Karrimor Summit Jacket Tested

Karrimor Summit Jacket Tested

Price: £240.00

Weight: 644 grammes (men's large)

Features: Gore-Tex XCR 3-ply fabric, double storm flap over front zip, high reach arm cut, New Vision System hood with wired and stiffened peak, Velcro-adjustable cuffs, micro-fleece lined chin guard, shock cord adjustable hem

Hood much improved for this year. Cut could be closer for technical use.

---

The Concept A full-on technical XCR mountain jacket weighing only 650-odd grammes is pretty impressive and Gore's proven XCR fabric is breathable - though not in the same class as New Paclite or eVENT - waterproof and dependably tough with it.

Karrimor has redeveloped its mountain hoods as well, after taking a look at the opposition's efforts and they reckon the result is much improved with both a wired and stiffened peak and three different shock-corded adjustments to allow use with and without a climbing helmet.

The weight saving comes from overall minimalism and no silly gimmicks like map pockets and pit zips. What you do get though are two large chest pockets which are mesh lined so they also work as vents.

---

Features Like we said, the Summit is a simple but consequently light jacket with few gimmicky bits. Stuff like a double storm zip add reassurance, cuffs are adjustable, hem has drawcord, cut is short to medium.

---

In Action We've been using the Summit for a while now, but somehow it's never been a first choice. It's hard to put your finger on it - it's light and dependable after all - but while it does most things okay, it does nothing brilliantly.

The hood is a prime example. It's better than some but with three adjusters, one at the base of the neck, one at the back and two up front, it's fiddly to get near right. Then there seems to be an inordinate amount of spare fabric around the base of the neck.

To be fair to Karrimor, it does now move with the head up to a point and it's notoriously hard to get a hood to work with helmet and without, but it's not in the same class as, say, ME's latest hoods. It will happily swallow a helmet though.

And why are the loose ends of the hood drawcords not captive. The free length isn't long enough for a face lashing, but it's irritating just the same.

The cut is reasonably neat, though a little generous for us, and there's enough arm mobility to reach high for holds while wearing pack or harness without the hem pulling up. We'd like to see a more tapered, ergonomic shape to the body.

One potential disadavantage with the mesh-lined pockets is that they will obviously let in water if you don't fasten the storm flaps securely and we found the Velcro fastening very fiddly to use while wearing winter gloves, the point where it was very difficult to release the flaps once Velcroed down without removing them.

Meanwhile the XCR fabric does its normal, dependable job and both pack size and weight are very decent.

---

Verdict

A simple technical jacket at a very reasonable weight, the Summit somehow just isn't quite right. The hood with its stiffened and wired peak offers good, UK-style protection but somehow seems a little ungainly and the cut again, while okay, didn't quite work for us and we'd like to see a more tapered, ergonomically-cut approach.

Having said that, it's a great weight for a three-ply XCR jacket that will happily accommodate a climbing helmet too and the shape may match your body better than ours, so don't dismiss it out of hand. Not bad, but not great either.

Performance
Value

---

Karrimor web site

Pushed for time: A simple technical jacket at a very reasonable weight, the Summit somehow just isn't quite right. The hood with its stiffened and wired peak offers good, UK-style protection but somehow seems a little ungainly and the cut again, while okay, didn't quite work for us and we'd like to see a more tapered, ergonomically-cut approach. Having said that, it's a great weight for a three-ply XCR jacket that will happily accommodate a climbing helmet too and the shape may match your body better than ours, so don't dismiss it out of hand. Not bad, but not great either.And not cheap at £240, but that's XCR for you.

Know more or want to?

If you'd like to add your own experiences of this product check out our user review system and post your opinions to the world. If you have questions you can mail us direct, ask Richard Gear or try a posting to our gear forum.