Friday 9 January 2015

Tips, tricks, miscellaneous kit plus non essential kit that makes life easier!

Just a fun post on some of the things I carry (not always) plus some little things I've found that make life a bit more comfortable! This is by no means complete, I may well have left a number of things out and it's not suggestions for what you need as really lots of this is just 'padding' ! Just get out there into the hills and enjoy...


Miscellaneous Kit I Carry

1. A penknife. I've got a couple - a small Leatherman and a Swiss Army Huntsman knife that I take on more serious trips and overnighters etc.

2. Packet of tissues. Usually carry a pack of these. They're lightweight and essential in windy conditions!

3. Whistle. Usually have one of these (never had to use one though!)

4. Don't always carry a first aid kit. What I do take is an antiseptic wipe or two, some microporous tape or zinc oxide tape. I used an old 'photograph film' case and wrapped some gaffa tape around that for various uses. I then have a little (old vaseline tin) which carries a couple of plasters and various things like ibuprofen etc. A couple of cable ties are also very useful, as are elastic bands.

5. I carry some paracord and / or a couple of spare shoelaces, just in case!

6. I've also started using a 'wrap-around' waterproof case which has been well-used in the British weather to protect my phone!

7. A Buff or neck scarf thing - always good. A buff or similar has many uses and is lightweight!

8. Always carry a silver survival bag thing. Occasionally the orange one.

9. A sitmat is a great addition - it can help keep you dry and warmer and more comfy when sitting.

10. I use P20 suncream which can stay on for a long time without needing to be re-applied. I actually use suncream / moisturiser with SPF15 to protect from wind.

11. In Summer months (and especially in Scotland), you need Smidge! Or similar!

12. I occasionally use an Ortlieb map case - the best you can buy!

13. Dry bags. I've almost taken to using them anyway to organise kit.

14. Sunglasses!

15. I also take 3 spare contact lenses in a case.


Extra Navigation Aids

1. If I'm going out for serious navigation I take a spare compass!

2. I usually take a photo of my map as well on my phone. I've also got Viewranger 1:50k on my phone as a backup (of the National Parks).

3. I also bought some speed and timing cards from shavenraspberry.com which are great. Then I also have a slope angle tool from the same site. The site also carries a grid tool for 1:25k and 1:50k maps. The same kind of thing is found on compasses but this is a killer tool for helping with micro nav (an addition for 1:40k maps would be ace).

4. I also bought a wee counter clicker thing from ebay to help with my pacing count.

5. A waterproof mini notebook, a waterproof pen and / or a chinagraph pencil.


Extra Miscellaneous Kit When Camping

1. Head torch with spare batteries. In Winter, a spare head torch as well. Obviously in winter in the  I take a head torch as part of my regular day trip kit too!

2. Spork (or two!) Amazing bit of kit and I even take one when I go on holiday anywhere!

3. Anti-bacterial soap in a mini container.

4. A lighter and/or waterproof matches / cotton wool.

5. Lightweight backpacker's trowel (for toilet-ing!) Plus extra tissues and ziplock bags!!

6. Proper paracord.

7. A small trek towel (Coghlans).

8. Portable mini toothbrush - you can stash toothpaste in cling film.

9. Inflatable pillow.

10. Glo-stick (occasionally)

11. A camping mirror (highland lightweight unbreakable one)


Other Useful Kit / Non-Essentials 

1. A flint-steel thing. These are just cool to start fire with - fun to take some cotton wool to spark (without old man's beard or things like birch bark to fluff up).

2. Maybe some binoculars or a waterproof camera.

Montane Ice Guide Jacket - Review / Overview

This review of the Montane Ice Guide has been updated since its original publish date (Jan 2015).

I'd been looking for a warm synthetic jacket to replace another belay jacket which doesn't provide me with enough warmth in winter (Montane Flux). Being here in the UK with the occasional spot of rain, I'm not always reaching for my old Alpkit down jacket when headed out into the winter hills...

So the Montane Ice Guide is at the time of writing, the warmest belay style jacket out there with a synthetic fill. It's got 210g of the Primaloft eco / Primaloft silver fill in the main body. Most of the rest of the jacket has 170g of fill. The arms are pretty warm too, with 133g of fill. So basically it's pretty filled with fill... Some may think it's over-filled...

