montane super-fly xt jacket first impressions

[wayno]

http://www.montane.co.uk/range/men/shel ... -xt-jacket

i've just purchased one of these
was tossing up between this and the montane venture
the venture has a pair of tented pockets hte superfly xt has two sets of pockets and a set of core vents
it also has more reinforced fabric down the back of the arms
htey both have reinforced fabric on the shooulders and waist.
I"ll be using it over the new year on a one week tramp so if it rains or it gets cold enough i'll report
i bought the jacket online through mainpeak at their current sale, 30% off so good price, i bought solely on rearch on the internet, all the reviews are good and cant find much in the way of reviews for the venture,
i've got a lightweight shell i can use if the forecast isnt too bad so that incfuenced me to go for the extra features of the xt over the venture. the breathability is listed as higher for the xt as well.
on first look i'm happy with the jacket.,, high neck covers the lower face well, . great spacious hood gives good coverage of the face, something i was looking for a big improvement on over my last jacket, stiff wire in the hood brim... good length, covers the backside.. i went for an xl, 'm 5 11 , 75 kg could probably have got away with a smaller jacket but i prefer on the large size for shells and the measurements for this jacket is only slightly larger than a rab large....
despite calling themselves a lightweight coat the fabric looks reasonably tough for it's weight.. not that i'm lining it up for a bush bashing trip.....
so in a couple of weeks hopefully i'll have some experience in the coat to write about...

[Nuts]

We've had the venture, xt, both the new and old models. Compares to RAB Bergen. Bergen is better all round, wears better DWR holds up longer, design less fussy. It also appears to be the first jacket of this style I've found with a proper b/walking hood size ( for those with a normal size head)

[wayno]

the only thing i dont like so much on the rab's are they dont seem to do much in the way of venting, no pit zips on the majority of their event models, except the Latok. havent seen vented pockets on the gear i've looked at , but that weight a couple of hundred gram more than the bergen or superfly. i found the cut tighter on them. i have to have an xl to fit in the rab and i normally wear m or large.
THE DWR argument, well it's safer to assume dwr will crap out and theres no guarantees reproofing will make any future difference, but if it lasts then efinite bonus... as long as the dwr isnt a dud to start with.
my lightweight shell is an outdoor research helium, very light on features, so i like the idea of having lots of features, zips and cords to play with on the xt might have subconsciously swayed me?

[Nuts]

Before event we had OR Fury (paclite with patches) It unzipped from the armpit to the hem, great design. After a couple of years using event i'd probably still choose it but (for wearing a pack) I'd agree, 'active' venting seems just as useful.

[wayno]

yup i've been stung before without venting, it's no fun in prolonged rain when you can't open up the shell
a lot of what experiened people in teh field are saying the best way to get a shell to breathe in rain is open up the zips...
my understanding is rab is designed more for the alpine environments, lower humidity and temps make venting less of an issue than it does for bushwalking.. I was temped by the rab neoshell but, i'm not convinced on how well the neoshell will last with time, it's waterproof rating drops from 10k to 5k , can't remember after how many washes that is. but i'm wondering if it is dropping so much what is happening to the fabric and what will happen to it in the real world and not just in the washing machine with prolonged use, it has bigger pores on it, so does that mean it's a bigger invitation to get clogged up and the laticework structure of it breaks down excessively?, it's more breathable in the lab but reviews i'be read say the difference is really splitting hairs with other highly breathable membranes... and the thickness of the fabric can play a bigger part in breathability..., who knows maybe neoshell will show up to be robut with time, I bought the fore runner membrane powershield pro which was rated as highly water resistant, but the garment didnt have seem sealing which half defeated the purpose of its water resistance, hte vented pocket fabric acted like a sponge for he water getting in through the seams and would saturate me in prolonged showers, i'm wary of marketing hype. events been around for a lot longer and is more proven.

[wayno]

i'm wondering how old mainpeaks stock is,, the carboard montane lable on the jacket shows the colour range and its missing the organge colour for the latest rance that s been our for a couple of years. i'm not sure of hwat changes may have been made in the later range other than the colour...

[wayno]

ok, got a bit of use out of the jacket,
it was a few degrees, wind blowing about 70k's with light rain, toasty warm with just a polypro underneath, and the hood closed down, great coverage of the hood, plenty of space in the jacket, i deliberatley bought a big xl size, i like roomy jackets.
didnt get clammy

later on used the jacket in warmer conditions, the core vents were great unlike pit zips they were blocked by shoulder straps and helped venting, plus i could unzip the main zip from the bottom and open it like a cape for more venting
pockets are clear of the hip belt, good height as hand warmer pockets.. longer than a lot of jackets, came down below my hips, and covered my backside. i like the hood, can wear the jacket with the hood rolled up and there is a velcro strap to secure it in place, can quickly be unfurled for use.

[nq111]

Nice.

I have an older model of the same jacket.

Only complaint I have heard from people is that they don't like the wind coming through that little bit (they like the old goretex as it acts as a full wind barrier, keeping them a fraction warmer). I prefer the extra air flow and breathability and find it better to be cooler and drier with the eVENT. Did you notice this in the high wind?

Only thing is keep up the washing and DWR treatment schedule, as it doesn't seem to hold up quite as well as goretex (they both require maintenance at some point however).

Now waiting on the detailed review of the pack

[wayno]

i didnt notice the wind getting through at all, i was comfortable once i put the jacket on. there was a big difference in comfort even between having a windproof hat on and having the hood on. given at the front because of the pockets you have three layers of event, and heavier material in other areas... some argue just throw on another layer underneath to cope with the wind... its used by search and rescue in europe.
different montane models have different breathability ratings, with the xt super-fly having one of the highest.
if i was a climber standing around outside in the cold a lot i might think twice about the more breathable event models or look at a different membrane, even gore tex are going more breathable now, touting new models of their active shell for high altitude mountaineers like the Meru.
and their new Pro membrane coming out in a year which is a multi membrane version of event for even better breathability than their other shells..
i was looking at neoshell which is more breathable than event, but didnt want to go that far..
oh yes and the DWR is pretty good on the super-fly, sheds water nicely , for now anyway...

[wayno]

Nice.

I have an older model of the same jacket.

Only complaint I have heard from people is that they don't like the wind coming through that little bit (they like the old goretex as it acts as a full wind barrier, keeping them a fraction warmer). I prefer the extra air flow and breathability and find it better to be cooler and drier with the eVENT. Did you notice this in the high wind?

Only thing is keep up the washing and DWR treatment schedule, as it doesn't seem to hold up quite as well as goretex (they both require maintenance at some point however).

Now waiting on the detailed review of the pack

another jacket i was weighing up getting when i was looking at teh super-fly was THe North Face Meru.
Gore Tex active shell is gore's most breathable waterproof shell. they use it with lightweight fabrics and it compares with event on breathability, originally active shell was only marketed for running, MTBing, day hiking because they didnt want to plug it for activities where it was going to get a thumping like long distance hiking, but its showing to be reasonably durable. tehy used less glue in the membrane, they may have been worried about delamination, the Meru has reinforced areas on the shoulder and waist to beef it up a bit and it's been proven in high altitude climbing by Conrad Anker.