Singing the praises of lightweight synthetics

Yesterday afternoon a good hour was spent discussing the merits of lightweight synthetic insulation and one question kept cropping up, why do not more people yet use lightweight synthetic garments? Heavier weight synthetic jackets now do seem to be catching on, certainly the success of our elusive Fitzroy Jacket would suggest a growing demand but this growth in interest does not yet seem to have been replicated in lightweight insulation.

There is little doubt that lightweight synthetics are absolutely brilliant for so many situations and given that they are suitable for year round use any climber, mountaineer, hillwalker or backpacker should consider these an absolutely essential part of their year round kit.

Other than on the hottest of Summer days, I cannot remember a single time in the past 2 years when I have not packed a Compressor Vest or Compressor Jacket into my pack. A synthetic garment is infinitely more versatile than fleece. Its generally lighter than fleece, certainly has a much better warmth to weight ratio, compresses down smaller so takes up less space in your pack, is generally windproof whereas a fleece rarely is and will continue to work in even the most awful weather conditions. And even with all these protective attributes they remain exceptionally breathable. What more could you ask for in a layering piece?

Keeping the evening chill at bay during high Summer

So bear this in mind. Your average mid-weight fleece weighs around 600 grams whilst your average lightweight microfleece weighs around 300 grams. Both of these, but especially the microfleece would be considered year-round pieces. A product such as our Compressor Vest weighs just 255 grams, our Compressor Jacket little over 300 grams. You can do the maths!

So why have these products still not taken the outdoor world by storm? Why is it that every mountain guide, or instructor I know swears by them and yet they are still rarely seen? Is it that they look technical, they don't have the casual and cosy look that fleece does? Is it that the word insulation pigeon holes these garments into the preserve of some hardy winter mountaineers or are they just too difficult to find in retail stores?

In winter, a light synthetic vest can be be the perfect booster

Well if you want to re-think the way your outdoor layering system works, want products that will lighten your load, garments that have year round versatility and therefore represent maximum value for money, you could do a lot worse than start looking at lightweight synthetic insulated jackets.

Women's MRT Jacket in final trials

The latest addition to our collection of Mountain Rescue products, the Women's MRT Jacket, is now in the final stages of its field trials.

Our Men's Kongur MRT jacket was introduced last year to wide acclaim, and the success of this took us a little by surprise if we're completely honest. Not knowing what the take-up would be like, even for a mens version (men still make up the bulk of many MRT's) was the main reason why we held off introducing a women's specific version. But that is increasingly changing and based on the success of the Kongur MRT we had enough demand from teams around the UK to start work on a women's MRT Jacket last year.

Like all new products, field trials are important, but especially so when you consider the wear & tear that this jacket will have to endure. For the past 4 months it has been on field trials with Gaynor Lewis, a member of SARDA (Search & Rescue Dog Association) and the Llanberis Mountain Rescue Team in North Wales. And it has certainly been a baptism of fire for the new MRT jacket, with one of the busiest winters on record for the team.

We hope that the Jacket will be entering service with Mountain Rescue Teams around the UK from later this Spring. When will we have a fido compatible version I hear you cry? We'll call that work in progress......

The Astron Hoody is back!

I've lost count of the number of emails we have over the winter from keen consumers wanting to know where the Astron Hooded Jacket had gone. Well the truth was that we, along with the vast majority of our retail partners simply sold out!

But the great news is that the latest Astron Hooded Jackets will be hitting the shelves in a matter of days complete with new 2009 livery (the Black version now coming with rather eye catching citronelle zips!).

In little more than 12 months this lightweight softshell has become a real favourite of mine, my only criticism, the lack of colours...come on retailers and consumers, you want something else other than Black don't you???

The return to somewhat milder conditions has been the perfect chance to grab the Astron again, this weekend a blustery day out on the Eastern Fells of the Lake District, proved yet again why I love this jacket so much. In combination with another of my personal favourites, the Shroud it was all i wore from start to finish, from valley floor to fell summit. Its light, it packs down should you need to carry it, its breathable and with just enough powerstretch to give room to move and allow just enough cool air to circulate inside and it has a roomy hood, utterly essential for any serious softshell in my opinion.

For those of you who have never considered a softshell, why not try it. In most conditions, its often all you will need in conjunction with a base-layer or lightweight fleece, protects you from the wind, keeps the worst of light showers away and adds just enough insulation, that in the case of the Astron is not too much, allowing it to be worn nearly year round.

Also available in Cobalt Blue, the Astron Hooded Jacket will be available in stores, see our

stockists, from the beginning of March. The cost should be around £150.00.

Another season beckons!

No we're not talking Spring (although that doesnt seem very far away) but yesterday was the formal start to our Autumn / Winter 2010/11 season!

Just as we approach the beginning of the Spring retail season, come to the end of next winters sell-in to retailers and remain bogged down with readying new prototypes for next Spring, its time to start thinking about winter again. 3 seasons in one week, is a very common occurence in the ME offices.


So its back to magic wands and that big melting pot of ideas to conjure up another hopefully successful range of products. So how do we do it? Well its a mixture of things, lots of time spent analysing feedback, sales reports and spreadsheets, monitoring feedback from the field, whilst keeping one eye on what other things are going on in the market and then some good old fashioned inspiration and time spent playing with existing kit thinking how we will make it better.

So where are we heading for AW2010/11, well we can't give all our secrets away just yet.....

Microtherm Alpine Jacket on test in the Cairngorms

Keith and myself have just returned from what can only be described as an awesome weekend ski touring in the Cairngorms. A real mixed bag of weather conditions and the perfect opportunity to give some last minute testing to the new Microtherm Alpine Jacket, which will hit the stores later this Spring.

