UKC

Does anyone have any views on this belay jacket. It says it's waterproof and breathable so how does HydraVent fabric stand up as a shell?

In reply to Tyler: Never tried one but they look really good. TNF have been using HyVent for years so I suspect it's perfectly good - just not as pricey as something branded by Gore or Polartec. What I can say is that the Mountain Equipment belay jacket I have has a basically waterproof shell - their drilite material - so similar to this one, and even if it's not the most breathable of fabrics, you never notice because unlike just a plain shell jacket, there's always a few cms of insulation between you and where un-transported moisture will build up.

People slag off TNF sometimes for being too 'street' but their summit range stuff, including this jacket, always looks rather good. Even the hood on this one looks better than on my old TNF Redpoint Optimus belay jacket.

In reply to Tyler:
I've got one, very nice so far but I've not had to give it a proper Scottish top of mountain test yet.
Was at a crag in it over my layers and was toasty, fits over my Salamanda helmet easily too.

I bought one in the sales a week ago and immediately subjected it to 5 winter days above 900m on the west coast. It is nothing short of superb and I've actually been looking forward to the worst possible conditions just so I can put it on!! In Large it fits with comfort over 4 layers (including a hardshell over a bulky down sweater, the hood is big enough for any helmet and adjustable too. The waist can be loose or cinched, the insulation is slightly higher than the competition (Rab Generator Alpine, Montane Flux etc) and the fit (and colour) are perfect. The feel of it is wonderfully soft and best of all it is a laminated waterproof outer Hyvent Alpha which means proper waterproof, whihc the competition most certainly are not.

Don't buy one. I want mine to be the only one!!

In reply to Tyler:

Thanks everyone, looks like there's no harm in buying one then.

In reply to Tyler:

Excellent piece of kit and overlooked I think because people think Da North Face kit is too street innit.

I borrowed a friends, well we swapped jackets for the day, his Makalu and my Patagonia winter sun hoody. Both are excellent pieces of kit in crap weather and I would say they both perform the same although the Makalu was warmer.

I've also used the Makalu trousers for skiing, probably not a use for them in the UK but on really cold skiing days I loved them.

In reply to Tyler: I personally dislike TNF as a brand (ubiquitous) but there's no denying the quality of their top of the range stuff. The key to the Makalu range is the fact that the Hyvent Alpha shell is a genuine waterproof membrane, as opposed to "standard" Hyvent, which is no more than a DWR coating. I'm not sure if there's anything comparable on the market as a belay jacket, with the competition relying on essentially unreliable DWR!!

In reply to Tyler:

Well I bought one for £120 plus postage. I like it but the most extreme thing I've done with it is cut the hedge in a light drizzle. To be honest that will probably remain the most extreme thing I ever do in it!

In reply to Tyler:

But you looked good doing it and that's the main thing.

But hedge cutting in a new jacket!? Thorns and sticks and hedge trimmers near all the lovely insulation just waiting to burst forth?! I'd be far too precious about it to take the risk.

In reply to TobyA:

Privet hedge so pretty safe and besides if I didn't wear it for that it'd never see the light of day! Although I had arranged to go toScotland this weekend but my partner dropped out at the last minute

In reply to Tyler: HyVent is a coating applied (sprayed onto the fabric) which is why it's less breathable than gore, event etc

However, HyVent Alpha used in higher quality products like the makalu, plasma thermal etc is made by spraying the same coating to a non-stick surface, then being peeled off and physically applied to the fabric.

It's hard to read about HyVent online as there is nothing to read about anywhere, I got this info last week from som TNF reps