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Mountain Hardwear Ascent Tech
Parka
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Price:
£159.99
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Weight: 846 grammes (men's
M)
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Features:Soft
two-ply Conduit fabric, CoolMax mesh liner, Exposure fabric
on forearms and shoulders, Simplex pit zips, adjustable
foldaway ergo hood with stiffened peak, welded drawcord
construction, map pocket, twin chest pockets, zipped
internal pocket, mesh waterbottle pocket, snow skirt,
adjustable cuffs, doble storm flap over main zip.
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All the standard MHW features present and correct
Nothing really.
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Okay, so you like all those neat MHW shell features - the
non-velcroed Simplex pit zips, the excellent Ergo hood, the neat cut
and the cool logo - but you don't have nearly 300 quid to blow on a
top of the range XCR jacket like the Ethereal FTX, so tough
right?
Except that there is a more affordable option. In addition to
their Gore shells, MHW also use their own waterproof and breathable
membrane called Conduit. We've used it in their ultralight Tempest SL
jacket and were highly impressed by its breathability, but you can
also get it in a heavier version.
Enter the Ascent Tech Parka which uses the Conduit membrane
laminated to a soft-handled nylon face material, which has the bonus
of being quieter in use than stiffer fabrics. The forearms and
shoulders by the way, are reinforced with tougher Exposure fabric for
abrasion resistance.
At a retail of around £160, it's not exactly bargain
basement, but what you're getting is all the technical features of
the top-end MHW shells: stuff like the big Simplex pit-zips that use
a cunning internal overlapping construction to avoid the need for
fiddly velcro-fastened flaps on the outside or stiff water-resistant
zips; stuff like the neat ergo hood that's one of the best we've
tried, welded drawcord construction for longevity and a well
thought-out cut including articulated sleeves.
First impressions are that the softer material doesn't feel as
rugged as some of the others - but then this isn't a climbing shell
and the soft drape is comfortable to wear and quiet too. It's also
cut slightly smaller than the MHW Gore shells we've used, so you may
need to go up a size. Other than that it's hard to find fault in
use.
The two-ply Conduit fabric with mesh drop lining breathes as well
as anything on the market with the exception of Gore's top end XCR,
it's still overwhelmed by frenetic activity, but that's true of all
waterproof breathables we've used. The hood works well, and the
stiffened peak is one of the best on the market, though some still
prefer wired hoods for UK winter use. As always we liked the easy to
operate pit zips, with no faffing required and there were enough
pockets - including an OS map-sized one - on the right places.
The snow skirt? If you're not going to use it, you can always cut
it out, though it does make a good seal against wind up your skirts
as it were. What else? Weight and pack size are both par for the
course for a mid-market jacket.
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Verdict: All the Mountain Hardwear
technical allure and features at a lower price. It breathes
well, has a decent hood and is a thoroughly well thought-out
shell jacket. You'll either like the soft feel of the fabric
or not, we liked it, but it doesn't feel as rugged or crisp
as the higher end MHW jackets. If you're a gear snob, you
might feel a bit short changed, as if you're settling for
second best for the sake of the label, but for the rest of
us, this is a good jacket at a reasonable price - you'll
find it hard to get much that works as well at around
£150. If it were around 40 quid cheaper it would be a
total bargain.
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Performance
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Value
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Pushed for time:
All the top-end MHW technical features in their own
brand Conduit fabric that breathes well. A very good jacket
at a reasonable price, though the soft feel of the fabric
will put some off. We particularly iked the Simplex, no
faff, pit zips and the hood. Cut is good though slightly
smaller than the higher end MHW Gore-Tex shells.
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Richard Gear or try a posting to our gear
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