NuYarn Merino L/S top

Not yet in the UK and relatively new elsewhere in the world is the latest release NuYarn Merino fabric.
There are only a handful of companies selling NuYarn and i was lucky enough to have one sent to me by relatives in New Zealand. I paid for it btw.

I am a fan of merino base layers and i have quite a few. However, i know that it’s not for everyone. Some cannot stand the feel of wet merino.
The thing is that this new merino yarn is different. Very different. It feels very different.
On the label it says it’s a hand made product and comes with a guarantee for life. So that is certainly good as i have quite a few holes in my Icebreaker tee.

NuYarn merino, independent testing results.

There is a very short video to show how different this material is and it’s worth watching. Its only 1/2 minute.

https://vimeo.com/120435622

The top i have is from Cactus Outdoors. and is long sleeved tee.
It’s spec. is 185g/sm fabric and is 91% Merino and 9% nylon.

 A bit creased but i have photographed it literally straight out of the bag.

Sizing is generous and with the stretch you definitely don’t want to opt for one that may be too big.
The sleeve width is again generous, great for rolling them up but a little too loose at the cuff for my preference. Length is long as a base layer should be.
What did surprise me a little was that the side and shoulder seams are not flat lock.
Two colours available, my grey one and a blue. I would have preferred the blue but they didn’t have my size in stock.
 Cost $NZ 139.00 which is £57.58p at todays conversion rate.
Shipping was free to our relatives house in NZ and then to post it to UK it cost $NZ17.00 or £7.00.

Not tried it in the field yet so i cannot tell you if it performs as it is supposed to. ASAP.

Down Gilet

Last year i spent ages looking for a down gilet that wouldn't cost me the earth as the big names do. Eventually i bought one from Uniqlo.
However since then i regretted not buying the one with a hood.
So when i came across a gilet with a hood and at such a low price, i thought snap it up quick.

I must admit its very very good, better than it looks in the photo. And i have no complaints apart from a minor point which i will come to  ↓.

The gilet is called the Noorvik - Puffa. and it cost £19.99!
(Andy Howell may like to add this to his compendium of low cost gear).

The medium size that i have weighs 240 grams. It contains 90% duck down and 10% feather.
Both inside and out the material is polyester. The main zip has a baffle behind it and a chin guard.
The hand warmer pockets are zipped and deep.The zips are unbranded but are sturdy.
Inside it has 2 wide and deep pockets that easily takes an OS map.
All the hems are Lycra bound including the hood.
My only point and its not a complaint, is that i would prefer the hood to be a little tighter around the face. Looking at the hem it may be possible to add an elasticated cord with grip adjusters. But don't let this point put you off.
If you are looking for a low cost, light, warm gilet and your not bothered that it hasn't got a big price name tag, then grab this while stocks are good.
Of course at this price and quality you will have already guessed it was Made in China. But beggars can't be choosers as the saying goes.


They also do a down jacket at £29.99. You may find this of interest too. HERE.

It doesn't collapse quite as small as the Uniqlo vest and on balance i prefer the Uniqlo version. Uniqlo are currently selling the un-hooded version for £29 but considering this one is £10 cheaper its a good deal.

Ultra light down gilet or vest.

 Some readers may remember that a few months ago i was looking for a cheap and light gilet to supplement my two pieces of warm wear. I have a TNF Zephyrus synthetic smock and a PHD Minimus down jacket.
 I wanted a gilet that i could use with these 2 garments as and when necessary.

 So i searched and tried on a few but nothing within my price range. I didn’t want to pay too much because it was only a supplementary piece of kit.
 I had quite a few good suggestions, which again was either outside my price or had been discontinued or were too bulky. But thanks folks for the suggestions.

 I didn’t find what i wanted and thought maybe when the winter clothes start to hit the shelves again i might find something. So surprisingly i had an email last week from Uniqlo showing the latest range of ultralight down gilets.

 Exactly what i wanted.
The stock had just arrived and choices were plenty. I ordered a medium size and in black. 2 days later i am wearing it.

Weight 138 grams.

 The gilet is black even though it looks blue in the photo.
You can see from the scales that it weighs138 grams.
 The outer shell and inner face is polyamide and has a DWR good enough for light rain showers.
 The filling is 90% down, 10% feather. The down fill is min 640 but the spec does not give what amount of down.
 There is a good high collar with 2 hand warmer pockets and the zip is YKK with a added zip pull.
The arm holes and hem are very slightly elasticated.

 On the inside there are 2 very wide and deep pockets that suit an OS map perfectly. A pocketable bag is also supplied and when packed the bundle is about the size of a coke can.

