The guys at Marmot have obviously been busy judging by
their new range for autumn/winter 2008 which includes some
seriously slick-looking Gore-Tex mountain shells, some very neat
softshell kit and an interesting new cooperation with Polartec giving
them sole access to a new fleece-based fabric.
Pro Shell Jackets
There are three new Gore-Tex Pro Shell waterproof jackets in the
new Marmot range. The top of the range is the new Alpinist
Jacket - right - which - and this should please traditional
mountain jacket wearers - is cut longer than usual.
It uses a tough 70-denier fabric, has Napoleon pockets and
laser-drilled collar/hood vents to reduce condensation when wearing
goggles with the hood up. There's also a removable powder skirt for
increased versatility.
Also new are the mens' Troll Wall and women's Fjell
jackets, again made with Pro Shell. Both use a lighter weight fabric
than the Alpinist and have a shorter overall cut with drop tail.
Other features are the same, but there are no collar vents.
Soft Shells
Marmot has overhauled its Genesis Jacket for this winter
with a complete update, so all it really shares with its predecessor
is the name. Fabric is a new four-way stretch with Marmot's MemBrain
laminate giving a combination of waterproofness with a soft feel to
the fabric.
The seams are bonded with dyed glue making for an eye-catching
look. The Genesis is classed as M1 by Marmot, which means it offers high levels of water and wind resistance. The integral hood should also increase versatility if the weather does clag in and makes a lot of sense to us. We're mystified by high weather resistant shell jackets that come without a hood.
Unique Fleece
Last but not least, Marmot is the only brand which is going to be
using a new fleece fabric from Polartec called Polartec Power Stretch
Hardface. As you can probably work out for yourself, it's based on
the excellent stretchy Power Stretch lightweight fleece, but a
polymer infusion on the face of the fabric gives much more abrasion
resistance and a DWR effect without compromising breathability or
stretch.
Sounds like it should make for an excellent lightweight mountain
top. The jacket is called the Torrid Jacket and looks like
being a nice basic zipped top complete with handy pockets.
The new styles should be in the shops around September time, we'll
also be reviewing a few of the more interesting pieces on the site,
so watch this space. Details of the current Marmot range at www.marmot.com
