|
Paramo Fuera Smock
Tested
|
|
|
Price:
£50.00
|
|
Weight: 300 grammes
(mediun)
|
|
Features:
Windproof smock with adjustable hood featurning wired peak,
contoured fit, reflective safety strips front and back,
adjustable cuffs and hem, dual access chest
pocket.
|
|
Windproof, sturdy feeling, decent cut.
Not super lightweight.
|
The Concept Paramo is best known for its directional
waterproof clothing, but the Fuera is a pure windproof based on the
established Fuera jacket but with a lighter, more streamlined
approach. The fabric, as far as we know, is the same as the outer
layer of the waterproof Paramo garments.
It's designed for use when breathability and windproofing are more
important that total waterproofing and is light enough to stow easily
when not needed. A proper hood should make it more flexible in use.
Features Like we said, it's a basic, simple, smock design with
a more contoured cut than most Paramo kit. For a lighweight
windproof, it packs a decent hood with a wired peak though and
adjustable cuffs and hem keep the fit snug and the wind out.
In Action We've been using the Fuera regularly as a spring /
summer walking and biking top and it's become a regular with its mean
black Nazgul aesthetics lending a hint of menace to otherwise benign
outings - sorry, we know the pic is blue...
It's
not super lightweight compared to some filmy windproofs, but the
pay-off is enhanced durability, particularly when used with a pack
which we found generally reassuring. Pack size isn't minscule, but at
about the size of two large-sih oranges, it's not excessive
either.
We liked the 'contoured' cut, which is neat without being tight
and appreciated being able to roll up the sleeves - always handy for
cooling - and the protection offered by the effective hood with its
wired peak. Nice to have a drop tail too, particularly when cycling
and running.
The close woven microfibre is totallywindproof and as breathable
as other windproof fabrics we've used. It's very definitely not
waterproof though, even if treatment with TX.Direct will allow it to
cope with light showers. As Paramo says, it's best used on days when
breathability is more important than water resistance.
We didn't use the pocket much, although it will take a standard
guidebook, but it would have been nice if it had been adapted to work
as a vent as occasionally, when working hard, it would have been nice
to have some extra options, pit-zips perhaps. But then maybe that's
getting away from the minmalist point of the smock...
