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Target Dry Pioneer/Odyssey (2012)

£95.00

The Pioneer/Odyssey forms part of Target Dry’s Xtreme range, and it is designed as a 4-season garment. It’s made from a very robust nylon fabric that feels quite capable of withstanding years of abuse in the mountains, and there is a mesh lining to increase comfort too. The drawback of this combination is that this is the heaviest jacket on ...

  • LFTO.com rating rating is 4
  • Owners' rating rating is 0
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Montane Atomic (2012)

£100.00

The Montane Atomic has been around for some years, but it is now made from Pertex Shield, a very thin and lightweight laminated fabric with a print finish on the inside. This jacket packs down small and is very light, but with the drawback of not being quite so comfy as one using 3-layer fabric such as the eVent used ...

  • LFTO.com rating rating is 4
  • Owners' rating rating is 0
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Kathmandu Monrovia (2012)

£85.00

Put on a Kathmandu jacket and people may assume you’ve just come back from New Zealand, because down under everyone’s wearing this popular Kiwi/Aussie brand. Well, it’s now in the UK! The Monrovia is designed to be lightweight and easy to pack when walking or travelling. The jacket is made from a 2.5-layer fabric with a print on the inside, ...

  • LFTO.com rating rating is 3
  • Owners' rating rating is 0
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Sprayway Nyx/Eos 2012 (2012)

£125.00

From the word go the Sprayway Nyx / Eos is a very comfortable jacket thanks to the use of a mesh lining inside the Gore-Tex Performance Shell, which has higher waterproofness and breathability ratings than many materials featured here. Put it on and it has a relatively soft feel, although it is very short and exposes more of your waist ...

  • LFTO.com rating rating is 4
  • Owners' rating rating is 0
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The North Face Venture (2012)

£110.00

To increase its green credentials, the main fabric in the The North Face Venture uses 50 per cent castor oil rather than 100 per cent petroleum in its membrane, thus reducing its environmental impact. The fabric does not control condensation quite as well as higher-priced jackets, though. The jacket weighs little and packs down into one of its pockets. The ...

  • LFTO.com rating rating is 3
  • Owners' rating rating is 0
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First test: Columbia Compounder Shell jacket

£195.00

Omni-Dry is Columbia’s latest waterproof and breathable fabric, and on paper it appears to stand beside the best that money can buy. With the proud claim that it is ‘more air-permeable than Gore-Tex’ and that it is ‘the ultimate in waterproof technology for the outdoors’, Columbia has clearly set out its stall. The question is, does it actually help hillwalkers ...

  • LFTO.com rating rating is 4
  • Owners' rating rating is 0
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First test: Rab Neo Stretch jacket

£250.00

The Rab Stretch Neo jacket is made from a new Polartec fabric called NeoShell, which claims to ‘fall in the sweet spot between traditional soft shells and hard shells’. So NeoShell is designed to be waterproof and breathable like a hard shell, while maintaining the stretch and comfort of a soft shell. Polartec NeoShell does have some stretch in it, ...

  • LFTO.com rating rating is 4
  • Owners' rating rating is 0
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Rab Stretch Neo

Rab’s first jacket to use Polartec’s all-new Neoshell membrane. It’s this element that is really key to the jacket’s uniqueness. It claims to be much more breathable than other membrane equivalents. In use that certainly seems to be the case, and even on hard ascents on cold days there was no trace of condensation. Aside from the stretch fabric, this ...

  • LFTO.com rating rating is 0
  • Owners' rating rating is 0
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Paramo Velez Adventure Smock

£200.00

Uses Nikwax Analogy waterproofing and works in a similar way to animal fur, driving moisture out and away from the skin. The waterproofing is handled by a DWR coating on the face fabric. The coating retained its water repellence for a longer period than expected, and only really started to wet out in high abrasion areas around the back and ...

  • LFTO.com rating rating is 4
  • Owners' rating rating is 0
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Jack Wolfskin Dissenter

£200.00

A stripped-down, tough shell jacket. There isn’t a huge amount to get in the way of the fabric performance – just two chest pockets and one internal. The chest pockets are high enough to use with a pack on, but aren’t mesh-backed, meaning that there are no vents on this jacket at all. In general walking conditions this isn’t much ...

  • LFTO.com rating rating is 3
  • Owners' rating rating is 0
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Fjallraven Back

£150.00

This jacket doesn’t employ any membrane technology to boost waterproofing and breathability and has strong eco-credentials. Of course, that can lead to a sweaty inside in some conditions, although it proved one of the better non-membrane jackets on test and it does have some great side vents. The jacket does have something of an athletic cut to it, with a ...

  • LFTO.com rating rating is 3
  • Owners' rating rating is 0
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Berghaus Bowscale

£160.00

A 2-layer Gore-Tex jacket suited to lower level walking. The less technical styling does mean that you won’t look like a lost mountain guide when out walking the dog. The face fabric is pleasantly soft and isn’t too noisy. There aren’t any vents to draw away the heat, and so it does tend to be warmer than most. The face ...

  • LFTO.com rating rating is 3
  • Owners' rating rating is 0
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Mountain Equipment Seraph

£240.00

A really technical-looking jacket with all the features of a top-quality waterproof. It’s comfortable to wear, with adjustment at the cuffs, waist and hem to fine-tune the fit, and soft fabric at the chin to prevent chafing. The hood is fantastic – deep enough for the biggest heads of hair, with adjustment side and back to lock it down tightly ...

