come with a waterproof stuffsac as standard and
prices are £170, £200 and £230 or an extra £20
for the XL version for tall people.
It's A Pillow And A Stuffsack In One :-)
We like the look of this, it's the new standard stuffsac for the
Dreamcatcher range and it's lined with fleece. The idea is
that come bed time you can turn the sac inside out and fill it with
clothing, say, to create a luxurious fleecey pillow.
It's not really intended for backpacking use - think car camping
and basecamp sojourns - and you should be able to buy it separately
as well. Neat idea.
Mad Mats
Last but not least, ME also has some new mats. The jury's out on
these as they are kind of weird, though a bit different.
The new Fusion Lite and Fusion Expedition mix
different technologies in a single mat. The £50 expedition
version, the one with the red dog-bone shaped bit, has a 3.8cm closed
cell foam main body, like a traditional Karrimat, but with a
self-inflating insert under your shoulders and hip for better comfort
and insulation in strategic areas.
It weighs in at a claimed 575 grammes, which is light for a
full expedition mat, then again, we're not sure how it would compare
to a full self-inflater. The £25 Lite version weighs 320
grammes and uses a mix of closed-cell and open-cell foam for a
combination of lightness, robustness and comfort.
Interesting stuff :-)
Also interesting and using the same tapered shape to save weight
are two more conventional self-inflating mats. These have
longitudinal edge tubes filled with synthetic insulation, apparently
to retain heat and keep you on the mat, though we're not sure why ME
has used Polarloft rather than the normal foam, perhaps it's down to
the cylindrical shape of the tubes? The Expedition version weighs a
claimed 380 grammes and the full-on Mountain one, 695 grammes. Priced
at £70 and £80 respectively, so in the premium product
ballpark.
More information
The above kit will be available from around February onwards. You
can find full details of the current ME range at www.mountain-equipment.co.uk
