Gear Blog Fri 23rd Jan
Gear news
23 January 2009 17:07
Crux Halo latest test
Trail’s lightweight guru Pete MacFarlane tested the new Crux Halo on a high camp last week where it did “okay” on it's first major test. Pete says, “It is similar too some of Rab’s new gear and the kit Mont Bell have been making for years.
Upsides
It’s useful as a cold weather midlayer/lightweight insulation, summer insulation (and I hate to say it...casual use). It’s very light, packs down small with a long body and arms, medium length neck zip, high collar, windproof, perfect arm movement for climbing. It layers well under a waterproof in a blizzard. It’s breathable and the small amount of down fill dries quickly and doesn't bunch if damp due to the quilted construction.
Downsides
The large amount of stitching means there's quite a bit of down loss through the stitch lines, I'm hoping that calms down over time. In some ways it replaces the 100weight fleece and windshirt combo, but when wet its down filling loses its insulative qualities. The Halo could be too warm for many folk to wear on the move and too cold for many as insulation at rest stops.
Conclusion
For the moment is that it's going to be perfect for some folk (I wore in the tent in sub zero temps with my ubiquitous down gilet over it and was quite happy), and it's adaptable so you can make it very useful in a variety of situations, but don't get it wet. It gets bonus points for looking like a samurai's quilted battle suit!
Deuter launch sleeping bags
Quality backpack makers Deuter will launch a new range of sleeping bags next week. The Atmosphere series of down bags come in three fill weights, 350, 550 and 750. The middle bag, the 550 is £170 and weighs a competitive 1080g with a comfort limit of 0 deg C. Here are the details up close:
Atmosphere 550
Total weight 1080g
fill weight 550g
pack size 17x35cm
Dimensions 205 x 75 x 48 cm
body size -185cm
T-comfort -0C
T limit -6 C
T extreme -23 C
3 season
Also avaialble in size Large
Atmosphere - 350 normal and large - 550 and 750
Newest Osprey packs
The long awaited, extremely lightweight, award-winning Exos backpack is out this month. The ventilated pack won a silver award at last year’s Outdoor Show with the 46 litre version (34 and 58 litres also available) weighs only 857g. The three sacks retail for £100, £140 and £150.
Osprey’s Talon Series also has some newcomers for runners and mountain bikers, the Talon 4 beltpack and Talon 5.5 daysack.
The £30 Talon 4 features a zipped main compartment with internal key-clip provides enough room for a lightweight jacket and power bars for the trail. A horizontal ‘clam-shell’ compression system keeps loads stable during period of high activity, and twin 1ltr bottle sleeves provide quick access to essential hydration. Reflective ‘talon’ accents and zipped stretch waistbelt pockets.
The £40 Talon 5.5 features a stretch-woven front pocket, quick-access hydration sleeve and reflective ‘Talon’ accents in a compact, 5.5ltr panel loading pack design. With die-cut stretch harness and stretchy, easy-access MP3/mobile phone pockets and is available in sizes small/medium or medium/large.