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Gear review: winter waterproofs

Gear review: winter waterproofs


Postby Paul Webster » Fri Feb 01, 2013 11:26 am

In our latest gear comparison review, Phil and Helen test waterproofs for men and women that could be used all year round.

No waterproof-breathable (WPB) hardshell jacket is fully waterproof to the extent of a plastic bag or pane of glass - like a tent flysheet they will leak under enough water pressure (hence the hydrostatic head rating)....


Read Phil's full review of men's winter waterproofs.
Read Helen's full review of women's winter waterproofs.

What do you wear, and how do you rate it?
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Re: Gear review: winter waterproofs

Postby morag1 » Fri Feb 01, 2013 1:08 pm

I'm looking to buy a new waterproof jacket for myself so this review has appeared just in time :D

I really like the look of the Keela Munro jacket, but dont fancy a black one. Dare I say it but I'm one of these people who like girly colours :oops: and wonder if they make this jacket in any other colour, purple preferably.

At the moment I have 2 hardshells, both of which you can zip a fleece into for cold weather, just wondered if the Keela does this too, it's a right pest having to put on a separate fleece. Thanks for any help :D
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Re: Gear review: winter waterproofs

Postby nathan79 » Fri Feb 01, 2013 3:06 pm

A nice selection of jackets for the chaps.

I currently use a Marmot Mebrain lined jacket for the coldest days, sweat like a beast otherwise, even with the pit-zips. A Mountain Equipment Prolite the rest of the time. Maybe a little shorter than I'd like and I do find Goretex ProShell stuffy, so I only wear it when it's hard or constant heavy rain and favour a sofshell mostly.
I did almost buy a half price Montane Mohawk earlier this month, but didn't want to take a dip in the seemingly hit-or-miss eVent pool, especially when it wasn't something I needed.

I've been intrigued by the Adidas Terrex stuff. I piicked up a Primaloft Gilet for 30 quid last year and it's been great so I'd give other items a try.Though not at that price!
Of the brands I've tried there (Rab, Berghaus, Paramo, Mammut, Montane) I've found Mammut to be the most realistically sized. Perhaps it's my shape (let's call it husky beefcake :lol: ) they make clothes for.

Really like the look of that Paramo Pasco, not for me as I run hot but a right looker.
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Re: Gear review: winter waterproofs

Postby murwilson » Fri Feb 01, 2013 3:40 pm

Phil,

If it's a hard core hard shell test, should it not have been the Super-fly XT you tested rather than it's baby brother? It's got the pit zips you're looking for to.

No ME Kongur either!

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Re: Gear review: winter waterproofs

Postby helenw » Fri Feb 01, 2013 5:06 pm

Morag1 - the ladies Munro jacket isn't quite out yet - it should be in the shops and available online within the next month. It will be available in black and black and red which I presume will be mainly red but I haven't seen a sample.

It doesn't have a double zip to allow a fleece to be zipped in.

Hope this helps.
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Re: Gear review: winter waterproofs

Postby morag1 » Fri Feb 01, 2013 9:31 pm

Great Helen, thanks for that :D

I'll have a look out for the red/black one. Your review mentions the jacket is quite warm so if I wear my usual mid-layer on top of my base then i might not need a heavy fleece as well. Will let you know how I find it :D
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Re: Gear review: winter waterproofs

Postby PhilTurner » Mon Feb 04, 2013 12:22 pm

murwilson wrote:Phil,

If it's a hard core hard shell test, should it not have been the Super-fly XT you tested rather than it's baby brother? It's got the pit zips you're looking for to.

No ME Kongur either!



Hi Mur - Montane felt that the non-XT Super-fly was the most appropriate for this review, and ME were not interested in participating.
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Re: Gear review: winter waterproofs

Postby murwilson » Mon Feb 04, 2013 9:00 pm

Thanks for the reply Phil.

Shame about Mountain Equipment not taking part and what can I say about Montane, sheesh, can't even send the proper jacket :lol:

You look weary in that last set of photo's bye-the-way, I could come and give you a hand for the next reviews :wink:

Can you make it on summer waterproof jackets and get some Active Shell in from Berghaus, TNF and Haglofs so I can compare to my Montane Air?

Keep up the good work

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Re: Gear review: winter waterproofs

Postby DrFeelgood » Mon Feb 11, 2013 2:36 am

Although not sold as a 'Winter' jacket, I can heartily recommend the Velez Adventure Light from Paramo. We were wild camping in the Lakes a couple of weeks ago, and had some properly cold weather (we only saw one lake all week that wasn't frozen solid with a good covering of snow on top!!) Wearing just a standard weight HH top underneath, and was perfectly warm and dry despite blizzards, white-outs and windchills in the -20 region. A bit lighter than the tested jacket too (600g ish).

