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 dangle loop Whereas Montane’s sizing has improved in recent times (it used to run a full dimension small), I nonetheless advocate going up a dimension on this jacket, if solely so you’ve 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: Beneath 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 lure your physique warmth an forestall chilly wind from chilling you. Montane is a widely known UK outside clothes and equipment producer that makes distinctive clothes for climbing, climbing and path working. They’ve not too long ago began promoting direct by a US-based on-line retailer, though it nonetheless solely has a subset of the merchandise they promote on their UK on-line web site, however that’s altering as they ramp up operations right here. I’ve at all times appreciated their mid-layer fleeces, rain pants, and rain jackets as a result of they work rather well. I’ve held onto a lot of 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 regularly.
A whole lot of windbreakers don’t have hand hotter pockets, however they’re a helpful function for storing light-weight gloves, a snack bar, or a fleece beanie. The wrists are semi-elasticated, so you may pull them up your arms to vent warmth, whereas twin hem adjusters allow you to seal out the wind from beneath. The jacket comes with a DWR coating, but it surely’s not a water-proof jacket so don’t get your hopes up. The nylon, which is uncoated, supplies 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 underneath 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 prime 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 carrying skinny clothes layers, than by carrying one a lot heavier jacket. Any such layering technique additionally usually ends in carrying much less clothes weight and bulk.
Extra advisable wind breakers
Suggestion
The Montane Featherlite Hooded Jacket is a richly featured wind breaker that makes an excellent outer layer when layered over a fleece sweater on chilly and windy days. It has hand hotter pockets and an excellent hood, designed for under-helmet use. Weighing simply 4.5 oz (males’s xl), it would preserve you hotter when climbing 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 fantastic tune your heat degree by carrying a number of skinny layers quite than one composite one. Regardless that it’s not waterproof, an ultralight wind jacket is commonly value carrying within the transitional months of spring and autumn as a result of it amplifies the effectiveness of a heat mid-layer with nearly no further bulk.
Disclosure: Montane donated a jacket for evaluate.
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