Montane Event Soft Shell Jacket

Guy Hurst
Reviewed: 17 September 2007

THERE'S BETTER OUT THERE

Looks very good and is great for knxoking about in. It's also pretty comfortable and reasonably warm for its weight.

No hood. Also, although the main fabric is waterproof, the under-arm panels are not, and they're not even that windproof, which is very strange. It is breathable, but not as good or as warm as a lightweight fleece when worn under a waterproof.

The eVent material is good, but it's not been put to very effective use in this jacket.

JocK mcallister 1
Reviewed: 04 May 2007

FINE FOR THE HIGH ST

Pretty breathable,
Good quailtiy
decent water resistnace
light

Short cut,
lack of hood,
Crazy price
lack of pockets
lack of colours

I bought mine for £30 brand new which is fine. I just wear it out about as this is not cut or has the features i need on the hill.
No idea why someone would pay full whack.
eVent is impressive compared to Scoeholler which i had previously

Jester*
Reviewed: 16 November 2006

I LOVE IT!

Waterproof
Lightweight
Windproof
No need to swap jackets with the weather.

Lack of hood
Stitching on shoulders prone to wear.

I too won one of these from Trail, and after 6 months I'm converted. On variable days I have kept wearing it, venting it with the zips if I get warm, and zipping up when it rains. Initially I didn't trust it fully, and carried a gore-tex jacket with me, however, recently I have been leaving that. Having been caught in some horrendous downpours recently I have no complaints about how waterproof it us, in fact my lower Paramo covered half was soaked through, while my upper eVENT half was dry. The lack of a hood is my one complaint about the design.
On the downside, the stitching on the shoulder of my jacket did start to come away, where the straps of my rucksack rub against it. That said, Montane replaced it within 48 HOURS of my returning it to them, fantastic service.
I can't recommend it highly enough, a really good multi activity jacket.

Crezzer
Reviewed: 16 November 2006

AT THIS PRICE WHAT IS IT FOR?

Looks great.
Very comfortable.
Very breathable.
Pockets will hold OS maps.
Wind resistant but nicely vented.

Just not up to the task the blurb says it can do.
Seams not taped.

The launch blurb stated it'd handle 90% of what the UK weather could throw at it. Now I'd take that to mean it could handle a damn good shower, okay not a sustained drenching, but a 10 or 15 minute downpour. Well it doesn't , the untaped seams mean your shoulders get wet quickly and the lack of Event under the arms and on the side of the body mean that in strong wind any rain will soak you there too (though generally that feature isn't bad as the venting is excellent, so it's a trade off).
My problem is that for not much more you can get a fully waterproof jacket and for an awful lot less you can get a windproof that'll hold off almost as much rain!
Chris Townsend's review in TGO did mention the lack of map carrying ability when wearing a pack. I disagree - he must have a very short body! - there's no problem with the pocket size or location. Still maybe it's me that's odd because, in conflict with the first review here, I think the sleeves are just right (as with all Montane jackets).
I was one of the Trail winners so mine was free! However the marks given are based on what I would think had I listened to the hype and shelled out my own cash.
If you're in the market for this save your cash, until Montane tape the seams, and get a windproof.
It's a shame because I love all other Montane stuff. I would love this too if the seams were taped.

FH
Reviewed: 25 April 2006

Luuuvlee!

Light, soft (no rustling)and flexible. Great breathability and good water resistance. No need to reach for your waterproof when the mist (or even light snow) descends.

Close fit (especially under the arms, although you don't need anything other than a base on underneath. Sleeves a little long and wrist closure/adjustment straps would be better if they wrapped from the inside of the wrist to the outside.

Great jacket to wear on the hill for walking running or riding. Feels cosy without getting hot and steamy.