Blog

I have to admit that this review is a tad late. In my defence, I was waiting for some appropriately cold weather to test the jacket; thankfully, November has arrived and brought some wintry conditions.

Montane has brought two new down jackets to the market this season: the Alpine 850 Lite Down Hoodie, and the jacket I have been testing, the Alpine 850 Down Hoodie. The latter is more of a dedicated winter insulation piece, so I wanted to wait for cooler conditions to test it out.

As the name suggests, the Alpine 850 Down Hoodie is designed for alpine and high-level use in harsh winter conditions and on mountaineering expeditions. The jacket also excels when you are inactive in these conditions. It is a superb jacket to take on winter wild camps and climbing trips when you could be stationary, belaying a partner. The jacket packs down incredibly small for such a warm layer, so it's a fantastic insulating piece to bring when heading to the lakes or when you are off to tackle some Monros. Something you can deploy when you stop for lunch or to take a break.

The Alpine 850 Down Hoodie utilises 170g of 850 fill power down, held in place with a box-walled baffled construction, to maximise loft and eliminate cold spots. The goose down feathers have been treated with a Hyperdry® Hydrophobic treatment to protect the down from dampness and aid in drying.

For context, I am using the large-size jacket (I'm 6 feet and relatively slim). I wear a medium, but I find Montane to size a little small, so I sized up. The jacket weighs 419 grams, and as 170g of this is down, the rest of the garment weighs just 249 grams. The jacket's outer is constructed from Pertex Quantum Eco, a 10-denier nylon treated with a PFC water-repellent coating. This helps the jacket shed snow drifts and light rain, though it is not waterproof. The liner is made from the same Pertex Quantum nylon, a lovely, soft material which feels nice next to the skin.

The Alpine 850 Down has two generous hand-warming pockets and two oversized internal pockets, an excellent place to store your phone, GPS, or water filter. The heat from your body will prevent the battery from draining quickly and protect your filter from freezing. These large pockets are also good places to store gloves, a hat or a map.

The jacket has a secure, easy-to-adjust draw cord around the hem and elongated roll cuffs that add protection and prevent cold winds from entering the jacket when wearing gloves. The hood is the stand-out feature for me. The down has plenty of room to loft, which adds a lot of warmth. The hood can be cinched with three adjustment points, two around the face and one around the crown; these can easily be adjusted, even with gloves on, and add warmth and protection in high winds.

As I said, I have sized up. I am using the large jacket, as this will primarily be a layer I wear over my fleece and potentially over another “puffy.” It is not overly bulky and certainly not restrictive. Still, if caught in rain or extreme snow, I would need a larger shell to go over the top.

In essence, the Montane Alpine 850 Down Hoodie lives up to its intended purpose as a reliable and high-performance winter insulation piece. Offering a blend of warmth, functionality, and thoughtful design elements for those venturing into alpine and winter environments. I'm excited to use this for the rest of this winter season. Hopefully I'll get to test it out in Scotland in more extreme conditions, and I will update this review as necessary. 

Andy Neil
Andy has been a keen long-distance hiker and wild camping enthusiast since he completed the Cleveland Way in 2015. Since then, he has walked thousands of trail miles all over the UK and is an active member of the Wild Camping UK community, being an admin of the largest wild camping community on Facebook. He strongly advocates for responsible wild camping and believes it is important to leave no trace when camping in the wilderness. He joined the UOG team in 2021 and works as a website developer and content creator. Read more from Andy Neil