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Paramo Mountain Vent Pull-on -
First Look
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Price:
£69.99
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Weight: 389 grammes (men's
medium)
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Features: Parameta
S reversible fabric, through to skin ventilation via arm
vents, high collar, deep chest zip, arm and shoulder
articulation, pull-up sleeves and adjustable cuffs, secure
pocket, scoop tail.
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Sleeves roll up easily.
Not ideal if you run hot...
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The Concept The Mountain Vent Pull-on is Paramo's contribution
to the microfleece galaxy, or would be were it not designed to
function best next to your skin as a sort of heavyweight baselayer.
It's made from Parameta S, a reversible fabric with a velour-type
pile on one side and a smooth face the other which gives you thermal
control options.
It also has strategic vents on the upper arms designed to mate
with matching openings on the Aspira and Alta Directional Waterproof
Jackets with which it forms , and we quote, 'a powerful unit'.
Features Bar the directional fabric, the Mountain Vent is
actually a pretty straightforward smock design with high collar,
single chest pocket and two vents in the upper arms .
In
Action We used the Mountain Vent through the coldest portion of
the winter for walking and mountain biking and, to be honest, weren't
blown away by it. Worn next to the skin, under a Paramo waterproof
directional garment, it was simply far too warm for us - the only
time it worked well was in conditions which were well sub-zero.
It also seemed to cope with excessive moisture less effectively
than a conventional microfleece and seemingly took ages to dry out.
Worn without an outer layer however, it lacked any significant wind
resistance. The reversibilty didn't do a lot for us either and the
zip-though vents have only a limited effect when your physiology has
been set on simmer.
Paramo make a lot of the articulated sleeves but we found the
medium tight across the shoulders. A large might have solved that
issue, but the non-adjustable hem was already loose and going up a
size would have made it even looser. It looks strange and unformed
too, though that's a pure aesthetic judgement and a matter of
personal opinion.
Was there anything we liked? Yep, the roll-up friendly cuffs got
our vote.
The allure of velour was, I'm afraid, lost on us. Ultimately we
reckon a conventional microfleece would do a better job at a lower
price and manage moisture better too. To be fair, the Paramo system
does seem to work best for those who run on the cool side and the
Mountain Vent falls into that pattern. For us though, worn as
intended, with a Directional shell, it was too warm until
temperatures dropped well below freezing.
It obviously does work for some wearers and we can't argue with
some of the positive user impressions on our review system. For us
though, while the Directional outer layers make a certain amount of
sense and have great breathability, the Mountain Vent just doesn't
quite make sense.
Know more or want to?
If you'd like to add your own experiences of this product check
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.
