Montane Panther Jacket Reviewed

The Panther is Montane's answer to that troublesome item of walking gear called the female circulatory system - not that we'd dream of generalising. It was new this winter and it's a warm, light, wind resistant, and warm (have we already mentioned that one?) fleece for chilly days out in the hills.

The Panther joins sports bras in the ranks of those rare (but growing) number of garments that are for the gals only. Bad luck if you're a bloke who finds the going a bit nippy at this time of the year. The current version is decidedly female specific in cut though, with no baggy waistlines or attempts-gone-wrong at a women's body shape. There's a clever twist to the use of the Polartec Wind Pro fabric as well, which makes it warmer than you'd expect for the weight. More on that one later ...

...but not that much later. Polartec Wind Pro is wind-resistant (clue's in the name), so it acts as a soft shell, but with added insulating properties. That's because the long fluffy fleecey fibres are positioned on the inside, next to the skin, rather than on the outside of the fabric where other manufacturers have placed them. That way, they can trap air which gradually heats up and keeps the body warm, rather than ruffling around like a frightened hedgehog in a Lakeland breeze. Neat.

The combination of Wind Pro and Dryactiv Stretch panels also helps retain the heat because it adds to the snug fit. The stretch fabric around the wrists, for example, stops wafts of cold air getting up your arms and the side panels hug your figure whilst also absorbing any movement in your hips or torso as you reach for the next scramble hold or climb extreme stiles.

We've been treading an uphill path recently over that grade 3+ scramble route called women's specific clothing. The crux move took us over a few waist-less jackets, not to mention a number of pastel-blue coloured numbers that we couldn't get to grips with. So, we're pretty relieved to have found a brand that understands the concept of a genuine women's fit.

OK, so we're exaggerating a bit. We've managed to find gear by other brands than Montane that passes the gender test - the last Rab jacket we tried out is one example. Still, there are plenty of manufacturers out there that make all their women's clothing very short and boxy, or - the real bee in our bonnet - emphasise colour and styling over technical features. Montane have well and truly avoided this trap with the Panther.

It's panther black, or blackberry colour (see picture), but most importantly the fit really does hug your figure. If styling matters to you, that's going to be a plus point anyway, but more importantly it adds to the jacket's insulating properties. If the fit's too loose, there are going to be redundant pockets of air floating around between your baselayer and your outer layers, and moving air is a fast track to heat loss. On the other hand, a well-fitted outer layer will trap a thin layer of air beneath it, which heats up and insulates your body. The Panther falls into the latter category.

The Wind Pro fabric, as we said, traps heat on the inside and presents a smooth wind-resistant layer to the elements. With all that wintry weather we've been having recently - not - we haven't had the chance to test wind resistance or water-repellance too thoroughly, so we'll update you on that later. The fabric certainly breathes well though and we found it really cosy despite the fact that our personal circulatory system is long overdue an upgrade.

Best of all, the Panther feels super-soft to the touch because of the long fleecey fibres on the inside (see picture). The part of the jacket where this didn't always hold true was the stretch panels around the wrists, which didn't wick moisture as well as the Wind Pro fleece, and which felt a bit clammy when wet.

Features include a handwarmer pocket with zips on each side, which doubles as an extra source of ventilation. The inner lining is made out of mesh, and the pocket openings are very wide, so plenty of air gets in that way, which can then be blocked off if you stop working so hard or the weather cools down. The openings come quite high up the chest which means they're easy to access with a waistbelt or harness on. The zips are super-small though, which is nice in that you don't have two clunky pieces of metal rattling around between your upper arms and your chest, but potentially a little fiddly. The main zip's tagged and easy to operate though.

Montane's solution to plummeting female thermostats is the very warm, but still light, Panther jacket which is new in the shops this winter. It uses Wind Pro fabric which traps heat in the downy interior while presenting a smooth, wind-resistant surface to the elements. Stretch panels down the sides and around the wrists allow for easy movement and a close fit, but the overall shape of the jacket also does its fair share of work in that respect - the cut is nothing if not well tailored to a female body.

Features are all well-thought out and fully functional, and the fabric's both soft and breathable, so all in all we didn't have much fault to find. This is an excellent women's jacket for walking when there's a nip in the air but the weather's not rough enough for a hard shell, or for wearing under a waterproof in worse weather.

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