Montane Mens Pacplus Jacket RRP £220

Product Information

I was impressed by the waterproofness of the jacket, my base layer was dry every where apart from a few mildly damp patches were I had obviously been sweating on the way up. The sleeves on lighter summer-oriented shells can be a bit narrow, but while the cuffs on the Pac Plus XT are not quite as generous as on a typical technical winter mountain shell, they're still sufficiently roomy to fit over insulated gloves (though can be a bit of a struggle with bulkier gauntlets). And with the wind in mind, Montane have given you a proper wired peak here - something a lot of lighter jackets fail on, but an addition we'd consider more or less essential for use in the stormy UK hills. The cut is well thought-out, and the hood is a study in simple but effective hood design – no extra faff, but strong performance. Another great feature I found was the 2 big map/hand pockets, they were mesh lined so by opening these 2 pockets it allowed even more ventilation and helped keep me from overheating too much.

Nikwax products can be used to clean, re-proof and revitalise all your outdoor technical clothing and equipment. While reaching for handholds and over reaching, the arms were plenty long and the sleeves didn’t keep riding up my arm. Though it's described as helmet-compatible, I'd say the hood is too small to be a really successful match. The main zipper is a YKK AQUAGUARD, which not only keeps out all but the hardest rainfall and, when zipped closed, seals tight to prevent drafts coming through the zipper teeth.The low weight and impressive packability make it a superb ‘grab and go’ option for a range of activities from spring through to autumn. Our Phase jackets provide lightweight, packable protection from the elements, thanks to Gore-Tex’s guaranteed-to-keep-you-dry promise. Over the years, the elasticity will wane and the cords will snap, but that’s a fact of life and one I’m prepared for. Though the Pac Plus XT is no spartan ultralight, only the most committed weight watchers would resent carrying it just in case.

While the Pac Plus XT jacket is about as skimpy as I'd want a shell to get for winter climbing or even summer scrambling, the trousers can definitely take more abuse, and could quite sensibly be used as your regular winter climbing shell legwear. A decent hood is essential on any mountain shell, and with an all-rounder it's got to work both with and without a helmet.Montane have engineered the Pac Plus to use one of the pockets as a stuff pack and it can be pressed down to 25 cm x 18cm x 10cm (according to my measurements). RET (Resistance to Evaporative Heat Transfer) tells you the resistance a material has to water vapour passing through it. You've just left the warmth of a friendly checkpoint and as you step out into the cold pouring rain, peer into the darkness and contemplate the terrain ahead, you realise you have 40 miles left until the finish line.

Note that we have now included the Montane Phase jacket over the pac plus in our latest update to our waterproof jacket guide. One of Montane’s range of shell jackets, The Pac Plus has been a popular option for hikers and trekkers since its launch in 2018.But if it hadn’t been for the high functionality of the jacket, Id of been much wetter underneath from sweating, but that wasn’t the case because the features did a great job of allowing me to ventilate and dump the heat. There’s ample length in the sleeves and the cuffs don’t end up halfway up your forearms when you artiuclate you arms, so there’s little risk of your wrists being exposed to the elements when you need to extend your arms. The Montane Men's Pac Plus Jacket is expertly crafted for mountain walking and long-distance trekking. It’s good for most conditions though not the best choice for severe winter storms compared with a heavier jacket.

I've used the hood with a helmet when winter mountaineering, so I'd concede it will just about do for an occasional such day, but if you're regularly climbing in the Pac Plus XT I suspect it'd get annoying.We will always try to be very clear about the fault/repair to the item but occasionally there may be a small fault that is missed.