Wednesday, 9 November 2011

Montane featherlite marathon jacket review


Here's an early first few impressions of a jacket I recently bought.  To be honest I'm a little disappointed in the jacket and in myself for buying it.  I bought it on impulse: something I only very rarely do.  I was after a lightweight dual purpose jacket I could use for running and use on the bike.

Plus points:

  • really bright day-glow yellow, with a reflective trim
  • just £45 (and perhaps this is where the problem lies)
  • complete with a really useful stuff sack which is well made and has a useful Velcro strap
  • nice slim fit but as it is not cycle specific the tail doesn't come down too far
  • the elasticated sleeves are long enough for cycling
  • very light; the label says <150g / 5oz for the medium size

So what am I about to whine about?  Well, it doesn't seem very breathable.  One day I rode to work and worked hard keeping up a brisk pace and I was wearing a cotton polo shirt underneath.  The sweat was "significant" and once again I'm thankful to have an office for myself.  On thinking the polo short caused the problem, I wore a couple of thin wicking layers and the problem persisted, although less so.  Perhaps I'm asking too much of a basic jacket? On a practical note, there's not one pocket.

These are my first impressions and I haven't even used it for running so I might need to update it later.  I'm not impressed, I wish I'd done some research and got something better.

Related:
My cycling in the rain guide

4 comments:

  1. What do expect for 45 quid and you probably paid over the internet price.

    ReplyDelete
  2. Okay I know. As I said, bit of an impulse buy which I don't normally do. Fair point....

    ReplyDelete
  3. £45 isn't that cheap, it depends how much you have to spend. I bought one for £39.99!! Haven't worn it yet but I'm happy with it. It looks the business.

    ReplyDelete
  4. I've now used it a few more times on the bike and I like the close fit. I still get a bit sweaty if I'm pushing hard, so not brilliant. It is still amazingly light though.

    BTW have you worn yours yet Anonymous?

    ReplyDelete