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Montane have designed this jacket to be a technical piece, versatile enough to wear for most activities throughout the year. The idea being to offer a warm yet breathable layer that also offers high wind resistance. This sounded perfect for me, so I decided to put one to the test on a three-day backpacking trip in Cumbria. As my trip was only for 3 days, I planned to pack as light as possible, yet still stay warm, dry and comfortable throughout.

My first impression of the  Sirocco Lite Jacket, was that it was incredibly light for a jacket that claimed to do all the above. A UK size 12 weighs in at only 239 grams! This is all down to the well-thought-out materials used combined with a minimum feature set. I didn’t want to repeat everything that the brand states about the fabrics, but they are pretty important, so here are the main facts;

• Core - The core of the jacket is made using a dynamic, lofty, synthetic insulation, which is designed to retain warmth even when wet.
• Lining/Outer - The lining and outer fabric used is called FEATHERLITE Air. A mechanical stretch ripstop woven using fully dull 20 denier recycled nylon yarns. This has been developed for high wind resistance with exceptional breathability, providing soft quiet yet outstanding comfort and uncompromised performance.
• Sleeves/Side Panels - The sleeves and side panels are made from Thermo Stretch Lite which is a super lightweight smooth nylon face fleece, soft with excellent durability and polyester brushed back providing warmth and comfort, 4-way stretch and outstanding moisture management.

I wore the jacket for 3 days straight and I’m happy to say the Sirocco Lite truly didn’t disappoint. Over those 3 days the weather was constantly changing with sunny skies one minute and sudden downpours and hail the next. When I did need to put on my waterproof jacket, the Sirocco Lite fitted neatly underneath. This was thanks to the smooth outer fabrics and the bonus of not having a bulky hood to get in the way. The fact the jacket also features a low-profile hem and cuffs also contributed to the easy layering. The still and clear skies overnight made for some frosty tents in the morning. On those mornings and nights at camp, I was warm enough just putting another slightly thicker synthetic layer over the top. Again, very comfortable layered over the top.

As the days warmed up, others would stop to remove layers, and I was pleasantly surprised that I didn’t need to. Not only was I cool enough throughout the walk, whenever we did a stop to grab any refreshments, or if the wind picked up as we got to exposed heights. I was still comfortable and warm enough with just my short sleeve baselayer and Sirocco Lite Jacket. When the hike was getting more strenuous, I found that by just unzipping the front and pushing up the sleeves did a sufficient job of cooling me down, rather than stopping to take the layer off.

What I really like about the jacket, is just how soft it feels on my skin thanks to the brushed back fleece. I also like the fit, but it’s important to note that I purposely went up a size. The jacket is designed as a snug fitting layer, which is part of the reason for it offering so much warmth. However, I personally am not a fan of trim/close-fitting clothing. I had tried on my usual UK14 first but found it too snug, especially when lifting or moving my arms, so I opted to get the UK16 instead, which fits me a lot better and still kept me warm. The sleeve length fitted perfect on me. Now I’m not a particularly tall person, in-fact I’m on the short side at 5ft 2 in, and I find that the sleeves fit me perfectly. Usually, I find that with most sleeves they tend to be a little long and I sometimes have to roll them up. Especially as you go up in size. Not sure why some brands think that the bigger you are in size, then the longer your arms must get. But in this case, they fitted perfectly. So I would say for those ladies who think they have particularly long arms, they might find this jacket comes up short.

The only negative thing I can say about this jacket, is that after using it for 3 days backpacking, I found that the fleece under the armpits and on the inner arms have begun to bobble. Now this is probably because I was wearing a large pack with it for 3 days straight, but still, it’s not something I would expect to see from a jacket after only a few days use. That said, it doesn’t affect the overall use of the jacket, and I have worn it on multiple autumn day hikes since with no extra bobbling at all. I wouldn’t wear it with a large pack again though, just day packs from now on.

Overall, I found the Sirocco Lite jacket to be a super comfortable jacket that truly does offer a great balance between warmth and breathability. It’s now my go-to piece when I’m out all day, hiking, biking or just walking the dog.