UKC

Featuring a high tech new insulation, the Oreus is the lightest and most packable synthetic jacket for its warmth that Mountain Equipment have ever made. In this long-term test we put it through its paces everywhere from winter in the Cairngorms to summer in the Alps. So how did it fare?

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It looks a really good multi use mid/outer layer from ME - But is it much different to jackets like the Patagonia DAS Light & Arc'teryx Proton heavyweight ?

Also your right regarding the price tag, but in all all fairness IMHO a lot of gear's prices are now sky high. But will enough people buy it.... Too much for me...sadly

I think a lot of people would probably be better off buying something that is maybe a couple of hundred grams or so heavier yet (probably) significantly more durable so better on the environment and the wallet. The review mentions no reduction in loft over time but experience suggests this can happen quite quickly if worn with a pack for long periods. For 'just in case' use i.e something that's going to be in a pack a lot id be inclined to go for something like Montane respond at half the price, granted it won't be as warm for the weight 

I rate mine. 

It is a lot thicker/warmer than a DAS light - that I also own.

i imagine it is less breathable than a proton heavy weight but substantial warmer. I don’t own a proton but am wearing an Atom as I type this.

its funny cut for this sort of jacket but it works quite well if you dress light - Ie just a fleece and a gore-tex a la Mark Twight. It also works well as a summer alpine belay jacket. 

Thanks to Dan for sorting me out with the jacket. 

Tom

I like the sound of this apart from the 10d outer shell. Is there a jacket with the same insulation but a sturdier shell?

Sounds like it could be pretty decent. How have you found its loft retention/thermal performance over time? 

yes, this!

not that my use case is anywhere near scottish winters, let alone the karakoram or similar, but i spent 20 entire euros on a surplus french military fleece jacket. pretty much made in the mold of the PCU/ECWCS level 3 jackets: thick fleece, polyester patches on top of shoulders and the elbows. it’s nowhere near as fancy or sleek-looking as any of the more active insulation layers. and it’s definitely more at home standing still than moving around in.

but as a used product, its environmental footprint is hard to beat. i don’t think i’m going to wear this through any time soon, and it’s generally good enough.

not that i’m advocating for everybody to buy such antitheses of performance products, but it’s 100% worth plumbing one’s actual use case and what one’s point of ‘good enough’ is.

the tech head in me is still tickled somewhat fierce by new materials and seeing what sort of impact they’ll have.

I'm definitely not saying that these products aren't top quality and I do have light/ultralight kit myself, I just think that for rock climbing, mountaineering, winter mountaineering these products with ultralight face fabrics are not going to last long at all which raises concerns. I think for something like backpacking/bike packing etc when an ultralight piece is only going to be used at camp or rest stops they are fine. 

I think for 'active insulation' old school fleece plus wind top is very hard to beat 

Could you expand o this Tom? Do you mean it is cut pretty slim, i.e. as a mid layer, so not as versatile as a belay jacket unless you size up, as Dan said in the review? Or is there another quirk of the cut that Dan didn't mention?

(I am always baffled by how little top alpinists wear (i.e Tom Livingstone and Colin Haley) when they do there "This is what i wear to climb a 7000m Peak" blogs and I am sat there thinking, "I wear more than this bouldering in the Peak in winter" so am not surprised it is sized to just fit over a fleece and a shell. For me it would probably be the ideal midlayer!)

Glad it's not just me that feels cold when reading what some top climbers wear on big peaks !

Interestingly I had quite a different experience to Tom and Dan in terms of fit, although it's worth noting that I sized up, whereas I think they both went with the size that they'd ordinarily wear.

I'm a pretty standard men's medium, but ended up with a large, which has a much more belay jacket feel about it. What I drew from that is that there's different ways you can use the jacket and depending on what you decide, there's a choice to be made whether you stick with your standard size or decide to go one up.

When it comes to the Oreus itself, it's very different to any previous synthetic jacket that I've owned (and I've owned a LOT). Synthetic jackets are - by their very nature - big and bulky, but the Oreus isn't. It also warms up impressively quickly too, noticeably more so than any other jacket that I own. I'm presuming this, and the packability, have a lot to do with the reflective layer within it. 

Finally, when it comes to the use of a 10 denier face fabric, all I'd say is that the Oreus is the first product that they've made using this Aetherm technology, but I doubt it'll be the last. I haven't spoken to ME about their plans, but generally speaking ME produce a top-end forerunner within the range (e.g. Tupilak Pack) then proceed to trickle down that tech throughout the rest of the range (e.g. Ogre Pack).

