Our first take on TNF's mixture of Windstopper and their own Apex soft shell fabric and, oooh, we've just come over all Blake's Seven...
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TNF Windstopper Hybrid Jacket -
Quick Look
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Price:
£120.00
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Weight: 453 grammes (men's
medium)
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Features: Gore
Windstopper light fleece jacket with stretch Apex soft shell
panels for mobility at sides, across shoulders and at
wrists, twin handwarmer pockets with zips, hem cinch cord,
microfleece-lined collar.
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Mostly windproof with neat fit and decent mobility.
Space age looks not for everyone...
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The Concept The Windstopper Hybrid Jacket - available for
gurlz and boyz - is like it sounds, a hybrid. The main front and back
sections are in a thin Windstopper fleece with two-way stretch, while
the outside of the arms, shoulders and sides of the jacket use TNF's own Ozo Plus Apex soft shell, which is wind resistant rather than
windproof like the Gore fabric, but stretchier and also, though the
brand don't stress the point, more breathable.
The jacket's part of the new Flight Series aimed at weight-aware
fast movers, so breathability and a neat cut are more important
considerations than thermal insulation values.
Features It's a simple design with two handwarmer pockets,
Velcro-tabbed cuffs and a fleece-lined collar plus an adjustable hem
with drawcord. Nothing too complicated except for the fabrics.
In Action We've been using the Hybrid for a few months now,
mainly for mountain biking and fast walking in autumnal and mild to
cold winter conditions. First observation is that the fit is nice and
close, so no bulging fabric horror when worn with a pack, the second
is that it's not particularly warm. Less warm than a microfleece we
think.
If you're moving fast though and not stopping, that's a good
thing. And that's really what this sort of jacket is about. The
combination of wind proof and wind resistant fabrics works
surprisingly well. We've found total Windstopper jackets don't have
quite enough breathability for damp UK use, though they work better
in the cold, dry air of the Alps, but the added Apex fabric ups the
breathability ante to the point of acceptability.
We found it good for typically British mild to chilly damp and
blowy days when the windproofing and decent water resistance made it
a fit and forget option until it started raining for real and the
lack of too much insulation helped keep us reasonably non-sweaty.
In moderate to heavy rain you'll need a lightweight waterproof as
well, but even if you decide to stow rather than layer, the 450-gramme weight means it's not a real problem.
One thing that might be is the funky shimmery textured finish on
the Windstopper section of the jacket. It's a tad Blake's Seven /
Star Trek and you'll either like or loathe it. Your call.
A slightly odd concept, but we've come to quite like the Windstopper
Hybrid. The extra breathability compared to a 100 per-cent
Windstopper garment makes it better suited to UK use and the shortish cut, snug fit
and lack of insulation means it works decently when moving fast. If
you think of it as a superior winter (almost) windproof, then you
won't go far wrong.
At £120 though, it's not cheap and like we said, the looks are
an acquired taste that the jury's still out on. Us sit on a fence?
Na, never...
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.