  • LFTO.com rating rating is 5
  • Owners' rating rating is 0
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Vaude Slight Pro

£240.00

A really lightweight jacket weighing a mere 250g. The fit is generous, easily covering the hips, and there’s plenty of length in the arms too. The fabric feels silky smooth against the skin and is great to move around in. It has a decent-sized hood that swivels well with head movement, and there are baffle adjusters at the back and ...

  • LFTO.com rating rating is 3
  • Owners' rating rating is 0
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Rohan Cloudcover

£145.00

A roomy and comfortable jacket that’s cut long to keep your hips dry, although the arms are rather short. It’s quite a smart-looking jacket, made from soft polyester fabric that’s easy to move around in. There’s plenty of space in the hood to bury your head into, with adjustment at the side and back and a large stiffened peak. You ...

  • LFTO.com rating rating is 2
  • Owners' rating rating is 0
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Sprayway Spectre

£170.00

This jacket is ideally suited to hillwalking. Two-layer Gore-Tex provides the waterproofing and breathability without feeling overly technical and crunchy. When it’s warm there are a couple of large underarm vents to draw away the heat. The cut is quite short but there’s a drop tail to cover your bum. The two waist pockets are long enough to reach over ...

  • LFTO.com rating rating is 3
  • Owners' rating rating is 0
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Dare2B Trilight

£70.00

A fairly lightweight jacket that’s long enough to cover the hips. It’s nicely styled for walking in, with fabric that flexes easily and arms that don’t ride up when you reach forward. Disappointingly, the hood is rather small, and won’t keep your face dry in heavy rain. However, elastic adjusters at the sides and back allow you to cinch it ...

  • LFTO.com rating rating is 2
  • Owners' rating rating is 0
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Peter Storm Trail

£75.00

A comfortable jacket with a long hem that covers the hips easily. It has got a decent-sized hood – great if you’ve got long hair – with baffle adjustment at the sides and back. You can also roll it away in the collar if you want a smarter look. It’s made from Peter Storm’s Stormshield fabric, which is waterproof and ...

  • LFTO.com rating rating is 2
  • Owners' rating rating is 0
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Mammut Albaron /Adamello 2011

£360.00

At 448g (men’s L) the Mammut Albaron /Adamello is the lightest jacket in our test, and while it is certainly trimmed down to make that weight it still has some great features. It is made from Gore-Tex Pro Shell, as are many other jackets, but this feels like a thinner and therefore lighter version. To maintain durability you get reinforcement ...

  • LFTO.com rating rating is 3
  • Owners' rating rating is 0
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Arc’teryx Beta AR 2011

£340.00

The Arc’teryx Beta AR weighs in at an impressive 494g (men’s L) so it is one of the lightest jackets in our test. That weight advantage comes from the relatively short and stripped-down design, as you just get two external pockets, pits zips and a main zip. The fabric is quite a thin version of Gore-Tex Pro Shell, so there ...

  • LFTO.com rating rating is 3
  • Owners' rating rating is 0
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Páramo Aspira Jacket 2011

£290.00

The Páramo Aspira comes in a jacket and smock version, and both are particularly good for cold mountain trips. The unique fabric manages to force water out faster than it can get in through the jacket. In Trail rain room tests conducted at the University of Leeds, we found that Páramo garments were the only ones that kept out water, ...

  • LFTO.com rating rating is 4
  • Owners' rating rating is 0
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Rab Latock 2011

£280.00

The Rab Latock is made from eVent fabric, and this version feels particularly robust and hard-wearing. It does make the jacket heavier than some others (762g, men’s L), but it’s likely that it will also stand up to abuse far better as well. The feature set is ideal for wet or wintry mountain days, thanks to the four large chest ...

  • LFTO.com rating rating is 5
  • Owners' rating rating is 0
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The North Face Point Five 2011

£275.00

The North Face Point Five is a well-proven jacket made from Gore-Tex Pro Shell, and this year it also benefits from some updates to make it even better. Firstly the seams use narrow (8mm wide) taping, to reduce weight and bulk, and to increase the suppleness of the jacket. There’s some improvement to the fit, too, as well as more ...

  • LFTO.com rating rating is 3
  • Owners' rating rating is 0
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Páramo Alta II 2011

£245.00

The Páramo Alta II is a classic and well-proven jacket for hillwalking. There are a number of features that set the Alta II apart from other options. Firstly it uses a unique material that is easier to repair than other fabrics and it also controls condensation better. In a Trail test for waterproofness held at the University of Leeds, Páramo ...

  • LFTO.com rating rating is 4
  • Owners' rating rating is 0
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Mountain Equipment Morpheus/Seraph 2011

£240.00

A well-proven jacket that has frequently been highly rated in Trail tests. The Mountain Equipment Morpheus for men and Seraph for women boast a great set of features that Mountain Equipment is well-known for providing. So you get three large chest pockets that can be easily accessed while wearing a rucksack hipbelt. The pockets are not mesh-lined, so they don’t ...

  • LFTO.com rating rating is 5
  • Owners' rating rating is 0

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