Mountain Equipment does not specifically target MM’s but with so much interest in the company it is inevitable we design some of our kit with these in mind. To make sure team Hutcheon/Talbot stay ahead of the office (not that we are competitive!) I did my bit and headed out this weekend for some running on my local fells. It gave me a good chance to test out some old favourites, a few pieces of kit coming into store very soon and some early prototypes.
The one item I now take whenever the weather looks grim is our new 3-Layer Gore-Tex Pro Shell Cap. I always thought caps were summer products designed to keep the sun out of your eyes. I tried a prototype out last September on the now infamous OMM of 2008 and I was amazed how much it improves your ability to operate in bad conditions. The extended peak offers significantly more protection to your face when map reading and looking for the next point of attack. Worn in conjunction with a good hood it gives you a great bad weather system.
The run started off at 8am in a thick blanket of mist and fine Pennine drizzle so I started out in our new Altus Long Sleeve Zip T using a Polartec Power Dry fabric, the new Microtherm Alpine Jacket, and a Particle Jacket using our own Drilite Ultra fabric. On the bottom half I ran in shorts and threw a pair of prototype SS10 (next summers) lightweight waterproof pants on top. My tried and tested Power Stretch Beanie once again proved invaluable. As soon as the weather improved the shell layers came off and packed into my rucksack.