I am glad i waited.

Cost £39.99.

Karrimor lightweight Gilet

 Looking in Sports Direct yesterday i came across this Karrimor Gilet. It was very light, down filled and cheap. £18.

 I had seen it prior to me going into town for a look round. I had actually thought about getting one just to supplement my TNF Zephyrus pully, for when the temp dropped down but not cold enough to use my PHD Minimus. I also didn’t have much of a budget to spend. Getting one, would give me a choice of cross over gear depending on conditions.

 So it was really disappointing to find that the zips are absolute rubbish. I know it’s only £18 but the RRP is £59.99. 

 I was hoping that this came from the Japanese stable of Karrimor, but obviously not. 

Out of 6 gilet’s on the rack none of the zips worked well. Some worked poorly, some of the hand warmer pocket zips didn’t work at all. Shame because the outer material was nicely down proof which was a bit of a surprise.

So not even worth £18 in my book. I will keep looking. 

Inov-8 Thermal Jacket

 Later this year well known shoe maker Inov-8 will be bringing out a thermal jacket for use during and after running, belaying or for the lightweight hiker who wants warmth at the end of the day for little space and weight in the pack.
 My own current insulated jackets of which i have 2 that i use regularly are the North Face Zephyrus and the PHD Minimus. 
The Zephyrus is a great lightweight jacket at 260 grams and goes with me everywhere. The Minimus is more for when the temperatures drop below zero.
The new Inov-8 race elite jacket is similar to the Zephyrus rather than the Minimus but offers a bit more.

The Inov-8 race elite insulated jacket 

 The Elites insulation is PrimaLoft same as the Zephyrus but the outer is Pertex Quantum for optimum wind resistance, it also has a DWR applied for greater water resistance rather than a ripstop nylon on the Zephyrus 

What's neat is that the jacket is reversible and offers two temperature capabilities. It does this by one side being stitched through and the other side being stitchless, increasing wind resistance and increasing thermal values by around 10% when required.

The hem and cuffs are lycra bound and have thumb loops.

The jacket has a deep chest pocket and central zip.

Weights.

 An increadable 200 grams for the Men's and the Ladies weighs 180 grams. Retail is planned for Autumn 2013. Pity it isn't Spring.

Berghaus Ardennes AF* Soft shell jacket review

 I was invited to review this jacket (FOC), by BERGHAUS .

 Background Information

The  list price of the Berghaus Ardennes soft shell jacket is RRP £90 but, it can be found cheaper with a Google search. The jacket was first launched in Autumn 2011 and its Made in Indonesia.

Now soft shell is a strange beast, it has never truly found it’s niche.  It also comes in numerous guises. Some quite tough and not very flexible, some soft and very flexible, some with a membrane inner and some without. It’s not definitive.

 Some soft shells are so waterproof that you don’t need any other protective layers whilst others are barely water resistant. And then you come to how warm they are, how wind resistant they are, etc etc. It’s no wonder a niche is hard to define.

The first thing you notice about this jacket is just how tactile the material is, soft and malleable. The outer is made from 86% polyester and 14% elastine. The inner face being 100% polyester micro fleece. It feels more fleece like than soft shell.

It has no membrane though.

Outer material

Design and Test

 As is usual with my reviews, the jacket is weighed and my Medium sized jacket weighs 560grams whereas the attached label suggests it weighs 607grams.

 I was surprised that Berghaus was specifying such a large discrepancy. I can only guess that the 607gr is an average weight through the sizes. Which would be totally meaningless.

 Weight is such a big issue today that customers could be put off buying, just from the weight specified on the label.

If this is just an average, then that needs making clearer or put a size next to the weight so we all know exactly.

  Coincidentally it's same weight as my Rab Cioch soft shell but, whereas my Rab has no DWR* this one has a pretty good DWR* finish and a wind resistance of ‹25cfm.

 The AF or active fit is the cut of the material, which Berghaus states is not body conscious, not baggy. Just a streamlined cut for every kind of activity. This description is an accurate one.

  I find the fit, excellent, perfect even. I'm 5ft 8" tall, and 39" chest.

 Having no membrane, it breaths well and wicks moisture away from the body therefore is more suited to high activity sports when it gets a bit chilly, just as long as you are not wearing a rucksack which would cause this and any jacket to feel clammy. But the penalty of good breatheability is poor waterproofing.

   On a very rainy day, i decided to walk from home just to see just how it performed in the wet and if i could risk doing a longer walk without taking a waterproof. The answer, most definitely is no.