The outer is The Pertex microlight ripstop also found on things like the Flux jacket etc.

Montane Ice Guide - birds eye view!
The Montane Ice Guide comes in 3 colours. I got the shadow / graphite / flame type colour which I think looks the best! Not that I'm shallow or anything...

So let's get started on the many features that the Ice Guide offers...

1. The Hood (the thing on your noggin, not the Bronx...)

Montane Ice Guide hood from side

Ice Guide back of the hood
So the hood is excellent as you'd imagine from Montane. There is a stiffened peak on the front of the hood which is a God-send in gales for visibility. The visibility left and right with the hood up is great. There's a couple of drawcords easily adjustable (although with large mitts on it'd be a challenge) and another drawcord on the back of the hood. Thankfully most manufacturers are now doing this. Designed so the cords don't flap into your face like can happen in winds - I speak from experience... The hood can also be rolled up and stashed inside the jacket, with a label and velcro acting to hold it down. This same feature is found in the Flux and it's a useful one.

In Petesy's much better review of the Ice Guide than mine, he points out another feature that when the Ice Guide hood is down, it intentionally also acts as having an extra collar. Having tried this as a result of his review, it's a great feature!

2. The Zips

Ice Guide Zip and fastener at top

View of the zip and the two top pockets

Ice Guide showing the two-way zip


The zips are YKK style top quality zips. This is one area where Montane stands out over other (I hate to use the word 'budget') brands. It'd be nice to see a bigger toggle on the zip when it's cold outside. Unless you've been out in freezing temps with ice axe and harnesses, it's hard to explain how important it is that kit is accessible and works immediately! But these will be very adequate. Two-way zip to help with venting, access, harness and for convenience. I like there fact that at the top and bottom of the front zip, there are fasteners to keep things neat. There's an excellent zip guard all the way up to protect from snags. At the top, there's a soft fleece beardguard as well. Nice. The zips are all bright red in colour which I also like esp at night or in foggy / whiteout conditions.

3. Drawcords

Inside of pocket on Ice Guide showing inner drawcord

Hem drawcord on Ice Guide

A great feature that Montane has on both the Ice Guide and the Extreme Jacket is to add an inner drawcord which you'll find in the lower pockets. This helps snug things up around your 'tummy' and is a great addition to the drawcords on either side of the hem to lock in warmth on the jacket. It's a great feature in the snow especially with spindrift often finding its way everywhere! The Ice Guide is one that can be used for belay jacket purposes but it's also designed to be worn on the move and many people ice climb in it etc.

4. The Pockets

Two top pockets on Ice Guide
One of the lower pockets on the Ice Guide
Inside of the Ice Guide, also showing the hood 'loop' at the top

The Ice Guide has four pockets, two located on the chest and two hand pockets. None of the pockets are really map compatible but they aren't designed to be! The lower pockets are encased with fill etc but don't have the same immediate snug warmth that you find on the fleecy lined pockets of the Simond warm mountain jacket!

Not shown on the pics is an inner top pocket which is found on the top left of the jacket (underneath the outer pocket).

5. The Cuffs

Ice Guide adjustable cuffs


The cuffs have an adjustable cuff using velcro, with easy to use 'hand grab' bits so you can quickly tighten the cuffs when wearing gloves.

6. Reinforced arms

Reinforced arms on Montane Ice Guide

When putting on the Ice Guide, I immediately felt very warm in the arms - and with 133g fill I'm not surprised. This is more fill than most jackets have in the body! The outer sides of the arms are reinforced as well, which is shown in the pic. Useful for active use and scrambling up gullies!

7. Other Features

Small Primaloft logo (front bottom right)

Reflective detail on the back of the Ice Guide

Montane logo top left of the Ice Guide

8. Sizing and fit

I got a large in the Simond Warm Mountain Jacket and a large in the Montane Ice Guide to compare and contrast! So here's my findings...

- The Ice Guide is more snug on the arms. I'm a medium and just wearing a fleece underneath, I would possibly struggle in a medium.