As a result, I would anticipate that we'll see more product with this technology in over the coming years...but don't know that for a fact...

I completely agree with this too 😂

no worries, what you said was not taken that way at all. (at least not by me – ‘antitheses of performance products’ was refering to my clunky surplus fleece in contrast to the jacket in review)

they’re clearly very high performance, very high quality pieces. but as you said, they may make compromises that make them less useful for some use cases (10D fabric vs intimacy with sandstone), and they may be overkill for quite a few use cases (who is going to gain a tangible and significant benefit from those couple grams – order of magnitude of one, maybe two sandwiches – less weight?). and, as you said, that’s worth spending a thought on.

of course, rob is also right when he points out that this is the shiny new concept piece, and it’s going to be interesting to see what else they’re going to make. (and what sort of impact that sort of technology is going to have in general.)

I'm personally just happy that a brand like M.E still make cutting edge gear for climbers and mountaineers. Every other brand seems to have just totally lost it !

Rab just seems to make technical dog walking gear, the mythic series didn't even have helmet compatible hoods, belay poppers and had so many stich lines (for fashion)it made them cold.

Patagonia on the das light forgot to stick a hem draw cord so unless harnessed up you always got a draft.

 Montane now focus on runners and makes the odd nice waterproof.

 and Arcteryx is just well expensive for no gain...

Well done ME, I'm glad a brand still listens to its athletes and sticks by its core values from 1950 whatever !

Not sure I'd totally agree there, I mean most brands make stuff that is 'lifestyle' orientated rather than performance. Rab for example Vapour Rise range is about as performance orientated as you get and firmly in the realm of climbing/hill specific use. Most of Montane insulation range is climber/mountaineer focused, with from what I can see only 1-2 that would be more useful running.

Apart from shorts what works for running tends to work pretty well for hill walking/mountaineering too I'd say.

I am more than happy with my Rab Generator Alpine, acquired as a result of the review here on UKC. Very warm (much more so than my Fitzroy was), equivalent warmth to my Montane Alpine Lite down, good body length, genuine over helmet hood, and is lasting well. Not overly heavy either, and much cheaper. This new piece from ME looks a bit niche to me, but if the technology trickles down that will be a benefit in the long run.

Just a quick note to the reviewer / photographer. If you show a pic of something packed into a stuff sack, can you reference it with an everyday household item, for scale. A can of pop would be perfect. All I know is that its not as big as a rock, but bigger than lichen.

Subtle

It’s quite a slim cut for a belay jacket and short in the body. The jacket stops slightly above my crotch.

To whoever was asking about the fabric: the fabric is thin, but it’ll be easy to tape up when ripped. In my experience slightly thicker fabric rips just as easily. 

The Oreus looks good, but very niche.  It is perhaps not light enough and not heavy enough.

Patagonia make the Micropuff hoody, which is very warm for the weight ( I have one) at about 250 grams.  There is also the recently UKC reviewed Berghaus LB hoody which again looks warm and light, and also on at £136.  
 

ME have the Fitzroy which seems about right for Scottish winter, with the decent gore infinium outer, ideal for the damp windy cold of Scotland.  
 

So where does the Oreus fit ? Don’t get me wrong it looks great, but conditions would need to be fairly specific, as I don’t see it being carried along with the Fitzroy in the same way you might with the Micropuff of LB hoody for a Scottish winter day? 

Good point, thanks. We usually try to do that, but forgot in this case. Now sorted.

Yes I do think it's pretty specific, it's not going to be necessary to spend this much for a lot of people. But if you're in the right niche the Oreus will be very interesting. I guess you could summarise the niche something like:

• Worn as a jacket in cool-to-cold conditions, bit like a midweight down jacket but without the damp weather issue
• Worn as a midlayer on the move in more challenging places 
• Low weight and small pack size are important, but you want it properly warm for its weight 
• Lightweight backpacking in the mountains, or cool northerly climes
• Summer alpine climbing or something like a nice spring ice day on The Ben

Guess I'd summarise - it's a lot more versatile year-round than something like the Fitzroy. But I know which one I'd rather be wearing on a spindrift-raked belay in the Cairngorms in February. Apples and pears really

You could say both those jackets are niche? Surely it's "nicheness" is in the eye of the beholder? The mircopuff is too light to be a belay jacket in winter, cut to big to be a mid layer, the Berghaus is a midlayer, but not as breathable as other market competitors so a sweaty one at that.