As other parts of the country struggle to cope with the snow, and doing our best not to travel unless absolutely essential, we made the journey up to Braemar in the heart of the Grampian Mountains for a couple of days of ski-mountaineering in some of the lesser frequented corners of the Cairngorms. Our aim a 2 day circular tour ascending one of the more remote peaks in the Cairngorms with an overnight Bothy.

The Microtherm Alpine Jacket is one of our new Softshells available from March. We've had them on field trials for the past 7 months or so with some of our own staff as well as the guys at Plas Y Brenin - and it comes back to replace the much loved orginal Microtherm jacket which has been unavailable for a couple of years. The original Microtherm was adored by those in the know, particulaly the folks at PYB and from a personal perspective has easily been my favourite bit of kit for the past four years and one that always finds its way into my pack. So there has been alot of anticipation surrounding the new version.

The main selling point of the Microtherm Alpine Jacket is its low weight, its compressibility and its comfort / temperature regulation. It manages all of this in a garment that is fully windproof and extremely breathable, much more so than most laminated or membrain based soft shell products as well as having a slick, yet rustle free outer shell that makes this one of the finest layering pieces available. It is designed with an active cut, to be worn either over a base-layer or microfleece, nothing more, and has two generously sized pockets, an internal zipped pocket and also has thumbloops.

On Day One, the Microtherm served its purpose, hidden under a GORE-TEX Pro Shell Jacket, as heavy snow showers and wind blown snow blasted the Cairngorms, but it worked really well worn over a Shroud microfleece to give just that little extra warmth. A long day skinning in from Braemar towards Derry Lodge, through deep snow and battling gusty winds and heavy snow showers. But it was on Day Two that the jacket really came into it own.

Waking to clear skies, light winds and intense cold, it was one of those magical mornings in the mountains, that you only get when you've overnighted somewhere away from the crowds! Our objective for the day was Beinn Breac, one of the more isolated peaks in the Cairngorms that nestles between Derry Cairngorm and Beinn a Bhuird and gives very good views over the main Cairngorm massif as well as further afield to the East and Lochnagar.

The air temperature was around -5c, perhaps colder (and alot less at dawn) and with just enough of a breeze to make it feel fairly baltic - perfect conditions for the Microtherm Alpine Jacket. The shell is made of a new version of our He30rs fabric, very light, very breathable and with a slight water resistance that was enough to keep the sprindrift at bay that was blowing around some of the hollows. Skinning uphill is hardwork and you could quickly overheat, but the great thing about the Microtherm is its ability to regulate tempeature, thanks mostly to its internal grid fleece that allows moisture and some heat to dissipate.

The two pockets are large enough, just about swallowed my laminated OS map and yet could still be accessed even with my pack on - a pretty standard feature that is not exactly rocket science yet i never fail to be amazed at how many products I see on the market that dont take this into account!

Again it was worn over a Shroud Jacket and to be honest, with an Altus baselayer on, it was all I needed all day - not just when working hard going uphill but even when enjoying the untracked snow on the descent. It certainly beat joining the crowds (and queues) at the Glenshee ski centre.

Other garments worn: Tupilak Jacket, G2 Ultimate Mountain Pants, Altus LS Base Layer, G2 Alpine Gloves, Randonnee Gloves, Powerstretch Tights, Compressor Vest, Branded Knitted Beanie. Overnight gear included Snowline sleeping bags and Vega Jacket.

Details of this area and other possible Ski tours can be found in the SMC guide 'Ski Mountaineering in Scotland'

ISPO Round-Up

Well its been a busy week for the Mountain Equipment team at Winter ISPO in Munich, Germany.

This is one of two major European trade shows we attend every year, its a gargantuan event where manufacturers display next winters product lines to retail stores from around Europe, if you love new kit it can also be viewed as one giant toy shop full of hopefully exciting new toys!

From gore-tex jackets to new ice axes, ski bindings and boots there is loads to see. Unfortunately i did not have time to go to the fairground, which formed one brands trade stand but you cant always do everything!

Despite all the talk of recession and global downturn, the mood at the show was extremely buoyant, the cold and snowy weather along with a continued interest in healthy living and outdoor sports in general is ensuring that for the time at least, outdoor retail is in generally sound health.

Many people think of us as a very British Brand, and we are, but not everyone will realise just how big our export business is. We have our products distributed across many countries, at least 17 or 18 including nearly all of the major European countries including Germany, Norway and France as well as countries further afield such as Japan and Korea. And with our export markets growing every year, it is a real important and busy show for us.

Now while the emphasis on these shows is selling this is not everything we do. Its equally important for marketing and product development with lots of meetings with journalists, fabric suppliers and factories.

So what were the highlights? Well from a personal point of view, its always seeing the level of interest in what I consider the most exciting new products, usually our more specialists pieces and the mood of excitement we are receiving in our new range of technical WINDSTOPPER Soft Shell garments is great to see. We have worked hard on what we think is a superb new lightweight softshell, the Shield Jacket and completely revamped our much loved and cult classic, G2 Ultimate Mountain Pant. These will complement our range of other lightweight softshell's such as the Astron Hoody perfectly. A slightly sneeky peak below right!

We have also been receiving alot of interest in a new technical climbing glove. The Cascade Xtrafit has been developed in conjunction with GORE-TEX, using a new bonded insert technology, the result is vastly improved levels of dexterity and tactility and one which I cant wait to use. Again this will be available from September 2009.