Paramo Fuera Peak Windproof Jacket Tested
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Price:
£80.00
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Weight: 330 grammes
(medium)
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Features:
Windproof jacket made from Nikwax Windproof fabric,
reflective strips, articulated arms and elbows, adjustable
cuffs, two-way reversed front zip, two zipped chest pockets,
adjustable hood with wired peak, scooped drop tail,
single-handed adjustable hem cord.
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What's It For?
The Fuera Peak Windproof Jacket is, as you might expect, a
windproof jacket. Paramo says it's a multi-activity sort of fella
designed for 'temperate days when breathability and flexibility are
more important than total waterproofing'.
Because the Nikwax Windproof fabric has been treated with TX
Direct it does have some water-repellancy, but it's NOT a waterproof
and isn't intended to cope with more than light showers.
You could also - it says here - combine it with a Paramo fleece
mid-layer to create a 'fully Directional waterproof system', though
the combination would be warm and Paramo's web site suggests that
it's best teamed with a Cambia baselayer or directional shirt.
The Techy Bits
As you might guess from the name, the Fuera Peak's a relation of
the Fuera Smock and, as you might expect, it's a no-nonsense,
windproof jacket made from a closely woven Polyester fabric with a
Nikwax TX water-resistant treatment that you'll need to renew from
time to time to keep water resistance up.
There's nothing particularly revolutionary here - you get chest
pockets, two-way zip, a hood with a wired peak and simple adjuster
and so on.
How It Performs
Paramo touts the Fuera Peak as 'lightweight', but let's be honest,
when there are waterproof shells out there weighing less than 200
grammes, 330 grammes for a windproof is more middleweight and indeed,
compared to the ultra-lightweight stuff out there, the Fuera does
feel quite robust and pack friendly despite its multi-activity tag.
For reference, the Fuera Smock weighs a claimed 290 grammes.
The weight's not really helped by a cut that's quite loose and
unformed in a slightly sack-like way. Figure-hugging it isn't, but at
least it gives plenty of room for layering underneath or to
accommodate the fuller figure. The colour scheme on our test jacket -
washed-out orange and grey - was a bit of throwback to the dark days
of early 90s Buffalo tops as well. Other clunkiness includes the
massively unsubtle bolted-on reflective piping front and rear.
None of that prevents the jacket from doing a decent job as an
all-round mountain windproof. For fast-moving use like running and
biking, it all felt a bit loose and flappy, but for hill and mountain
walking, it works okay.
The fabric's windproof and stands up to the odd shower just fine
and is as breathable as any other windproof fabric out there. The
loose-fitting sleeves roll up for quick forearm ventilation and a
two-way main zip also allows venting, though it would have been nice
to have a popper to hold the bottom end together in use.
What else? The hood is simple but works well for showers and extra
windproofing for your noggin with a simple wired peak keeping drips
out of your eyes. Twin chest pockets take maps and are well clear of
pack belts, but sit a little high for use as handwarmers unless
you're a squirrel.
Paramo says the Fuera Peak is 'lightweight', but genuinely
lightweight windproofs make it feel heavy and bulky which isn't helped
by a somewhat formless cut.
Its real strength is as an all-round hill and mountain walking and
backpacking windproof where it feels tough and resistant to pack
abrasion, but still packs reasonably small. It also scores
with decent, renewable water resistance and a handy hood.
We didn't like the looks or the cut, which we found made it
hopeless for running or biking when it just flopped and flapped in
the wind and we can't really see that it has many advantages over the
Fuera smock which is 40 grammes lighter and £30 cheaper.
Buy only if you must have a Paramo windproof with full-length zip
and twin chest pockets.
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Windproof with decent, renewable water resistance, hood.
Relatively heavy, sack-like cut, dated styling and
colours.
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Performance
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Value
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