 The water beaded well initially but the rain was heavy and within 10 minutes i felt the cold slow flow of water running across my shoulders and down my back. The outer started getting swamped after 20 minutes.  Half an hour in to the walk i was wet through. I headed for home and i was glad to be getting the wet clothes off.

  From taking off the jacket it took 12 hours to dry, and that was indoors. If i had been backpacking then i can say it would still be wet in the morning after an overnight stop.

 The outer is two tone black and grey colour and has contrasting light grey YKK nylon zips to both the hand pockets and central zips, which i quite like.

 The non water  resistant zips are robust and operate very well although they do let a lot of water in. Each zip has a toggle zip pull for use when wearing gloves. The back has an excellent drop tail and a hem with draw cord and 2 toggle restraints.

 For some reason Berghaus hasn't incorporated a chest pocket on this jacket which i would have liked to have.

 The two front hand  pockets are also quite strange. Not very wide and not a great shape either. Certainly not a comfortable shape for your hands. They are mesh and assist with breathabilty if left unzipped. The bottom section of the pockets gets covered by your rucksack waist belt and if you decide to use them for a small camera or a phone then there is no space for your hands.

 The collar  is excellent and the inside of the collar uses the same material as the outer. I like this. Many jackets use the same material for the inside of the collar as what's used for the inside of the jacket. This is wrong in my opinion because it soaks up water. I think Berghaus have got this right.

Collar and inner fleece facing.

   The collar is deep and a snug fit when fully zipped up and it has a zip garage or chin guard.

 Inside the jacket, the material is micro fleece which traps the air and keeps the wearer warm. I am quite used to wearing this now and i have appreciated the warmth and wind resistance offered. Even when my hands and face have been bitterly cold my body has stayed warm without an outer shell.

  There are two good deep mesh pockets inside but unfortunately they are tapered and just not wide enough to take an OS map. Such a shame and a missed opportunity.

 The sleeve length is not overly long and i could just about pull them over my cold hands. The cuff tension is elasticated without adjustment, but it worked ok for me.

Elasticated cuffs

The jacket, when rolled up, is a decent size if it’s needed to be stored in a day pack or backpack when it’s not being worn.

Renewal of the DWR finish.  

 Wash the jacket in Nikwax Tech wash. Not everyday detergents.

Then either by hand or machine use TX Direct or Nikwax Soft Shell as directed.

The jacket can also  be zipped into a Berghaus shell jacket if it is compatible as part of the Interactive layering system.

Summary,

 It's been a pleasure to test this jacket. Although finding out it's true waterproofing capability was a bit damp to say the least. It has many good points and can be used in all but the warmest of weather. It can be used as part of a layering system, even on very cold days. Just with a thin base layer this jacket is ideal for high ground due to the good resistance to wind but a waterproof shell layer is required for use when the weather turns wet. Some damp will occur in the region of the back when wearing a rucksack, but this can be expected.

 The pockets let down what is otherwise a fine piece of kit.

 It's niche is still to be decided.

Pro's and Cons of the Ardennes Jacket.

Pro's

• Good design and fit
• Smart for everyday use
• Excellent collar
• Wind resistant
• Warm

Cons

• Not as light as other soft shells
• Poor pockets inside and out
• No chest pocket
• Expensive at RRP

Similar products on offer . Rab Baltoro lite. Mountain Equipment Spartan. Haglof’s Fuse.

My Thanks to Gareth Evans for the chance to review it.

 *DWR - Durable water repellent.

More Softshell, RAb Boreas.

A few weeks ago, i was reading Alan Sloman’s blog about his recently acquired Rab Exodus softshell jacket. Here.
I already have the Rab Cioch jacket which is very similar apart from the hood.
I admit that i have never been a big fan of Soft shells for backpacking as they are just to big and bulky and most of the time they are in the pack and not worn.
But a comment from Gibson, AKA Afootinthehills, about the Mountain Equipment Astron had me scurrying into Manchester to have a look at one for my pending trip to New Zealand.

Mountain Equipment Astron.

 Just as luck would have it. Nobody in Manchester had one in stock so apart from taking the odd mm off my Inov-8’s, tramping around the streets, i came away empty handed.
 But what i did notice and was very tempted by was the Rab Boreas pull on. Completely different spec to the Astron but i liked it.

The Rab Boreas Pull On  

The next week after reading some very good reviews on it, i went back and purchased one. So i have been wearing it in and i like it very much. Ideal for what i want for this trip.
 The Boreas is not a jacket, it is not waterproof and has no DWR finish. However that can be resolved somewhat with a washing in Nikwax. (To be reviewed later).
Rab market this as a Mid Layer for both warm and cold conditions and has good sun block qualities and good wind resistance.

