Lowe Alpine Multi Pitch Jacket -
Tested
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Price:
£80
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Weight: 490 grammes
(medium)
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Features: Soft
shell jacket made from Lowe Alpine's Stormweave four-way
stretch Nylon fabric, athletic fit, two-zippered pockets,
single pull drawcord hem, soft inside collar with cinch
system, winproof inner cuffs, flap-backed main zip. Also
available as Women's Multi Pitch Jacket
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What's It For?
Lowe Alpine's web site describes the Multi Pitch Jacket as
'designed for backpacking and trekking, offers complete freedom of
movement. Wind and water-resistant and very breathable'. We'd add
climbing and scrambling to the list too, in fact we're not sure why
they're not there to begin with...
As a woven rather than a membrane fabric it's wind resistant
rather than wind proof, but with the pay off of much better
breathability, so if you think of it as an outdoor jacket for less
than summer conditions short of serious rain then you won't be far
wrong. Alternatively, a light fleece alternative that scores extra
weatherproofing to make up for lesser insulation.
The Techy Bits
The Multi Pitch is built along simple dog lines, but none the
worse for it. In technical terms, that means a closely woven, stretch
Nylon fabric with a DWR which is wind and water resistant. In design
you get pockets which are placed to clear pack belts and harnesses
plus adjustment at hems and collar to cinch things down. Nothing
complicated or gimmicky, but pretty much everything you might need.
How It Performs
The Multi Pitch - and its matching pants - have been around for
several years now, so why review them now? There's a simple answer to
that, it just does a good job in a reliable, straightforward sort of
way. In fact the Multi Pitch has probably slipped under most people's
radar in a cloud of new-fangled soft shell innovation.
It's brilliant for active use in typical British spring and autumn
- and heavens forbid, summer - conditons. The closely woven, stretch
Nylon fabric has a soft but substantial feel and takes the sting out
of the wind like a good defensive midfielder. And when it does start
to rain, the factory DWR beads nicely.
It's not as protective as something like Windstopper Soft Shell,
for example, but the pay-off is much better breathability when
working hard.
There's nothing particularly spectacular about the design, but a
neat, athletic cut with a long enough hem to offer some crotch
protection, pockets that clear belts and harnesses and an easily
adjustable, soft-lined collar - with zip cover - all do a quietly
efficient job.
If the Multi Pitch were fully windproof then we'd have preferred
fully adjustable cuffs, but the inner cuff is cut small enough to
keep a reasonable seal anyway, so no real problem there.
Like similar jackets - in the past we've called them
'Schoeller-like' - the Multi Pitch is a great balance between
breathability and weather protection. You can sling it on at the
start of a day in the hills and take it off eight hours later, often
without having had to use anything else.
In proper rain you will need a waterproof shell, but even then the
Multi Pitch scores by breathing decently as a mid-layer in a way that
membrane fabrics don't. If you find membrane-based soft shells simply
aren't breathable enough, but you want more protection than you'd get
from a microfleece then jackets like this are a great option.
The design is unfussy but effective and so far it seems good and
durable too. Good, simple, no-nonsense, work horse.
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Great breathability, feels nice and tough, decent weather
protection.
Little inherent insulation on colder days, you'll still need
a waterproof when it really rains.
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Performance
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Value
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Know more or want to?
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