Im thinking of buying a new wind stopper soft shell for climbing on the crags. Iv managed to narrowed it down to the Rab Baltoro guid jacket, Rab Baltoro alpine jacket, Mountain Equipment Trojan jacket and Mountain Equipment Astron jacket. I really want the Baltoro alpine but im a poor student, same for the guide and trojan, but iv found the Astron at a good price but i dont like it as much as the others, should i suck up the price and get a good jacket or get the Astron which is a little cheaper?
I've got a Baltoro Alpine and am increasingly impressed with it's quality. Initially I was a little skeptical about softshells but i find myself wearing this more and more and my goretex less and less unless it is actually raining.
In reply to idaft180: I used to have a Montane Sabretooth, which I was very impressed with, IMO the best softshell I have used. Unfortunately, I put too much weight on and sold it as I could barely do the zip up!
"Im thinking of buying a new wind stopper soft shell"
The Rab jackets are made from Polartec Power Shield (an excellent soft shell material) not Windstopper.
I had a Windstopper jacket in the past and didn't find it very breathable. I know Gore market Windstopper as a softshell fabric, but I wouldn't class it as such myself, and I wouldn't buy a Windstopper jacket again.
Check out the review I wrote of the Sherpa Lobutse Jacket. Used a few of the jackets you've listed and this one should be a real contender. And at a good price.
In reply to idaft180: Got my M.E Orbital last week and its a decent bit of kit, good wind and water protection. You can't go wrong with anything M.E wise, I was put off Rab because they tend to have a different fit for almost all their pieces.
Is it going to be used for the mountains or just for summer trad stuff ?
You can get arcteryx gamma mx hoodys for 150 on sale and they last forever and are brilliantly comfy and practical for tradding in spring, autumn or summer on north facing crags (the mot anyone?!)
lokidokie08 Feb 2013
In reply to idaft180:
If you are looking for something really light try the Outdoor Research Ferrosi Hoody if you can get a good price. It has been amazing to me over the years and I really like the offset zipper. Really breathable and wind resistant. If you want insulation though it provides almost none. It is a simple lightweight shell.
Fri Night Vid Finding Focus - Life Behind The Lens of a Climbing Photographer
This week's Friday Night Video is a portrait of a prolific climbing photographer from Wedge Climbing. Sam Pratt is well known in both the outdoor and competition scene but if you haven't heard of him, you've likely seen...