- I find the Ice Guide slightly 'puffs out' around the waist area, unlike the Simond jacket. This could be because I'm very athletic / slim size and normally a medium. But the Ice Guide would certainly fit you if you liked your pies!

- The Ice Guide is slightly wider than the Simond jacket at the hem (this is possibly due to the extra fill).

Widths of Simond (top) and Ice Guide (underneath)

- The two jackets are the exactly same length from neck to hem. The Ice Guide has a slightly longer 'drop' tail.

The Simond warm jacket (top) and Ice Guide (underneath)

- The Ice Guide has longer sleeves than the equivalent in the Simond jacket.

The Ice Guide has an articulated cut, esp around the arms which means you can move about with your arms and not worry about the jacket riding up etc. This is extremely important in active use. If you are going to use the Ice Guide for ice climbing and active use I would definitely stay with your normal size. (I did find the Ice Guide vaguely 'tight' across my shoulders but nothing that stops movement and no more so than the usual Montane fit).

There is a slight drop tail on the back of the jacket which is a nice and often helpful addition.

My large weighed in at around 820g, much heavier than the 667g Montane website weight for a medium.

9. Warmth

Again, this is tricky to answer because I haven't taken this out in lots of brutal winter conditions yet.

However, the jacket is very warm. It's much warmer than the Montane Flux as you'd expect with over twice the fill. I would also say it's clearly warmer than the Simond jacket (which has a 180g own-brand fill). What I can say is it's warmer than any of the other jackets I have or have tried (and of course bulkier).

10. Conclusion

Comparing this to the Simond jacket, the Ice Guide has far more technical features. For technical use I would highly recommend the Ice Guide. If you absolutely need the warmest possible jacket I'd also recommend it - as I would in terms of the aesthetics! However, this comes at a pretty high price (understandably). The average price of the Ice Guide is £145-£150 (although can get cheaper in the sales and offers). The Simond is £49.99 less delivery.

Montane Ice Guide (left) and Simond Warm Mountain Jacket (right)


If you just want a warm jacket for hill use to throw on then you'll find the Simond jacket is more than enough. If you're out in foul conditions, in the snow and spindrift and need the best then the Ice Guide is impossible to beat. It is absolutely top notch, has helpful features that other jackets don't, it's made from the best quality materials and very warm.

11. Out in the hills (2015 and 2016)

I have since taken this out for both MLT in Winter and on my own around the Lakes. It has also travelled to the Cairngorms for a winter outing or two. My conclusion is that this is a very warm jacket, very well featured. It's a great 'belay' jacket if you need serious warmth or are sitting around for long periods belaying, or other outdoors activities where there's a lot of waiting (especially in wet or drizzly conditions where down isn't great unless under a hardshell).

Navigating on Sgor Gaoith

Usual wide-ranging views from Ben Macdui


However, I would say it's also quite bulky to pack (even in a dry bag) so you'd need to decide whether you need something this warm. I didn't take this out much in (an admittedly) slightly 'warmer' Scottish winter in 2016 and it certainly didn't emerge in the Lakes. It would be great if stuck out, or taking long breaks or winter wild camping where you were uncertain about down.

But for your average UK winter walk it's probably too much. For harsh Scottish winter walking in the Cairngorms etc, multi-day cold winter outings etc it'd be fine. Or if you find you get very cold easily. Otherwise you may find it's a bit too bulky / too warm. In that case I'd recommend something a bit less warm. I bought the large - which easily goes over outer layers. A medium may have been better (but is slightly tight on the shoulders).

Monday 5 January 2015

Simond Men's Warm Mountain Jacket (Alpinism) Overview / Review

Quick overview of the Simond Men's Warm Mountain Jacket from Decathlon. Just as a note, this hasn't yet been worn outdoors as I decide between this and another jacket. So this is an initial impressions review...

I'm a medium in most things but bought a large jacket to fit over my kit. I would say the jacket is a regular large. It fits with room to spare. I've tested it over a fleece / waterproof and it fits very easily. I'd say that a medium may even fit. If you were to move in this / climb, I'd stay with your normal size.

In terms of aesthetics (if important to you), the jacket actually looks pretty good and would easily act as a warm jacket about town. It has a good balance of 'outdoors' and 'town' feel. It is very slightly shiny but not so much that you need sunglasses to shield your vision...

