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Mention the words “Polartec Alpha Direct” and you instantly have us hooked. Having used this type of insulation in various summer and winter jackets you can be guaranteed that this is a jacket in which unrivaled breathability, comfort, and warmth is matched with a low bulk and low weight in an item designed for high activity adventures. Paired with an outer fabric of Pertex Quantum AIR, which has …

Two members of the Ultralight team got to test the Rab Pulsar Down Jacket that was new for Autumn/Winter 20.As the newest piece of ultralight down insulation from Rab, I received the new Pulsar with high expectations. I’m pleased to report that it has proved to be a fantastic winter jacket, a versatile all-rounder that has quickly become essential to any and all adventures. I’ve personally us …

The Kinesis uses a unique ‘Octoyarn Warp-Knit’ lining to provide active insulation, essentially working in the same way as Polartec Alpha. Without another brand label, Polartec, being included in the jacket the cost is lower than expected which is obviously a pretty significant bonus. As a fan of the Alpha material I was interested (and somewhat sceptical in all honesty) as to how it would perform …

Selecting a mid-layer is often tricky and this decision was even harder for the TGO Challenge. The weather can vary so much across northern Scotland over a 2 week period, it might snow one day and be 20C+ the next. I tend to get quite hot and sweaty so I wanted something fast drying and highly wicking. A bonus would be some wind protection in the torso so that it could be worn as an outer lay …

The Montane Hydrogen Extreme Smock, as the name suggests, has pretty big boots to fill. For over 20 years the original Extreme Smock has been regarded as a very dependable layer for expeditions into some of the world’s most hostile environments. Montane state that this updated version is inspired by the tried and tested Pile/Pertex system technology of the renowned Extreme Smock. The new …

Used extensively by Cairngorm Treks throughout Autumn and Winter 2017/18 within the Cairngorm National Park and surrounding areas.Lifting this jacket off the coat hook you straight away realise how ultra-light the Marmot Featherless Hoody actually is (UK size 12/M weighs in at just 416 grams). Despite its filling of 3M Thinsulate Eco Featherless Insulation, it feels like down to the touch and prom …

When the guys at UOG told us that they were sending up the newly updated Montane Prism jacket we were very excited. The Prism is a classic cold weather jacket built for life amongst mostly all outdoor activities, well known for being dependable and hard wearing. Over the years the Montane Prism has undergone a few changes and it appears the updated 2019 version is of no exception. …

Mark's ReviewThere are some fabulously lightweight down jackets around but the key point is not so much their overall weight but how much of that weight is down, as that is the material that keeps you warm, so the more of it in a jacket the warmer that jacket will be.For all us ‘gram counters’ then we want the lightest jacket consistent with the level of warmth we need, happily you can compare the …

When first handling the Rab Infinty G jacket its instantly noticeable just how light this product is when considering it contains a massive 240 grams of 850 fill power down. In a medium size the overall weight of the jacket is 404 grams. This is then not only a very light jacket for its warmth rating, but one of the lightest we have ever used. The outer is made of a noticeably thin Perte …

Used extensively by Cairngorm Treks throughout the Cairngorms and surrounding mountainous areas, Winter 2017 – Spring 2018.Montane have set very high standards for this jacket claiming it to be “one our most technical and innovative products yet, developed using thermal imaging data produced during activities in cold, wet conditions.” On first arrival the appearance certainly matches the descripti …

Used extensively by Cairngorm Treks throughout Autumn and Winter 2017/18 within the Cairngorm National Park and surrounding areas.We were really excited when we received the Montane Icarus Jacket to review as we’d heard so many amazing things – team members were fighting over who would have the privilege of giving it a test drive. On first appearance the Icarus jacket has the look and feel of a re …

RAB's Zero G jacket kept me nice and toasty as the temperature headed towards zeroAt Ultralight Outdoor Gear we're always looking for the lightest weight product that will do the job, that's our bottom line, but we also have a few other lines we don't like to cross - our products need to be robust, packable and have a reasonable life expectancy.I was pretty excited when RAB produced the Zero G and …