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Montane Super-Fly XT Jacket
Tested
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Price:
£220
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Weight: 598 grammes
(medium)
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Features: Mountain
jacket using three-ply eVENT fabric with reinforced
shoulders, elbows, hips and seat. adjustable roll-away
helmet hood with wired peak, non-whip hood aperture
drawcords, full-length front zip with hook and loop closed
storm baffle, twin chest core vent pockets, concealed waist
drawcord, two large pockets with water-resistant zips,
elasticated, adjustable 'glove-friendly' cuffs, reflective
strip on sleeve, front chest and back, single-hand
elasticated hem cord, drop-tail.
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Breathability, protection, details are great.
Hood fit slightly quirky.
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The Concept Although it shares a name with Montane's
award-winniing lightweight Super-Fly jacket, the XT is intended to be
more of an all-round mountain bruiser aimed at mountain walking and
climbing in all conditions, and backpacking with its associated wear
on the shoulder and hip areas.
What it does have in common with the Super-Fly is the excellent,
free-breathing eVENT fabric which we rate as the most breathable
waterproof material out there.
Features While Montane's ultra-lightweight kit is about taking
things away rather than adding them the XT is a bit more lavish in
its spec and you get everything you'd expect from an all-round
mountain jacket.
That means tougher fabric in high-wear areas like hips, shoulders,
elbows and seat, a full helmet-compatible hood with drawcorded
adjustment instead of a lighter but more basic tab, venting pockets
for cooling duties and so on.
Plus, while it still uses the highly breathable eVENT fabric, the
reinforced shoulders and other areas mean you can use a heavy pack
without worrying about abrasion damage.
In
Action We found the Super-Fly XT made an ideal all-round UK
mountain jacket: breathability from the eVENT fabric is better than
other waterproof materials we've tried and our base and mid-layers
stayed appreciably drier than usual even on typically British damp
mountain days.
As a result, we didn't feel the need to use the core vents often,
but it's nice to know they're there - particularly if you're trussed
up in pack and harness - and it's also possible to roll the sleeves
up to your elbows for funkly fore-arm cooling - arguably more
effective than venting anyway.
The hood is in the modern idiom, nice and full with an adjuster
cord that grips the top of your head so the hood moves with it in a
similar way to the Mountain Equipment design, it'll also take a
climbing helmet, no problem and has a wired peak for protection. Some
people apparently find that the cord isn't quite placed right for
their personal head layout, so it makes sense to try before
buying.
Twin Napoleon chest pockets have plenty of room for an OS map or
two along with the odd snack and all the various hem, waist and hood
adjusters work just fine. We did think the waist cord could have sat
slightly lower though overall the cut works well. It's slightly more
generous than the Super-Fly which means that while it's not quite as
neat, there's space for a heavier weight fleece underneath for winter
use.
We also liked the XT's fuller length compared to many lightweight
technical shells. It simply feels more protective and comfortable,
particularly when you're not wearing overtrousers yet isn't long
enough to interfere with movement.
Mostly though, the XT just gets on with being a very capable
mountain shell. You could wear it for general mountain walking, stow
it in your pack for heavy backpacking and, at a pinch, drag it out
for a bout of Scottish winter or summer alpine
mountaineering.
Excellent fabric, reasonable weight and good design make the
Super-Fly XT one of the best mountain all-rounders we've used. It's
not as flashy as some full-on technical shells, but the extra room,
additional length and capable hood make it a great all-rounder.
Minimalists will be put off by the large number of pockets and the
arguably superflous vents and you could argue that the cut could be
closer, but for many British mountain walkers, the XT should be spot
on.
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Performance
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Value
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Pushed for time
All the Super-Fly XT really shares with its lighter
namesake is the fabric. It's more of an all-round mountain
shell with loads of features, lots of pockets and some extra
space for additional winter insulation - who said blubber?
Breathability is as good as usual with eVENT and the whole
jacket has a reassuringly protective feel that should appeal
to mountain walkers and climbers. All in all fit and forget
mountain shell. Does it really need all those pockets
though?
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