02-11-2010, 12:51 PM
Apologies for quite a long review - I have rambled a bit but there might be an interesting general discussion here about the merits of windproofs v waterproofs for the local climate.
I’ve not managed to test this jacket thoroughly yet but I have taken it on a few dog walks and it has impressed me so far. My quick dog walk is actually quite a good clothing test as it involves a steep 100m ascent straight from the front door getting hot and bothered even in cold weather followed by a 20 min gentle descent on a windy and exposed ridge – quite difficult to dress for and a good test of any item of clothing’s breathability. I was quite sceptical (still am?) about wind shirts in general, but have found a few occasions during the peak summer up high on the Sierra Nevada where in the sun a long sleeve base layer is adequate when moving but when even a light wind picks up a mid layer is required, although once the wind drops I became uncomfortably hot. Similarly when walking the GR7/142 in winter, in the hot sun a base layer on its own is ideal but I quickly become too cold even when moving once the wind picks up or I move into the shade. In these situations I have imagined that a wind shirt would be the ideal solution.
On the other end of the scale, I have been consistently disappointed with the water resistance and/or breathability of the lightweight water-proofs available and often concluded that it would be less hassle just to get wet in light to moderate rain when it is warm. I can’t decide if my Montane Atomic jacket is just poor at keeping out the rain or at breathing but the result is a constant and significant dampness on the inside of the jacket under any conditions other than cold temperatures and light exercise. I’ve never been overly excited about the breathability of my Goretex jackets and friends who invested in eVENT have only ever expressed mediocre endorsements of its breathability, although it does seem to be slightly better than Goretex. The super lightweight Goretex Paclite seems to be very fragile and can apparently become overwhelmed in heavy or prolonged rain at which point it stops working all together – I’ve no experience of this particular fabric, I’ve just heard enough from others to put me off. In situations with light or short bursts of rain and warm weather or a high work rate the wind shirt is advertised as offering basic protection from the rain but more importantly for me, high levels of breathability.
Anyway, I invested in a jacket to see how it worked. The main feature of the Slipstream is its weight – 90g including its stuff sack for a XL size, which is just incredible. I have pairs of socks which weighs more and this thing stuffs down to the size of an apple core, not just an apple. It has no pockets or hood but a full length zip which locks into position and an anti snag baffle on the inside which works well. It comes in suitably leery colours but like most Montane gear it is not sized for fat blokes. Their clothes are designed to be close fitting on the skinny men (and women!) with big watches who can run the Brecon Beacons in a day fuelled only by a single mars bar. So I have to buy the XL sizes and suck my belly in when I meet anyone on the trail but at least here in Spain they haven’t seen Little Britain so they don’t know what the “Only Gay in the Village” looks like if they catch me off guard!
Out of the packet (i.e. before being washed) the jacket beads up the rain very well and as I’d hoped, it fits neatly between just wearing a base layer and wearing my lightest alternative mid layer. The jacket is phenomenally thin, and I’ve not had it out in very windy conditions to really understand how wind proof it is but I have used it comfortably on occasions where the alterative would have been a heavier over layer which would have made me hotter than I’d prefer and also on occasions where I would have been too cold in just a base layer. In that sense it has worked and I’m confident that in the scenarios outlined above it will have a use, however I have also managed to get quite cold wearing this jacket over just a base layer, not as a result of wind or water ingress but just the low temperature as it offers absolutely no insulation (other than limited wind protection as you would expect) and so I would not hike without carrying a warmer top to over or underlay with this.
I’ve not managed to test this jacket thoroughly yet but I have taken it on a few dog walks and it has impressed me so far. My quick dog walk is actually quite a good clothing test as it involves a steep 100m ascent straight from the front door getting hot and bothered even in cold weather followed by a 20 min gentle descent on a windy and exposed ridge – quite difficult to dress for and a good test of any item of clothing’s breathability. I was quite sceptical (still am?) about wind shirts in general, but have found a few occasions during the peak summer up high on the Sierra Nevada where in the sun a long sleeve base layer is adequate when moving but when even a light wind picks up a mid layer is required, although once the wind drops I became uncomfortably hot. Similarly when walking the GR7/142 in winter, in the hot sun a base layer on its own is ideal but I quickly become too cold even when moving once the wind picks up or I move into the shade. In these situations I have imagined that a wind shirt would be the ideal solution.
On the other end of the scale, I have been consistently disappointed with the water resistance and/or breathability of the lightweight water-proofs available and often concluded that it would be less hassle just to get wet in light to moderate rain when it is warm. I can’t decide if my Montane Atomic jacket is just poor at keeping out the rain or at breathing but the result is a constant and significant dampness on the inside of the jacket under any conditions other than cold temperatures and light exercise. I’ve never been overly excited about the breathability of my Goretex jackets and friends who invested in eVENT have only ever expressed mediocre endorsements of its breathability, although it does seem to be slightly better than Goretex. The super lightweight Goretex Paclite seems to be very fragile and can apparently become overwhelmed in heavy or prolonged rain at which point it stops working all together – I’ve no experience of this particular fabric, I’ve just heard enough from others to put me off. In situations with light or short bursts of rain and warm weather or a high work rate the wind shirt is advertised as offering basic protection from the rain but more importantly for me, high levels of breathability.
Anyway, I invested in a jacket to see how it worked. The main feature of the Slipstream is its weight – 90g including its stuff sack for a XL size, which is just incredible. I have pairs of socks which weighs more and this thing stuffs down to the size of an apple core, not just an apple. It has no pockets or hood but a full length zip which locks into position and an anti snag baffle on the inside which works well. It comes in suitably leery colours but like most Montane gear it is not sized for fat blokes. Their clothes are designed to be close fitting on the skinny men (and women!) with big watches who can run the Brecon Beacons in a day fuelled only by a single mars bar. So I have to buy the XL sizes and suck my belly in when I meet anyone on the trail but at least here in Spain they haven’t seen Little Britain so they don’t know what the “Only Gay in the Village” looks like if they catch me off guard!
Out of the packet (i.e. before being washed) the jacket beads up the rain very well and as I’d hoped, it fits neatly between just wearing a base layer and wearing my lightest alternative mid layer. The jacket is phenomenally thin, and I’ve not had it out in very windy conditions to really understand how wind proof it is but I have used it comfortably on occasions where the alterative would have been a heavier over layer which would have made me hotter than I’d prefer and also on occasions where I would have been too cold in just a base layer. In that sense it has worked and I’m confident that in the scenarios outlined above it will have a use, however I have also managed to get quite cold wearing this jacket over just a base layer, not as a result of wind or water ingress but just the low temperature as it offers absolutely no insulation (other than limited wind protection as you would expect) and so I would not hike without carrying a warmer top to over or underlay with this.