Kevin Beeden
Reviewed: 02 February 2004
A longer, hooded, lightly insulated, stretch, softshell jkt
I like the longer body, making a welcome change from the shorter-cut US jackets, and very reminiscent of the old ME Mountain jacket. It is also similar in style to the Montane Alpine jacket (which I suspect it replaces), although much closer fitting, using the stretch properties of the fabric to achieve the close-cut soft-shell fit.
The sleeve has excellent arm raise, with no noticeable underarm bulk.
The two-way zip is good for climbing and flexible venting.
Elastication of the waist back pulls in only where it is required. Not sure of single-handed operation, though; I found it needed two hands, but maybe practise would help.
The three hood adjustments allow a very close fit to keep the wind out, although I found that the velcro volume adjust was fully open, even with no hat, and my sparse, short hair.
The build quality seems very good - using french seams for most panels (rather than the cheaper overlocked seam), with some seams reinforced with tape.
A few minor niggles:
The cuff design could be improved, as it's a little bulky when closed down, either due to fabric or velcro. The ripstop arm panel is a bit narrow cut at elbow, so the reinforcement is sometimes misaligned.
The lower zip sometimes snags on the baffle due to the 'ears' on the zipper.
The face elastication loops on the hood are a bit big, and may flap about; the captive end seems sewn into place - if it were not, it could be retracted into hood.
This jacket immediately 'feels right', with well thought-out design features, and no unnecessary frills. There are a few minor niggles, but nothing serious.
Since this is a 'first look' review, I haven't had chance to assess the windproof, water resistance, warmth and durability properties.
As the fabric isn't membrane-based, it's likely to be less windproof and less warm than the membrane-based garments, but this isn't a bad thing by any means, and will mean it will be more breathable.
The build quality gives a good feeling for durability, as does the fabric, which feels robust; the only question being whether the knitted inner may be prone to snagging.
Even with the minor niggles, I give the jacket 5 points for design (performance) and 5 points for build (reliability).
Comparing the price with the competition in the 'reasuringly expensive' softshell field (e.g. Cloudveil IceFloe), the price is pretty competitive, and better than the shorter, hoodless Windstopper/Powershield offerings, so 3.5 points for value; it is £150, after all...
reviewed by captain paranoia
