UKC

Hey, I've heard so much good about wind shells that I decided to get myself one.

I would like it to be light, well fitting on a person 184cm tall and 100cm chest, and with a wide range of motion.
Hooded or not is secondary to fit.

Do you have any tips on jackets and sizes? Which one should I get?


//akana

In reply to akana:
I've got no idea what my chest measurement is, but I've got a Rab Cirrus and it's great.

I find the hood fairly irrelevant, but I think pockets are pretty useful if you're planning on walking or climbing in it, since you can keep gloves, buffs, hats etc in them and make yourself a bit warmer or cooler when you want to without stopping, faffing, digging in bags etc.

In reply to akana:

I would say the hood is very useful. On long windy belays in summer time, whacking the hood up makes a massive difference to how warm I feel.

I don't know what my chest measurement is but, I'm 180cm tale and take a medium normally.

The following are good tops.

Arc'teryx Squamish
Patagonia Houdini
Rab Cirrus
Montane Lite Speed.

I'm sure there are plenty of other good tops out there too. I had a Marmot one for a while, with mesh under the arms. That wasn't very good as it let the wind through!

In reply to akana: I had a Rab cirrus, which I lost. It was great for climbing and cycling as it was so small and light. I replaced it with a Rab Alpine Windshell as I wanted chest pockets that can take a map, gloves, etc. when mountaineering/walking. I would recommend both, with the choice coming down to what activity you are planning on using it for.

Does anyone use a Mammut Ultimate Hoody? I know they are strictly soft shell, but I would like to know if it can act as a midlayer/windshell combo.

In reply to akana: What do you want it for? Apart from the obvious, to keep the wind out. I have a Rab Pertex one which compresses very small and is ideal for carrying on my harness for just in case. I also have a Marmot Dri-Clime windshirt which is perhaps the most versatile garment that I own. It's a little warmer as it is lined with micro fleece but is of course bulkier. I tend to put this on in cool conditions or carry it if I am using a small pack with approach shoes, water etc.

Thanks for your answers! It would be interesting to hear your stats and how certain garments fit. I could add that my weight is around 71-75kg.

My use for it would be for multipitch and mountaineering mainly , where I would have a hardshell as backup. That's why I would like low weight and to be able to lift my arms up without exposing my belly.

The marmot driclime I actually have looked at and it looks really nice, but if I would gy that one I would still like an UL windshell as I think they have different uses.

How are for example the fit of the litespeed and cirrus?

//akana

In reply to akana:
The Rab Boreas is very light, stretchy and windproof. I'm over 2m tall and the XXL is long enough for me!

In reply to Reach>Talent:

Agree with this, great top for summer as its nice and cool and will block the wind when its windy. Its light enough to carry on routes, and generally loose enough to allow decent movement. Mine cost £27 from cotswold, cannot argue with that.

In reply to akana: They will have changed it a bit no doubt but I'm very happy with the Marmot one I have http://lightfromthenorth.blogspot.fi/2009/12/marmot-ion-windshirt-review.ht...

In reply to akana: I have a Rab Boreal and a Rab pertex top. The pertex compresses to a smaller size and I think it's more wind proof but I've not worn the Boreal enough to be sure about that.

Has anyone tried the Driclime or the vapour rise? Are they at all suitable for summer mountaineering? I have heard that they are very nice in winter, but what about summer? Would love to hear your opinions on this!

In reply to akana: I've got the Rab VR Alpine, which is similar to the driclime. IT works great with a light baselayer under it in cool summer conditions or if the wind is biting. Fairly good shower protection as well. I don't bother with a waterproof now in summer. If its really raining, I don't mind getting wet as long as I'm warm enough.

Its proper good at regulating your temp and getting rid of sweat. It works so good that I'm thinking of getting a full on VR for winter duties. Its feels really nice next to skin as well.

The driclime works just as well, is lighter, but the hood is unlined and a bit pants.

Hope this helps

Ryan

In reply to akana:

I use my VR jacket for summer climbing in Scotland. Its great for windy days at the crag/on multipitch/scrambling and fine in the rain as it dries out very quickly (although if it was meant to bucket down i'd take a proper hard shell). It breathes well and is fine in anything but those very rare sunny and warm days in Scotland.

I'd imagine a baselayer + pertex windtop would be better suited for warmer days though being a bit more flexible and less sweaty.

In reply to ryan_d: Thanks for your answer! How does your layering system look for summer alps when including the driclime?

In reply to CMcBain: So for alps in summer the driclime would not really be recommended?

In reply to akana:

Just back from an outing today using my VR Alpine, with a Montane Lightspeed over the top for the summit ridge. Been impressed with the range of conditions which the VR copes with, especially when you team it with a supplementary windproof in really blowy conditions.

In reply to akana: I just bought a Marmot Ether DriClime on the advise of Andy K's blog and completely love it. It's ideal on it's own or over a base layer for the walk in as it's very wind-proof but breathable. I'm guessing this jacket will be ideal for Scottish summer climbing as it's very light and not too warm at all but I've not had the oppertunity to try it out yet.

I wore it on a alpine condition day on Nevis last weekend and it was perfect. Wore it over a base layer for the walk in to the CIC then fired on my R1 hoody as well once we got higher for a bit of extra warmth. Although it was clear and dry it was extremely windy on the summit plateau and I was totally comfortable. I also had my hard shell and belay jacket with me for back up but never put either of them on.

http://marmot.com/products/ether_driclime

In reply to akana: I should also say, i run pretty hot and it dealt with the moisture I created no problems.

In reply to aldo56:

What do you guys think about a wind blocking baselayer, instead of a wind blocking shell?

I just bought myself this Gore Windstopper baselayer (actually from their bike range) because I got a good deal: http://www.goreapparel.co.uk/on/demandware.store/Sites-GoreUK-Site/en_UK/Pr...

Which I wear under my R1 Hoody. The back and the inside of the arms is mesh, the rest is windstopper. I wore it while snowshoeing last weekend, and it worked great.

Ofcourse, it's less versatile as a shell, as you can't remove it (easily) when the weather gets too hot.

Thanks for all your posts. It's really interesting to hear your opinions. Keep them coming!

In reply to akana:
I have a Rab VapourRise jacket for a number of years and love it for its comfort, flexibility, toughness and the wide temperature range it is comfortable for, but would say that it is more wind-resistant than windproof.

On really windy days I have had to put a pertex windshirt over it to keep the chill at bay.

Kevin