  I think, conditions depending of course, that you could wear this in all 3 guises, base layer, mid or outer as it breathes very well even directly next to the skin.

  The top is lightweight at 250gr for this medium size.
It’s very stretchy, 86% Polyamide and 14% Spandex. It has a Lycra feel.
The cut is generous rather than athletic.

  The arm length is longer than std and ideal for the walker/climber or visa versa where quite a bit of stretching is called for. It’s also easy to roll the sleeves up with the material being so stretchy. It doesn’t have thumb loops.

  The 2 zips are YKK, the main central zip being a good length for ventilation and the other closing a small chest pocket. There is no depth to this pocket but width wise it is reasonable, going across to the sleeve seam. The top will pack away into this pocket when not needed.
All the seams are flatlock.

 The hood is close fitting low profile with the zip coming well up the chin. Surrounding the collar area is a soft fleecy material that feels really nice when it’s fully zipped up.

  The tail length is slightly longer, so it should stay in place when worn with a hip belt or harness.

  So far i am very pleased with it, it has become my must wear item this last couple of weeks. I am certainly going to enjoy it in the warmer climate down under.

  To complement this top i purchased a pair of Rohan Fuzion trousers. 100% Polyamide. 385gr weight and only 3 hours drying time. I have not had time to do a first review as yet. (To come later).

Mens Merino wool zip top.

  For the last few weeks i have had some time to search around for a Merino wool top.
It's getting to that time of year when we need a bit more warmth from our gear and that was one reason why i wanted to buy a new one but i also wanted a zipped neck top which i could take on an up coming trip to New Zealand and wear not during the day but as the evening temperature falls.

  I currently have 3 Icebreaker crew necked long and short sleeved versions in 160gsm material and i remember buying my first one in a small outdoor shop in Oban. When i saw the price of £45, and i am going back about 8 years,  i was in two minds if i should get it or not. I thought it was so expensive for a base layer, but i bought it.

  Having now got used to wearing Merino base layers i find the properties of the material suits me just fine.
Merino has good warmth to weight and wicks moisture really well. And the important thing is that you can wear it for days without it ponging unlike other lightweight materials.
Depending on the time of year you can also just wear this baselayer directly under a waterproof without the need for a mid layer.

  So i was going to wait and get a new Icebreaker Merino top when i arrived in Auckland but when i checked out the local outdoor shops that i had been advised to try by fellow blogger Rob who’s fine pages can be found at Lightweight Tramping Gear, they were actually a little more expensive than what you can get them for in the UK. Strange.

  I eventually found a Merino 100% ultra fine wool long sleeved zip top in 200gsm for the cheap price of £25.76 and £3.95 P&P.

  Straight out of the packing i saw the thumb loops which was a bit of surprise because they didn’t show this on the web page. A plus point.

  And then, trying it on another plus point was the length. As you can see from the above photo of moi. it covers the cold spots and therefore it shouldn’t ride up when carrying a rucksack. Excellent.
You can also see that the top of the zip is just slightly off centre which makes up for the lack of a zip guard which i still would have preferred to have.

 There are no seams across the top of the shoulders and all of the stitching is flatlock and good quality.
There are no pockets, after all this is a base layer not a mid.

  They also do a ladies version which is here and costs £25.32 +P&P. I think this is very good value for money.

Unfortunately the Mens version has had a price increase since i received mine and doing this post. It is now £33.72. which is still very much cheaper than many other similar style tops.

For example the Icebreaker Mondo 200gsm LS Zip neck top is Here at £62.99. And Amazon are selling it for a little less Here at £56.00

Finisterre Tee shirt

A few weeks ago Millets and The Ideas Network, sent me a Finisterre Tee shirt, they never asked me to review it but i have reviewed a number of outdoor items for them so thought i would, because i do like Finisterre products.

Finisterre are a British Company based in Cornwall and as the location suggests they are more well known with surfers than mountain folk.
However there are overlaps and you will find from there product range numerous pieces of clothing that lends themselves to the hills.


Finisterre are a company that make environmentally friendly technical clothes from recycled or natural fibres, such as merino wool and organic cotton. They even have there own Merino wool sheep on a farm close by.
They also make clothes that last.


The Tee shirt above is organic cotton and there are numerous logo’s/pictures or plain available to choose from and a number of colours too. I chose the basic simple name. 
The Tee shirt is soft feel and well made with no tough seams to rub when wearing gear on top. Although not a hiking Tee shirt it’s a nice piece of kit for everyday use, holidays or a trip to the pub.
It’s machine washable at 30℃ but i would treat it more like a wool mix than just cotton and don’t tumble dry it if you want it to stay in shape.


