Daniel Bebber
Reviewed: 19 January 2005
GOOD FOR HIGH-OUTPUT ACTIVITIES
Excellent cut for athletic builds. High neck, long sleeves, no baginess, drop tail, drawcords at hem and neck. Looks good. Highly breathable.
Not as warm, wind- or waterproof as suggested on the Montane web site.
This jacket is billed as being windproof, water resistant, and warm as a mid-weight fleece. It is made from Thermaskin, with a stretchy nylon outer and hollow-fibre backing woven into a towelling-like knit. One look at the fabric will tell you that there's no way it can be windproof: hold it up to the light and you can see through it. This means that its no way near as windproof and warm as suggested, and its not in any way waterproof.
However, Montane make clothing for high-output activities, and it is good for cycling, running, and cross-country skiing. It is highly breathable but you get cold patches wherever the wind blows through the material.
The jacket fits very well, no baginess but enough room to fit a microfleece underneath. It has a chest pocket and two huge venting pockets whose lining probably increases windproofing to the lower body.
I was looking for the '90%' soft shell, that I could wear 90% of the time. However, I can only wear this for high output activities. To be really useful, the face fabric needs to be much more tightly woven.
