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Mountain Equipment G2 Alpine
Jacket First Look
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Price:
£170.00
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Weight: 592 grammes (men's
M)
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Features: Gore
N2S/Windstopper fabric with durable water-repellant DXB
finish on outer, Powerfleece cuffs, drop tail back, twin
high, water-resistant chest pockets with mesh lining, two
zipped handwarmer pockets, long pit-zips, Powerfleece-lined
collar with adjustable drawcord closure, elasticated waist,
adjustable elasticated hem drawcord.
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The first thing we did with Mountain Equipment's G2 Soft Shell Alpine
Jacket was take the wire cutters to it. It's got the same jingling,
court jester zip-pulls as the G2 Pant we looked at a few months back
- maybe it's a whiteout safety device - but the good news is that
there are only two of them and they're easily replaced with a length
of thin shockcord. Phew...
Material
From there on in things get much better. ME has taken Gore's
Windstopper N2S fabric and adopted it into a more technical soft
shell solution. Gore N2S - as the name suggests - was originally
designed to be worn 'next to skin' but the effective wicking inner
scrim works as well with a high-wicking base layer, producing a very
breathable, but windproof fabric. The thicker outer shell fabric
feels tougher than standard N2S as well.
ME has also added a DXB water repellant treatment to the stretchy
Nylon / Lycra outer fabric which together with the membrane means
that light showers and drizzle aren't a problem. More realistically,
G2 is targetted at high alpine use where snow and wind rather than
rain are the real enemies, though so far we've not been able to use
the jacket in those conditions, we'd expect it to work even better in
the drier air and lower temperatures.
In a wet and windy late-summer Lake District, the jacket worked
well for windproofing and breathability, but needed an extra shell
layer in sudden squalls, though it did dry fast in the wind. Bear in
mind that like other N2S garments, G2 isn't particularly thermally
efficient - that's the price you pay for the close to skin wicking ability - so you need to keep walking and layer up when you stop.
Ideal for fast moving alpinists who'll just throw a light down vest
over the top.
Nice Design ME seems to be turning out some of the best-cut
technical clothing on the market right now and the G2 Jacket is no
exception. It's a long, slimmish fitting garment with a slight drop
tail for extra protection. The slimness is partly due to the stretch
in the fabric and has two big pluses: one is that the closer the
membrane sits to the body, the more effectively it works, the second
is that there's no irritating fabric billowing out under rucksac
straps or harnesses.
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Those jingling zips again. Prime
candidate
for a snip
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You also get decent mobility and importantly in a technical
garment, you can reach up high without the whole jacket riding up.
Hem and collar - nicely Powerfleece lined - both seal with
elasticated drawcords to seal out wind, the cuffs have a
non-adjustable Powerfleece cuff, which may be a little loose for the
narrow wristed - what, us? - in really windy conditions, though a
short-cuffed glove will snug up under the sleeve and a gauntlet will
go over the top.
The sleeves are sized too tight to roll up, but there are big pit
zips for venting along with the main front zip and the chest pockets
are mesh lined so also have some venting function if you're really
cooking.
What no hood?
If there's one major omission, it's an integral hood. It's such an
obvious addition for windy days that it's hard to know why there
isn't one. Possibly because most alpinists will be wearing a helmet,
but we'd at least have liked the option, even if it was just sized to
be worn under a helmet or removable.
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Verdict: We haven't been able to
use the G2 Jacket in the conditions where we reckon it'll
work best - moving fast in high, cold, dry mountain terrain
- but we like the N2S-based material for its windproofness
and fantastic ability to wick moisture away from the body. Plus the
combination of good detailing, neat cut and stretchy fabric
makes for a good and highly functional fit.G2 should also
work decently in cool dry-to-drizzly UK conditions, but
we're not convinced it's a good option when the going gets
really wet. Mind you with autumn round the corner, we
shouldn't have to wait long to find out. Watch this
space
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Know more or want to?
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out our user review system and post your opinions to the world. If
you have questions you can mail
us direct, ask
Richard Gear or try a posting to our gear
forum.