All the dyes are environmentally friendly and it has a GOTS standard, meeting toxicological criteria. Also as part of the STD at least 70% of the material is organic and that environmental criteria and social criteria has to be met along the entire supply chain of the product.


The STD also involves much more but that is not what the review is about. If you want to read more about it, it’s here.


All in All, it is something i like to wear and it will last some time.

Peter Storm Helvellyn Fleece.

Millets, who are also part of the Blacks Leisure group plc, very kindly sent me a fleece to review.

First of all i would like to point out that i am not in any way, part of the Millets or Blacks organisation and i have sole control of my reviews.
This is a free and  independent review, there are no constraints put on my words by the company other than to say which company has provided the “Kit” to review.

As the title says it is the Peter Storm Helvellyn Fleece.

The Helvellyn is a cost effective fleece at under £20 and is ideal for anything from Duke of Edinburgh award hikes, general use or for longer backpacking trips.

I have used this fleece most days since the end of march and most recently on a 3 day Scottish borders walk of 38 miles.

The fleece material is 100% Polyester and it has some 2 way stretch. 

I ordered a large fleece and i was pleased to find that the fit was not designed for the most athletic of us. The length for me was perfect and although the sleeves were slightly long, i didn’t mind this as i could pull the cuffs over my hands when they got a bit chilly.

The cuffs themselves, like the hem do not have elastic, this suited me because it made rolling up the sleeves very easy. Elasticated cuffs can be a problem to roll up.

The weight of this Large size fleece is 331gr. or 11.6oz. 

For a fleece that i would put in the mid weight and warmth class it is light enough to take anywhere.

The collar depth is 7.0 cm and double material, it was a perfect fit for my 16” neck and is very comfortable. Although there is no zip guard on the collar i didn’t find it was a problem.

The 2 zips are not great, at first i thought the main zip might fail and so i worked it a good 20 times but the zip was fine although it is still very notchy and i don’t like them at all. Although the main zip is 250mm i would prefer a longer one to increase venting when required.

The chest pocket is a reasonable size, measuring 170mm x 130mm but the zip length is only 125mm and for me this limited what i could get in it. ie my glasses case would not fit but my mobile phone would. The pocket is not mesh and therefore cannot be used as a vent.

Although the shoulder seams are raglan in style and reasonably flat stitching the pressure on the seam against my shoulder blade, caused by my backpacking rucksack, resulted in some discomfort. 

The 2 tone colours both use the same material and are cosmetic not functional. The material has not pilled in any way even with the rucksack straps rubbing.

Washing instructions say 40 degrees, reshape whilst damp and hang to dry. 

I have washed it at 30 degrees along with my normal wash load. I didn’t reshape it but just hung it on the line. It dried very quickly and stayed in shape too, so that was a plus point.

Conclusion.

I have enjoyed reviewing this fleece and found it a good warm companion for those chilly early mornings and evenings. For a fleece in this price bracket it is good value for money.

Zips need improving and venting could be better but for the money there is little to detract.

The Samaritan Negotiator

Yesterday turned out to be a strange day. Sat in ST. Ann's square i saw a bag get snatched from a vendor stall selling the Manchester Evening News. At first i just thought it was the vendor, but a minute or two later the yellow jacketed vendors turned up and realised that they had been robbed.
I went over and told them what i had seen and said the robber cannot be too far away so lets go and look.
After a couple of minutes the vendors decided that he would have been long gone and called off the search.
Fortunately only a few minutes later and while i was walking down Deansgate i spotted him and went back to the vendors to tell them.
Well cutting a long story short, we ran after this guy and we got him and all the belongings back.


Then after i had calmed my nerves, i went into The North Face store on Deansgate because i had been considering buying a lightweight belay jacket. The one i had in mind was the Patagonia Nano Puff pullover (stupid name), but i couldn't find one in Manchester.
I saw TNF had one called the Zephyrus and it looked ideal. Then i saw the price £139.99! Too much i thought and left the store.

Only a couple of hundred yards further up the road i called into another outdoor shop and saw the same jacket a bit cheaper. I said to the sales guy that i liked the jacket but i didn't want to pay that much. So, after a bit of negotiating i actually bought the jacket for £78. Fantastic deal.
Weight 260gr. Filling Primaloft.
It just shows you how bad the outdoor industry is doing at the moment and always haggle with them.
But the stupid thing in my view is that TNF store wanted £139.99 and i had bought it at almost 1/2 the price in a store 2 minutes away. And the store i got it from was obviously still making a good profit.
 I walked out of the TNF store, because they are charging top dollar. How many potential customers do exactly the same. Their was also more staff than customers.