The Montane Featherlite Hooded Jacket is a windbreaker that weighs 4.5 oz and is nice to layer over a fleece in windy and funky climate to maintain the wind from chilling you on hikes or runs. It’s pretty ornate as ultralight wind jackets go together with a snorkel hood, twin hem changes, zippered hand hotter pockets, semi-stretch cuffs and a rear grasp loop Whereas Montane’s sizing has improved lately (it used to run a full measurement small), I nonetheless advocate going up a measurement on this jacket, if solely so you’ve gotten extra flexibility in mid-layer choice for colder days.
Associated: Greatest Windbreakers and Wind Shirts
- Measurement: Males’s XL, reviewed
- Weight: 4.5 oz / 128g
- Hood: Underneath helmet
- Stuffable: Sure – proper hand pocket
- Options: Hem adjustment, semi-stretch cuffs, handwarmer pockets, hood brim
- Supplies: Nylon, YKK zipper
The Montane Featherlite Hooded Jacket is a ultralight windproof jacket that may be worn by itself or over a mid-layer like a fleece to entice your physique warmth an forestall chilly wind from chilling you. Montane is a well known UK out of doors clothes and equipment producer that makes distinctive clothes for mountaineering, climbing and path working. They’ve lately began promoting direct via a US-based on-line retailer, though it nonetheless solely has a subset of the merchandise they promote on their UK on-line website, however that’s altering as they ramp up operations right here. I’ve at all times preferred their mid-layer fleeces, rain pants, and rain jackets as a result of they work very well. I’ve held onto various clothes from Montane, together with a numbered twenty fifth anniversary version of the Montane Featherlite Smock Wind Shirt (I child you not) and use them continuously.
Loads of windbreakers don’t have hand hotter pockets, however they’re a helpful characteristic for storing light-weight gloves, a snack bar, or a fleece beanie. The wrists are semi-elasticated, so you’ll be able to pull them up your arms to vent warmth, whereas twin hem adjusters allow you to seal out the wind from under. The jacket comes with a DWR coating, nevertheless it’s not a water-proof jacket so don’t get your hopes up. The nylon, which is uncoated, offers good breathability as a result of it’s so skinny and light-weight.
However the factor that makes this jacket is the hood. Whereas it’s not adjustable, it’s supposed to suit below a hood, not over it, so the entrance opening, which is elasticated, is pretty cosy, which you need for heat. The hood has a protruding entrance invoice that protects glasses from drizzle and a excessive neck that protects your neck and higher chest from chills. There’s even a zipper storage on the high to guard your face and beard.
On this image (above), it was 40 levels out and with a brisk 20 mph wind. I remained toasty heat with a skinny wool baselayer and a 90 gsm Polartec Alpha Hoody beneath the Montane Featherlite. You get much more flexibility when layering, by sporting skinny clothes layers, than by sporting one a lot heavier jacket. This kind of layering technique additionally typically leads to carrying much less clothes weight and bulk.
Extra really helpful wind breakers
Advice
The Montane Featherlite Hooded Jacket is a richly featured wind breaker that makes a superb outer layer when layered over a fleece sweater on chilly and windy days. It has hand hotter pockets and a superb hood, designed for under-helmet use. Weighing simply 4.5 oz (males’s xl), it can preserve you hotter when mountaineering in uncovered terrain with out the necessity to put on or carry a heavier insulated jacket. When layering, you’ll have much more flexibility to tremendous tune your heat stage by sporting a number of skinny layers somewhat than one composite one. Despite the fact that it’s not waterproof, an ultralight wind jacket is usually value carrying within the transitional months of spring and autumn as a result of it amplifies the effectiveness of a heat mid-layer with just about no additional bulk.
Disclosure: Montane donated a jacket for evaluation.
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