Same weight and warmth as a mid-weight fleece, but windproof and water resistant, are synthetic jackets like the Redpoint the future of insulation?
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The North Face Redpoint
Jacket
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Price:
£95.00
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Weight: 521 grammes (men's
M)
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Features: New look
Keeler nylon ripstop outer fabric for autumn 2002, Duckback
DWR, fiber-proof nylon taffeta liner, Heatshield 120 gram
synthetic insulation, elastic-bound flexible cuffs and hem,
two hand-hand pockets, left-hand Napoleon chest pocket,
stuffs into hand pocket, full-length zip with inernal flap.
Also available in women's version.
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What is it?
This is the first time we've used the North Face's Redpoint
jacket, although it's been around for a year with slightly more lurid
shell fabric. The latest version looks much more discreet - the test
one was dark blue - with a subtle rip-stop pattern adding
interest.
You can make your own judgement on the aesthetics, one OM member
on the Gore meet-up reckoned it looks like a deflated puffa jacket,
which is a fair-ish point, but hey we're interested in the
performance, not the looks.
Essentially the Redpoint is a slimmed-down insulated jacket, with
a layer of synthetic fibre sandwiched between nylon shell and liner.
The outer shell is windproof and treated with Duckback DWR to up
water repellancy.
Don't get the idea that this is serious, heavy duty insulation
though. TNF say the jacket offers about the same level of warmth as a
200-weight fleece, but with other advantages. It weighs roughly the
same too.
On the hill
We used the Redpoint over a weekend in the Lakes - the Gore
Meet-Up weekend in fact - for some first hand impressions. Slung on
in exchange for an Ultrafleece Mountain jacket, it didn't feel
significantly warmer, but the increase in windproofing was
noticable.
As we got higher it go breezier and the Redpoint made sense. To
check out the breathability, we motored up the steepest hill we could
find in classic competitive show-off style. Yes, we were sweating and
yes the inside did get slightly moist, but it cleared fast and was
less clammy than most of the windproof fleeces I've used. And yes, we
did get to the top first...
Up there it was definitely chilly and windy with a pleasant
garnish of lightly blown drizzle. The DWR worked really well in these
conditions beading well, though with a new jacket, you'd expect it
to. The windproofing also meant that we didn't need to wear a shell
over the top, though in heavy rain, things would be different.
Finally the residual water drops on the surface cleared fast under a
Paclite 3 shell jacket.
In the pack
The Redpoint packs neatly into one of its own handpockets - there
are two of them and a chest pocket as well - and while it's not tiny,
think 20 x 20 x 12 cm, it's not bad either. At just over 500 grammes
it doesn't have that feathery light feeling, but it's as light or
lighter than most mid-weight fleeces. Owt else? It does have a rather
groovy two-tone lining that will delight ex-mods everywhere...
Nice.
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Initial Verdict: It's early days,
but so far we reckon the Redpoint is rather nice. What
you're getting is a package that offers the same degree of
insulation as a mid-weight fleece, but is much more water
resistant and effectively warmer in most hill conditions
because it's windproof too. Initital impressions are that
it's also more breathable than most windproof fleeces that
do roughly the same thing. It's claimed that the insulation
works well when damp too, but we haven't had the chance to
get really soaked yet. More on that when we bring you a full
test at a later date. The looks are a matter of personal
taste, we quite liked them, others didn't but the one fly in
the ointment is the price. At £95 it's not cheap even
if initial signs are that this is a dead useful and very
functional piece of kit.
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Know more or want to?
If you'd like to add your own experiences of this product check
out our user review system and post your opinions to the world. If
you have questions you can mail
us direct, ask
Richard Gear or try a posting to our gear
forum.
