The Montane Featherlite Hooded Jacket is a windbreaker that weighs 4.5 oz and is nice to layer over a fleece in windy and funky climate to maintain the wind from chilling you on hikes or runs. It’s pretty ornate as ultralight wind jackets go together with a snorkel hood, twin hem changes, zippered hand hotter pockets, semi-stretch cuffs and a rear grasp loop Whereas Montane’s sizing has improved lately (it used to run a full measurement small), I nonetheless suggest going up a measurement on this jacket, if solely so you’ve gotten extra flexibility in mid-layer choice for colder days.
Associated: Finest Windbreakers and Wind Shirts
- Measurement: Males’s XL, reviewed
- Weight: 4.5 oz / 128g
- Hood: Beneath helmet
- Stuffable: Sure – proper hand pocket
- Options: Hem adjustment, semi-stretch cuffs, handwarmer pockets, hood brim
- Supplies: Nylon, YKK zipper
The Montane Featherlite Hooded Jacket is a ultralight windproof jacket that may be worn by itself or over a mid-layer like a fleece to lure your physique warmth an forestall chilly wind from chilling you. Montane is a widely known UK outside clothes and kit producer that makes distinctive clothes for climbing, climbing and path operating. They’ve just lately began promoting direct via a US-based on-line retailer, though it nonetheless solely has a subset of the merchandise they promote on their UK on-line web site, however that’s altering as they ramp up operations right here. I’ve all the time appreciated their mid-layer fleeces, rain pants, and rain jackets as a result of they work rather well. I’ve held onto a lot of clothes from Montane, together with a numbered twenty fifth anniversary version of the Montane Featherlite Smock Wind Shirt (I child you not) and use them incessantly.
A whole lot of windbreakers don’t have hand hotter pockets, however they’re a helpful characteristic for storing light-weight gloves, a snack bar, or a fleece beanie. The wrists are semi-elasticated, so you’ll be able to pull them up your arms to vent warmth, whereas twin hem adjusters allow you to seal out the wind from under. The jacket comes with a DWR coating, nevertheless it’s not a water-proof jacket so don’t get your hopes up. The nylon, which is uncoated, gives good breathability as a result of it’s so skinny and light-weight.
However the factor that makes this jacket is the hood. Whereas it’s not adjustable, it’s meant to suit underneath a hood, not over it, so the entrance opening, which is elasticated, is pretty comfortable, which you need for heat. The hood has a protruding entrance invoice that protects glasses from drizzle and a excessive neck that protects your neck and higher chest from chills. There’s even a zipper storage on the high to guard your face and beard.
On this image (above), it was 40 levels out and with a brisk 20 mph wind. I remained toasty heat with a skinny wool baselayer and a 90 gsm Polartec Alpha Hoody beneath the Montane Featherlite. You get much more flexibility when layering, by sporting skinny clothes layers, than by sporting one a lot heavier jacket. Any such layering technique additionally typically leads to carrying much less clothes weight and bulk.
Extra really helpful wind breakers
Suggestion
The Montane Featherlite Hooded Jacket is a richly featured wind breaker that makes an excellent outer layer when layered over a fleece sweater on chilly and windy days. It has hand hotter pockets and an excellent hood, designed for under-helmet use. Weighing simply 4.5 oz (males’s xl), it can preserve you hotter when climbing in uncovered terrain with out the necessity to put on or carry a heavier insulated jacket. When layering, you’ll have much more flexibility to high quality tune your heat stage by sporting a number of skinny layers quite than one composite one. Although it’s not waterproof, an ultralight wind jacket is commonly price carrying within the transitional months of spring and autumn as a result of it amplifies the effectiveness of a heat mid-layer with just about no additional bulk.
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Disclosure: Montane donated a jacket for evaluation.
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