The non-waterproof lightweight waterproof...
Tempest SL Jacket
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Mountain Hardwear Tempest SL Jacket
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Price:
£109.99
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Weight: 443g (large)
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Features: Conduit
SL fabric with brushed inner Vapor-Therm lining, seamless
shoulder construction, pit zips, roll-down Ergo hood, fleece
chin guard, handwarmer pockets, single-hand drawstrings,
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Good
for:lightweight, highly breathable, very water-resistant
use for running, biking, climbing etc Not much cop
for: Very hot conditions, abrasive climbing use we
think
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Tempest SL - soft, silky and
effective like newly
waxed legses
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The Tempest SL is MHW's entry in the 'lightweight waterproof jacket
stakes', except that strictly speaking it's not waterproof, but we'll
get to that. It's part of the growing move towards 'two-jacket
families' - a heavy shell for winter use supplemented by a lighter,
more compact top for summer and fast-moving use.
It's light and it's compact alright, stowing down to a neat, pint
glass-sized package, but what's with the not waterproof bit? Okay,
the fabric which uses MHW's breathable Conduit SL membrane laminated
to a very fine 30D rip-stop nylon face material is waterproof,
but the seams aren't taped, so strictly, the Tempest is 'highly water
resistant' rather than 'proof'.
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Long pit zips as
standard
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Not that you'd know it in use. The beauty of this thing is that
the Conduit SL really is somewhere at the top end of the
breathability scale. We've used it mainly for running and cycling so
far and it's definitely better breathing than anything else which
offers a comparable level of protection. It's all helped by the soft,
brushed Vapor-Therm lining which wicks moisture away from the skin
and feels comfortable against the skin. The lining has some thermal
value and for this reason we wouldn't want to use it in very hot
weather, but in most UK conditions we reckon it'll be spot on.
We'd also say that in use, the Tempest is effectively waterproof.
We've used it in some heavy downpours and it's worked fine - it'd
take really serious rain to soak through and even then, your body
heat tends to drive moisture outwards again.
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... and effective roll-down hood,
here
it's effectively rolled down
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Of course the fabric is only half the story. As you'd espect from
Mountain Hardwear, lots of thought has gone into the technical
features. For your £110-odd you get long pit-zips for
ventilation - work well when moving fast, to maximise, stick your arm
through them - twin handwarmer pockets, a slim, practical cut and a
roll-down hood with stiffened peak that works susprisingly well
providing good protection with minimal bulk. It stows under a simple
but effective Velcro-fastened flap and stays stowed.
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Verdict: It's relatively early
days yet - watch this space for updates - but so far we're
massively impressed. If you look at the Tempest as a
water-resistant windproof, it's expensive, but in effect it
actually functions as a waterproof in all but the very worst
conditions. The detailing is good, features all work well
and breathability debatably the best of any lightweight
jacket we've tried that offers this level of water
resistance. The soft, light lining gives it a warm,
comfortable feel but without cooking you and makes for
warmer stops. Not sure how well it'll work in very hot
weather though and the soft face fabric doesn't feel as if
it'll like being dragged over abrasive rock. Good for biking
too.
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Performance
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Value
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Take me to the Mountain
Hardwear web site in a refined, lightweight manner...
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Pushed for time:
Technically highly water resistant, the Tempest uses MHW's
SL Conduit membrane, which is waterproof, but doesn't have
taped seams. In use it's brilliant - highly breathable,
effectively waterproof and comfortable with great features
and detailing. Long pit-zips help with ventilation and the
hood is also good. It packs very small and, at just of 400g,
is in the ball park for lightweight waterproofs. Not cheap,
but highly effective and a great alternative to lugging a
heavy mountain jacket around in all but the worst
conditions. We like. Expensive if you regard it as a
glorified windproof, but in reality it's in the waterproof
market.
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Your Opinion Here:
If you'd like to add your own experiences of this product please
e-mail us with a
summary and we'll post them here in this handy space at the bottom of
the page. If you have questions you can mail us direct, Ask
Richard Gear or try a posting to our gear forum.
