Ben in his Paramo gear
LFTOer Gear Review: Páramo Quito Jacket and Velez Adventure Trousers
By
Ben Bennetts
Gear news
29 October 2009 11:23
The following reviews are by LFTOer and keen long distance walker Ben Bennetts...
Background to my problem I am a multi-day long-distance walker and for some time now I have been looking for an alternative solution to using a waterproof top shell (Regatta, 353 gm) and over-trousers (Marmot, 377 gm) for when it rains on the trail. I find that although the shells keep the rain out, they also keep sweat in and I get just as wet inside as outside despite wearing a merino wool base layer or some other form of water-wicking base layers. Two years ago, I invested in a Páramo Cascada jacket and pair of trousers and they certainly kept me dry but I found them heavy, especially the trousers, and too warm for south of England walks. So, I have been looking for a lightweight waterproof jacket and trouser solution that will serve me all day even when it’s not raining.
My solution Yesterday, I bought a Páramo Quito lightweight waterproof jacket and a pair of Páramo Velez Adventure trousers, both based on Páramo’s Nikwax Analogy material. This morning, it rained all morning – perfect for testing – and so I carried out a 4-hour “walking in the rain” gear test. Here’s what I found. I’ll use metric units through my report.
Quito jacket report
Weight 500 gm. By comparison, my Regatta shell weighs 353 gm and my Cascada jacket weighs 800 gm.
Arms The arms are longer than usual (and will cover the whole hand if necessary), although the Velcro adjustable cuffs allow easy fitting to the wrist. The sleeves can be rolled up if required.
Venting Each sleeve has a zipped vent running down the inside of the arm from the armpit to the elbow. When open, the body heat from the upper part of the torso escapes easily and quickly. Closing the zip is tricky however. The trick is to get the pull line exactly correct. I found it easier to get the zip started using the hand on the same side of the zip rather than the opposite hand i.e. close the left zip with the left hand, and so on.
Pockets There are two large internal zipped mesh pockets at chest height measuring 18 cm across by 30 cm down and with a 20 cm access zip. Each pocket is big enough to take an OS Explorer Tuff map or Harvey map. I tried and they both fit. There are also two smaller hand-warming pockets lower down and accessible through the ventilation slots. I was not walking with a rucksack but it seems that all four pockets will be easily accessible even when fully belted up.
Fitted Hood The hood fits comfortably over the head and can be adjusted using two drawstrings around the neck and a smaller drawstring at the back. It’s best to adjust these drawstrings before the rain starts lashing as the secure/release buttons are quite small and difficult to locate once the hood is up. I certainly wouldn’t want to be fiddling around with these buttons if my fingers were cold. But, the hood can be adjusted to fit tight around the face and will keep your head dry. (This is an important feature for me as I wear behind-the-ear hearing aids and I have to either wear a wide-brimmed hat or raise the hood at the first sign of rain to protect the electronic parts of the aid.) Once the hood is up, head movement is fine. The hood moves with the head thanks to a generous cut around the neck section. To secure the hood, there is a small Velcro strap at the back which links up with the hanging strap when the hood is rolled up. The trick is to roll the hood so that the outer part is always on the outside, not the inside.
Body length The jacket has a scooped tail, which I like, but I found the overall length just a little short. (I’m 1.83 metres tall and I was wearing a size L jacket.) The overlap between the bottom of the jacket and top of my trousers was just 5 cm. I would prefer a 7 cm to 8 cm overlap, partly to keep my lower midriff warm and partly in case the wind whips up the front of the jacket and drives in rain. There is a drawstring around the bottom of the jacket, which I cinched fairly tight, but an extra couple of centimetres in length would have clinched it.
Rustling noise when walking None.
Fit to body When I bought the jacket, I made sure that I could wear a mid-layer comfortably if necessary. I typically use a gilet and my trusty Mountain Hardwear gilet fits nicely inside the jacket. In fact, I suspect that all I will ever need under the jacket will be a base layer plus the gilet even if the temperature approaches freezing point. The jacket feels as warm as my Cascada, although not as thick, and certainly is a comfortable non-restrictive fit to the body.
Zips All zips, main and vent, have a narrow storm flap inside the jacket. I experienced no zip snagging and looking at the lack of loose material close to the main zip, I think that it will be very difficult to snag the zip, although I have been known to snag a zip from a distance of 50 metres! Time will tell.
