First impressions of Lowe Alpine's new Triplepoint Ceramic mountain jacket. A definite alternative to a Flash?
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Lowe Alpine Fugitive
Jacket
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Price:
£220.00
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Weight: 915 grammes (men's
medium)
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Features: Two-ply
Triplepoint Ceramic fabric with AIMMS and stretch fabric in
shoulders and hood, pit-zips with water-resistant zippers
and flaps, two venting-water-resistant chest pockets,
OS-sized map pocket, seamless Watershed shoulders, full
swivel sight, fold / zip-away hood, articulated elbows and
reach high sleeves, two-way front zipper with double-storm
flap and intermittent hook-loop closure, zip-off snow skirt,
elasticated waist and hem, Gum Drop zip-pulls, internal
water bottle and zipped pocket. Also available in women's
cut.
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The
Fugitive is new for this winter from Lowe Alpine, even if the winter
hasn't quite arrived yet. It features some interesting new
developments, and while it's theoretically been designed as a
backcountry ski jacket, it's also an alternative to established Lowe
faves like the Flash - we have one of those on test as well by the
way.
In fact the cut is pretty similar to the £200 Flash and it
uses the same proven two-plyTriplepoint Ceramic coated fabric, but
there are some interesting features that might tempt you the
Fugitive's way. Like all Lowe's 2002 jackets it has the handy,
sticky, easy to use Gum Drop zip-pulls, but there's a load more
besides.
The shoulders and outer arms are stretch fabric panels, which give
a little extra elasticity in high reach situations - the cut is good,
with pre-curved sleeves, and there's no hem lift when reaching high
anyway - plus you get techie water-resistant zippers on the venting
chest pockets and pit-zips. Those pit-zips are still covered by a
double flap though, which kind of negates the weight and
water-resistant advantages of the using those zips in the first
place.
There's also an internal mesh bottle pocket and zipped security
pocket and a chest map pocket tucked under the main zip storm flap,
which usefully accommodates OS-sized maps without a struggle.
From left: the fold away hood,
gum-drop fasteners on the cuff and
venting chest-pockets with water-resistant
zips
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Because it's intended for American backcountry use you also get a
snow skirt, which makes it a good choice for anyone who anticipates
encounters with deep powder, but in a nice touch, the skirt zips out
for more normal use saving a not very whopping 68 grammes in the
process.
The only area where there's a small question mark is the hood.
Lowe has fitted a great big swivel one with a hybrid stiffened and
wired peak, which has been designed to fold down then zip neatly into
the collar. That's great for smart looks and convenience when skiing,
but it also means that the chin area is slightly fiddly and
compromised compared to say, the Flash or the Foraker. It's still a
more than adequate hood and should take most climbing helmets too,
but it doesn't seem to batten down quite as securely as a more
conventional fixed design.
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Provisional Verdict: A very nice
jacket from Lowe Alpine and one with definite appeal for
skiiers and ski mountaineers who want a powder skirt. The
cut is good - very similar to the Flash with a reasonably
snug fit - and the TPC fabric is well proven, though not
quite s breathable as XCR. Compared to the established
Flash, you get extras like those water-resistant zips and
the stretch panels in shoulders, arms and hood and all for a
mere 20 squid. The one question mark we have is over the
chin area of the otherwise decent hood which is complicated
by the fold-away / zipper gubbinses. It still offers okay
protection, but it's not quite as simple as it could be, but
then again, you can make the hood vanish into the collar for
neatness.
Looks good too, though the test jacket
was in a scary bright lemon yellow which you'll either love
or hate. It's also available in more muted tones for
introverts. One last point, if you're after a three-ply TPC
jacket with no mesh liner, take a look at the Apex
(£260) or Alpine Short Cut (£220) as
alternatives.
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