We were over with the nice people at Mountain Equipment yesterday
having a sneak preview of their Autumn / Winter 2003 range and it's
very, very nice...
One other thing we noticed though, was that while you'll still be
able to buy Ultrafleece pants and salopettes come September, ME has
quietly dropped all its Ultrafleece tops from the
range.
|
|
If you want an UF Mountain
Jacket
you'd best buy it before September
|
Apparently sales have fallen as the softshell revolution -
definition: a half-cooked snail spinning on its back - has overtaken
the market place with ever more breathable windproof jackets reducing
the appeal of the highly wind-resistant fleece.
It's kind of a shame as the good old Ultrafleece Mountain jacket,
complete with hood and thumb loop thingies was one of the enduring
classics of UK outdoor clothing and, one of our all time fave British
condition fleeces with a great combination of wind resistance,
thermal insulation - warm but not too warm - and
wick-/breathability.
That's progress though and technology rolls on, the bottom line
though is that if you want a Mountain Equipment Ultrafleece top,
you'd best get one by the end of the summer or you won't be getting
one at all...
More scoop details of next winter's ME range early next week,
including one of the nicest Gore XCR jackets we've seen for some time
and some neat updates to the G2 softshell kit.
Dan Grey