Stowage The jacket will roll up and fit inside a very small 2 litre Regatta-type mesh stuff bag, even when wet. I know. I tried it! The jacket will also tie neatly around the waist although I tend not to do this if I am backpacking, and even if I’m not.
Colours Fir (green) or butternut (yellow mustard)
Did it keep me dry? Yes. I wore a Páramo Cambria base layer and I usually walk hot at a 5.5 kmh pace on level ground. There was no ingress of rain water anywhere under the jacket and the jacket’s inner layer was bone dry.
Niggles Apart from the earlier comment on jacket length, I only have one other niggle – the choice of colours. My wife forbad me to buy the butternut (yellow mustard) coloured jacket so I finished up with the fir (green) jacket. My preference is for darker muted colours such as dark blues or greys, or a combination of both. But, this is a cosmetic niggle, not a functional niggle.
Price RRP is £195. Members of organisations such as The Ramblers or LDWA are entitled to a 10% discount.
Overall The new Páramo Quito jacket is a very comfortable all-weather jacket and one that is destined to become my jacket of choice for short or long walks in inclement weather.
Velez Adventure trousers report
Weight 400 gm. By comparison, my Marmot over-trousers weigh 377 gm and my Cascada trousers weigh 572 gm.
Pockets Two front-side zipped pockets deep enough for all the usual stuff: tissues, coins, keys, small camera, mobile phone, etc. but not big enough to act as a map cargo pocket. There is no cargo pocket for use when it’s not raining. This will be a problem for me if I wear the trousers all day on long-distance hikes with a likelihood of rain as I carry a map but I do not like it hanging around my neck in a plastic map holder.
Venting There are two vents, one each on the outer side of each leg. The vent runs from the top of the thigh to the knee and offers rapid cooling if necessary.
Zips I found that the venting zips and front fly zip were very smooth and there appears to be very little risk of snagging.
Waist fitting The waist is elasticated and belted, albeit with a fairly narrow 2.5 cm material belt. The belt loops will allow a sturdier belt up to 3.5 cm width to be fitted.
Knee movement Like its big Cascada trouser brother, the Velez’ knees are articulated and work well. I was not conscious of any “knee grabbing” while walking. In fact, unlike the heavier Cascada trousers, the Velez trousers felt more like a regular pair of hiking trousers – unobtrusive and comfortable.
Trouser length and ankles At the moment, the Velez trousers only come in one leg size for each waist size – that is Regular. The Cascadas come with Short and Long options per waist size. Fortunately, my 36” R size Velez trousers were just the right length with the front hem resting on and covering the knot of my bootlaces and the back hem about half-way down the back of my boot. There is no risk that water run-off will get into the top of my boot. The ankles can be cinched using Velcro loops if required.
Rustling noise when walking None.
Warmth Excellent. I suspect that all I will need extra in the depths of winter will be a pair of long johns.
Stowage These trousers are not designed to be emergency over-trousers. In fact, the limited length of the venting zips means that you would have to remove boots before donning the trousers on the trail (unlike my fully-zipped Marmot over-trousers). If you did want to carry the Velez trousers in a stuff bag, they will fit into a small 2 litre Regatta-style mesh stuff bag.
Colour As Henry Ford said, “You can have any colour you want as long as it’s black”.
Did they keep me dry? Yes. No water ingress anywhere. (I stuffed tissues in each pocket. If water gets in via the zips, the tissues get damp.) For me, the most important part of the trousers to monitor is just below the front waist where water runs off the jacket onto the trousers – what I call the water runoff zone. The front section of the trousers certainly became wetter than any other section – no water droplets, just saturated material – but underneath all was dry. I wore cotton boxers underneath, deliberately, to trap any water that got through the run-off zone or fly zip. There was no dampness anywhere.
Niggles Just the lack of a map cargo pocket for use when it’s not raining.
Price RRP is £137.50. Members of organisations such as The Ramblers or LDWA are entitled to a 10% discount.
Overall The new Páramo Velez Adventure trousers are excellent all-weather walking trousers which, together with the Quito jacket, appears to solve my problem of not wanting to use water-proof shells and over-trousers when the heavens open.
Footnote Next month, I will be walking the Cotswold Way over 5 consecutive days. I will be backpacking around 10 kg (22 lbs) and I expect at least one day when it’ll rain all day. It happens to me every time I walk a National Trail! I’ll let you know how the Quito/Velez combination performs under full battlefield conditions.