As above, I wouldn't take either of those jackets on a Scottish Winter day if I had a Fitzroy*, but I might take the Oreus in lieu of the Fitzroy on a Spring day on the Ben (and would blame Dan if I got cold as I would be going solely of his recommendation in this thread!)

A lot of these jackets have been used in loads of different situations, Colin Haley wearing multiple micropuffs in ever increasing sizes in Patagonia, Tom Livingstone wearing the Oreus on the summit of Gasherbrum 3, so they are probably less niche in reality than we think they are.

*I can see how/why you might take the Berghaus but I find these kind of synthetics very sweaty so would give it a miss.

Whoa there! I'm recommending nothing!

Synthetic insulation; at least the 'active insulation' types (Patagonia nano air, Montane fireball etc, there are many others just can't think of them off top of my head) always seem somewhat niche to me, I often find them too warm on move, except when its really cold and windy but then the air permeability means you need a shell over the top and when you do that they tend to be too warm. 

I guess pieces like the Oreus come into their own when a full on synthetic belay jacket would be too much (or not willing to be carried) and you need something light but resistant to damp...

The Micropuff is no belay jacket, but works well as a mid layer in winter (for me).  
 

I may well carry the Micropuff and something like a Fitzroy as a belay jacket in winter.  The Oreus is too heavy to carry in addition to a Fitzroy, whereas the Micropuff isn’t.  
 

I guess ME will scale up with a replacement for the Fitzroy and scale down with a competitor to the Micropuff ?

You're obviously not "activ" enough.

I find it a bit daft that stuff like this is marketed for a particular use when everyone feels the cold so differently. I use an ME Fitzroy with two more thicker belay jackets over the top just taking photos in winter. 

Your posts about how much you wear in winter always cheer me up Robert, I envisage you wandering around looking like the Michelin man. Makes me feel positively “Tom Livingstone” like in comparison in only one belay jacket…..

Actually, I think one of the best thing about ME is that they do not seem to have succumbed to the dreaded "athlete" word and still refer to them as climbers or alpinists or whatever they actually are. So refreshing.

https://www.mountain-equipment.com/pages/the-pro-team

Depends which vapor- rise edition your taking about, but from experience the new summits hood restricts head movement with a helmet and adjusting it down using the two synching bungees obscures the cone of vision and the little velcro bit at the back of the hood gives meaningless adjustment.

The zips on the pockets have been pleated so they end up jamming but atleast they look good for Instagram alpinists and that little bit of strechy stuff on the wrists soaks water and stays wet for longer cooling the blood flow in winter, but you know patagonia did it on the nano air range so it must be good (or just cool)

Bloody brilliant design ?

https://outdoorsmagic.com/article/mountain-equipment-oreus-jacket-review/
 

Outdoors magic claim the Oreus is similar in warmth to the Patagonia Micropuff.  Given the Micropuff is 150 grams lighter or so, that is significant in the ulightweight era.

Has anybody got a direct comparison between the two?

Yes to that!!
I love my Guide jkt in the winter, but its black! 
I wanted a brighter version, and the nearest is the Summit. However, I didn't feel it was as good or as flexible as the Guide. Such a shame.. 
 

Tom reckons warmer than the Das Light Hoody:

https://www.ukclimbing.com/forums/gear/mountain_equipment_oreus_jacket_-_a_... 

so warmer than the Micropuff, though nearly 100g heavier and £65 more expensive (going on RRP)

After trying the oreus yesterday I would argue that outdoors magic have never actually worn one if that's what they are saying...

It felt a similar warmth to something like a mountain equipment ffrostlinedown jacket.

I own both both the das light and micropuff

The micropuff is about as warm as a fleece the das light is as warm as a thin down jacket 

The tradeoff being the oreus is a little more bulky and heavy for lots more warmth.

Agree with the review it's athletic fit, you may want to size up for layering a medium oreus felt similar to a small das light 

All the best 

Al

Thanks for the insight.  Interesting stuff.  I love my Micropuff and have always found it great, but is the Oreus a worthy addition ( it would need to be sale price!) to the wardrobe.  I wouldn’t be getting rid of the Micropuff, but don’t want unnecessary gear !

If starting from scratch would I buy the Oreus instead of the Micropuff ? I have no idea !!

I was basing what I'd said off my old version (which is still going strong after a lot of use !), sounds like they've gone backwards with the updated version then.