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Re: Gear review: winter waterproofs

Postby Willatts » Thu Mar 07, 2013 10:12 pm

All the Event jackets get a warning about needing more care; I think this could be a little misleading. I don't think Event needs much more in the way of care than most fabrics. Any microporous fabric needs regular washing to prevent the pores being clogged, and without frequent washing a Paramo jacket will certainly leak (as opposed to decreasing in breathabilty like Goretex or Event for instance).

Event certainly recommend you wash your garment frequently, and the way in which they protect the membrane from dirts and oils in theory leaves it more open to clogging then Goretex, but without regular washing they will all suffer. The DWR coating on the outside of the fabric which prevents wetting out won't work well with a dirty fabric, which has a significant impact on overall breathability with an adverse concentration gradient from inside to outside of fabric - ie harder work for the fabric to cope with.

Dermizax isn't a proprietary fabric from Bergan, it's made by Toray, who also supply the likes of Montane with fabrics like Entrant
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Re: Gear review: winter waterproofs

Postby lb1dej » Mon Mar 11, 2013 11:27 am

This winter I've been wearing a Keela Munro which is a terrific jacket. It's heavy (c.1 kg) which means you must wear it rather than carry it. With temperature several degrees below freezing (like today), I wear a polyester base layer and thinish fleece (and carry a insulated jacket for stops). In higher temperatures, say several degrees above freezing, I'd omit the fleece.

Multiple pockets and great functionality. Minor criticisms are elasticated rather than velcro cuffs, and it's a little short in length. At 6' with a slim build the medium is a good generous fit on me. For the money they are unbeatable value. Cost about £135 from Ebay or Amazon.

Shame that Keela stuff is not more widely available in the bigger shops. (They've now bought out a lighter weight and shorter version of the same design - pictured in this month's Trail magazine.)

BTW: My local walking area is the High Peak in Derbyshire - Kinder Scout etc which can be pretty rough in winter.

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Re: Gear review: winter waterproofs

Postby Bonzo » Tue Mar 12, 2013 3:22 pm

Willatts wrote:All the Event jackets get a warning about needing more care; I think this could be a little misleading. I don't think Event needs much more in the way of care than most fabrics. Any microporous fabric needs regular washing to prevent the pores being clogged, and without frequent washing a Paramo jacket will certainly leak (as opposed to decreasing in breathabilty like Goretex or Event for instance).

Event certainly recommend you wash your garment frequently, and the way in which they protect the membrane from dirts and oils in theory leaves it more open to clogging then Goretex, but without regular washing they will all suffer. The DWR coating on the outside of the fabric which prevents wetting out won't work well with a dirty fabric, which has a significant impact on overall breathability with an adverse concentration gradient from inside to outside of fabric - ie harder work for the fabric to cope with.

Dermizax isn't a proprietary fabric from Bergan, it's made by Toray, who also supply the likes of Montane with fabrics like Entrant


My Montane Event jacket has been relegated to second place due to it suffering from numerous scuff points from normal wear and washing.

The slightest brush with rock has resulted in 'wooly' points which appear to have affected the garments waterproofing abilities.

It may be breathable but in my opinion it's nowhere near tough enough for the hills.

I'm not impressed.
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Re: Gear review: winter waterproofs

Postby madprof » Sat Apr 06, 2013 2:58 pm

Just to add, I have a Keela Munro jacket and it is very very warm. I would not wear anything other than a base layer under it unless the wind got right up or the ambient temperature plunged well below zero. It is heavy but also very waterproof. The only problem with it being so warm is that I sweat a lot in it and that sweat hangs about a bit too long. No complaints about the quality.
Fact is, for the 115 quid (money off as shop made initial mistake) I paid for it, it is way better value than an awful lot of winter jackets.
It is sadly a cold weather item only - there is no way I would use it in temperatures above 10C. I just got back from Torridon and stowed it away for a climb up a Corbett as I knew I'd boil in it.
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Re: Gear review: winter waterproofs

Postby RockyRab » Sat Apr 06, 2013 3:09 pm

Is the Keela Spectrum any lighter? I tend to get pretty warm when I'm out in the hills and my current jacket just wouldn't cut it in winter, not a very good one but will do for a summer downpour. Trying to decide between the Spectrum or the Cumulus Pro.
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Re: Gear review: winter waterproofs

Postby Rudolph » Sun Apr 07, 2013 10:15 pm

I've the old version of the cumulus and it is warm - too warm for summer use. I'm very pleased with it for winter though. Weight is 680g.

I'm not clear how different the new version is. Lots of features but I don't know if it's significantly warmer or heavier - hope not!
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