The jacket itself seems very high quality and well made. It looks as good quality as any other jacket. It also has a micro-ripstop outer to help with any rips an tears. Very good feature on a jacket of just £50!

Link to product - http://www.decathlon.co.uk/mens-warm-mountain-jacket-id_8327120.html

The picture below is of the Montane Flux (on the left - my go-to jacket) and the Simond jacket on the right. The Simond jacket does have a greater fill. Slightly hard to compare completely as the Flux is medium and the Simond is large.

Montane Flux (left) and Simond Mountain Jacket

OK so let's start at the top. The hood has two cinches on the front (secured down so they don't flap in your face). The back of the hood also has a toggle to tighten the hood. Not as easy to use as toggles from other companies so may be a bit trickier in cold conditions / with gloves to tighten.

Close up on the hood

Back of the hood (showing toggle, apologies grainy pic)

The hood fits over a helmet very comfortably (as demonstrated in a highly grainy pic)... Apologies for lack of a pic on a snow-strewn belay pitch (and more my mug in the picture)...

Simond hood over the helmet. No I'm not quite that thin...
Next up, the sleeves which are a simple elasticated affair. Not too much problem when using as a belay jacket but not as technical as the cuffs on something like the Montane Flux or Ice Guide for example.

Sleeves with elasticated outer
Across the top of the jacket at the back and down the outer sides of the arms, the fabric is reinforced so you can wear with a pack. Would be ideal to see another reinforced area towards the lower back where a pack sits but this is meant as a 'stop' jacket so again this isn't as important as a top worn for climbing specifically. It does add a nice extra bit of 'design' to the jacket too.

Sleeve showing the reinforced fabrics
At the bottom of the jacket, there are two toggles to bring in the hem of the jacket and lock that warmth in. Very similar to the Flux and other jackets.

Toggle on the hem of the jacket

The zip has a 'guard' running up on the right to stop it catching. The zip is also a two way zipper, which isn't always the case in every jacket like this. I did find the zip a little tricky to do up when wearing the jacket but may be me being a bit inadequate...



There is a small pocket on the top left of the jacket which you can stash a mobile phone in or something similar. Nice little toggle to open it up too.

Top pocket on the jacket

The two pockets on the jacket are brilliant. As you put your hands in there is a fleece lining on the 'outer' side of the jacket which instantly warms up those pinkies. Nice touch!

Warm fleecey lining on inside of pockets

Warmth

The Montane Flux has a 100g Primaloft Eco fill. I get cold quite quickly when out and have worn this all over the place in the UK and overseas. It's fantastic but isn't as warm as I need, esp in winter. The Simond Warm Mountain Jacket is definitely warmer. The fill (to feel) seems similar to the Flux but it's clearly warmer. How much warmer it's hard to tell without using it outdoors.

Sizing

Sizing is your call but it's pretty normally sized I reckon - not an athletic cut. I would suggest the jacket is slightly oversized to be a belay jacket (actually in a similar way that the Montane Flux is). If you are a climber or going out lightweight and not stopping long, I think your normal size would be correct. If you need to wear a lot of other layers underneath, then go up a size. I'm a normal medium and found the large to be just slightly too big. But to be honest, either size with the hem drawcord tight would be fine! I find the shape of the jacket to be spot-on!

Conclusion

This is a very well made, nice looking jacket with a number of great features. I simply don't think you could get anything better at this kind of price. It's £49.99 from Decathlon and at that price it's amazing what you get. I think this rivals any jacket out there for keeping you warm, esp if just used on the hills. It's such a good price it's 1/3 of the Montane Ice Guide which is currently the most insulated synthetic jacket available in the UK.

The one downside for those travelling about the place is simply the weight which is relatively high. Decathlon list the weight as 775g for large. My less than accurate scales weighed this in at around 720g which is a good thing if accurate! So this isn't designed for your fast alpine ascents or alpine style treks with lightweight gear.

OK so if you want it for the more technical features in winter etc then I'd go for something more technical. Those that use their kit regularly in winter will know how things like large toggles for use with gloves etc are essential. But for the average hillwalker it's amazing and I couldn't think of anything much better for the price.