Montane Super-Fly XT Tested

Montane Super-Fly XT Jacket Tested

Price: £220

Weight: 598 grammes (medium)

Features: Mountain jacket using three-ply eVENT fabric with reinforced shoulders, elbows, hips and seat. adjustable roll-away helmet hood with wired peak, non-whip hood aperture drawcords, full-length front zip with hook and loop closed storm baffle, twin chest core vent pockets, concealed waist drawcord, two large pockets with water-resistant zips, elasticated, adjustable 'glove-friendly' cuffs, reflective strip on sleeve, front chest and back, single-hand elasticated hem cord, drop-tail.

Breathability, protection, details are great. Hood fit slightly quirky.

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The Concept Although it shares a name with Montane's award-winniing lightweight Super-Fly jacket, the XT is intended to be more of an all-round mountain bruiser aimed at mountain walking and climbing in all conditions, and backpacking with its associated wear on the shoulder and hip areas.

What it does have in common with the Super-Fly is the excellent, free-breathing eVENT fabric which we rate as the most breathable waterproof material out there.

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Features While Montane's ultra-lightweight kit is about taking things away rather than adding them the XT is a bit more lavish in its spec and you get everything you'd expect from an all-round mountain jacket.

That means tougher fabric in high-wear areas like hips, shoulders, elbows and seat, a full helmet-compatible hood with drawcorded adjustment instead of a lighter but more basic tab, venting pockets for cooling duties and so on.

Plus, while it still uses the highly breathable eVENT fabric, the reinforced shoulders and other areas mean you can use a heavy pack without worrying about abrasion damage.

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In Action We found the Super-Fly XT made an ideal all-round UK mountain jacket: breathability from the eVENT fabric is better than other waterproof materials we've tried and our base and mid-layers stayed appreciably drier than usual even on typically British damp mountain days.

As a result, we didn't feel the need to use the core vents often, but it's nice to know they're there - particularly if you're trussed up in pack and harness - and it's also possible to roll the sleeves up to your elbows for funkly fore-arm cooling - arguably more effective than venting anyway.

The hood is in the modern idiom, nice and full with an adjuster cord that grips the top of your head so the hood moves with it in a similar way to the Mountain Equipment design, it'll also take a climbing helmet, no problem and has a wired peak for protection. Some people apparently find that the cord isn't quite placed right for their personal head layout, so it makes sense to try before buying.

Twin Napoleon chest pockets have plenty of room for an OS map or two along with the odd snack and all the various hem, waist and hood adjusters work just fine. We did think the waist cord could have sat slightly lower though overall the cut works well. It's slightly more generous than the Super-Fly which means that while it's not quite as neat, there's space for a heavier weight fleece underneath for winter use.

We also liked the XT's fuller length compared to many lightweight technical shells. It simply feels more protective and comfortable, particularly when you're not wearing overtrousers yet isn't long enough to interfere with movement.

Mostly though, the XT just gets on with being a very capable mountain shell. You could wear it for general mountain walking, stow it in your pack for heavy backpacking and, at a pinch, drag it out for a bout of Scottish winter or summer alpine mountaineering.

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Verdict

Excellent fabric, reasonable weight and good design make the Super-Fly XT one of the best mountain all-rounders we've used. It's not as flashy as some full-on technical shells, but the extra room, additional length and capable hood make it a great all-rounder.

Minimalists will be put off by the large number of pockets and the arguably superflous vents and you could argue that the cut could be closer, but for many British mountain walkers, the XT should be spot on.

Performance
Value

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Montane web site

Pushed for time All the Super-Fly XT really shares with its lighter namesake is the fabric. It's more of an all-round mountain shell with loads of features, lots of pockets and some extra space for additional winter insulation - who said blubber? Breathability is as good as usual with eVENT and the whole jacket has a reassuringly protective feel that should appeal to mountain walkers and climbers. All in all fit and forget mountain shell. Does it really need all those pockets though?

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