Macpac Zealot Tested

Macpac Zealot Jacket Tested

Price: £250.00

Weight: 628 grammes (men's medium)

Features: Gore-Tex XCR Extramadura / XCR Viper Stretch fabrics, twin chest pockets, stretch panels at base of hood and under arms / behind shoulders, double storm flap, laminated cuffs with low bulk Viper stretch panels, volume controlled hood with stiffened peak, drop tail, offset main zip, internal zipped mesh pocket, soft chinguard.reflective strips on back of hood and over pocket flaps. Women's version also available.

Great cut, good hood, light and tough with it. Tapered fit may be too slim for big lads.

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Oooops Originally we said this was the Macpac Prophet, proving that we're incapable of reading labels, in fact it's the Zealot, which is lighter, lacks the Prophet's pit-zips but is 40 quid cheaper as well. Sorry about that.

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The Concept The Zealoot is Macpac's lightweight, technical alpine shell developed for all round alpine climbing and active mountaineering use. It's intended as a no-compromise garment putting performance above price or fashion.

During development, Macpac apparently handed out prototype jackets to New Zealand ski patrollers and guides. They destroyed the standard XCR - Gore's most breathable all round mountain fabric - in double quick time, hence the development of the Extramadura fabric, which may sound like a Spanish province, but is actually a super durable, but still light material intended to stand up to prolonged mountain punishment.

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Features The Zealot may not have modish water-resistant zips - next season's does - but all the features you really need are present and correct with some cunning thinking apparent.

Stuff like stretch panels at the base of the hood and Behind the shoulders, a pronounced droptail for extra protection at the back, low bulk cuffs using Viper Stretch XCR, which allow you to wear gloves or gauntlets over the cuffs without faffing, a proper double storm flap over the front zip which is also offset to reduce bulk in the neck region etc.

You get a big, stiffened peak to the helmet-sized hood too as New Zealand weather is as bad as ours and pockets. Two of them, well out of the way of a harness or pack.

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In Action The Zealot's rapidly become one of our all time favourite technical shell jackets. To start off with, the cut is great with a close-fitting tapered shape that we've only seen from one other brand and that's Arc'Teryx. It means a neater fit, more efficient performance as there are no big air gaps to hinder breathability and no fabric billowing out under pack straps or harness.

Black areas are XCR Stretch Viper fabric

There's a good, defined drop tail too which keeps the front neat, but protects your butt. All of which would be meaningless if the stretch panels and cut didn't allow for decent mobility. Fortunately they do and reaches forward and up aren't restricted and there's no pulling up of the hem.

The hood's good too. Not quite as sophisticated as our fave Mountain Equipment design, but with a bombproof stiffened peak and, we particularly like this, the stretch XCR panel at the base of the neck allows you to adjust the hood, then pull it off and replace, without the faff of readjusting - result :-) It takes a helmet too.

We liked the other thoughtful touches as well: Those low bulk stretch cuffs work well if you wear your gloves over the top of the sleeves and the offset zip, similar to Lowe Alpine's design, reduces bulk in the centre of the neck area particularly when layered over a fleece.

If we're going to get fussy, we'd have preferred mesh-lined chest pockets rather than the double layer of XCR used on our test jacket, but the latest version gets those, and some users will miss pit-zips, we suggest they take a look at the top of the range Prophet instead. As we generally don't use them much, the omission didn't really bother us.

Last, but definitely not least, at 627 grammes for a medium the Zealot won't break the camel's back when the sun comes up and you roll it into a compact ball and stick it in your pack, and that's despite that 'tough as a Kiwi mountain guide's face' Extramadura material.

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Verdict

Macpac's clothing has a lot to live up to thanks to the bombproof reputation of their packs and tents. The good news is that the Zealot doesn't let the side down one jot. It's beautifully cut for athletic climbers, has a great indestructible feel, yet is also light and unrestrictive.

It's one of the best technical shells we've used and while £250 isn't cheap, it's no more than many of its rivals. There are some downsides. The cut is great if it fits you, but larger users may find it too tight and restrictive. If you like pit-zips then, for now, you're out of luck and, the fabric, while decently breathable, isn't quite as good as eVENT.

If what you want is an effective, tough, light, technically-cut mountain shell however, look no further. It's also available in a women's specific version.

Performance
Value

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Macpac Web Site

Pushed for time: Fantastic tapered technical cut and carefully thought through but non-flashy features make for a tough, light, unrestrictive technical mountain shell that we like a lot. There are no pit-zips though and the close cut won't suit the generously proportioned...

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