UKC

OI NEWS: Alpkit ...Your Suggestions..the perfect belay jacket.

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 UKC Gear 23 Jun 2009
[0Hiro Synthetic Jacket. , 2 kb]
The 0Hiro jacket is the latest in our line of CoLab projects, selling them cheaper in return for your good comments.. or bad.... (we don't mind, as long as they are constructive!). This time around it's a synthetic belay jacket.



So, what makes the perfect belay jacket? Your thoughts are valuable to us, so please feel free to comment and feedback in this forum thread!



Read more at http://www.ukclimbing.com/gear/news.php?id=1936
Paul F 23 Jun 2009
In reply to UKC Gear:

I'd like a couple of big mesh pockets on the inside to stash gloves to stop them freezing up on change overs.

I have a PHD Zeta belay jacket which is spot on for a belay jacket (but a bit pricey now), this is the only addition/change i would make to it.
 TonyM 23 Jun 2009
In reply to UKC Gear:
Clone the Patagonia DAS Parka, and I don't think you'd go far wrong. In fact, I think it is close to perfect. Mine's lava orange, and I love the colour too. Totally essential to have bright photogenic colours, and no drab tones that imitate rock or moss.
 FrankBooth 23 Jun 2009
In reply to UKC Gear:
lightness, squashability and warmth. Winter means a big, heavy bag carried for endless miles - i don't want half of it taken up by a coat that i only need to use once i'm on route.
A hood that'll go over my helmet is important, and it shouldn't flop around too much. a good waterproof DWR would be good
 TobyA 23 Jun 2009
In reply to UKC Gear: My belay jacket manifesto is here: http://www.ukclimbing.com/gear/review.php?id=1375 It's all about the hood - but I'm pretty certain that the Alpkit guys have that covered. It should go over both a helmet and shell or shoftshell hood I reckon.

The price (even without the co-lab discount) is superb. Only possible competition at that price is the Decathlon one (I grabbed one for a mate, who didn't have a dedicated belay jacket, at Xmas on sale for 30 quid when I happened to be in Decathlon in Merry Hill. He says it's superb for ice climbing). I think Alpkit are onto a winner here - the type of gear that by being so reasonably priced and hence available may well save a life or two.
 AlH 23 Jun 2009
In reply to UKC Gear: Holy hotaches batman that's cheap!
I want:
big pockets,
long sleeves,
big elasticated wrists I can put gloved hands through,
big glove friendly zip pulls,
a big but face covering hood that turns somewhat when I turn my head (a snorkel design like my old school parka with a wide neck and some clearence around the face might work - put the zip in at the bottom, keep zipping it up until all you can see are my eyes),
a large mesh internal pocket might be good- slightly elastic rim, not sure I need a zip pocket there though,
it needs to be as warm as possible when its wet and cold but as light as It can be,
highly compressible - a good fit for a standard size of popular brand of waterproof stufsack might be good.
In short I wan the earth.
This is the thing I reach for when the world is against me and I need to pull on something over the top of all the cr*p I'm already wearing and breathe a sigh of relief as I belay or settle down for a long wait in an awkward spot. If its for wearing overnight or sitting down a little reinforcement where it goes over my butt might be nice so that what I'm sitting on doesn't get trashed.
Hell at that price I might buy one to use (definition of my use of outdoor kit- abuse, destroy, wear out in a season) this winter (even though I have a marmot one I got at a good price late last season already).
Go Alpkit!
Al

The hood is most important. It needs to be super big, big enough for a large helmet like the Ecrin. The hood needs to zip up to nose level, amd it needs to come far enough forward to cover the front of you head. It should synch down to just an eye slit. The hood on the Patagonia DAS does this, but PHD's Zeta doesn't.

Other than that the sleeves need to be super wide. In my view they should use a velcro cuff, rather than an elasticated cuff. This from expirence of trying to get my Zeta onto a concussed and hypothermic casualtiy. It was breeze with the Zeta's velcro cuffs, comparted to trying with a friend's Patagonia jacket, which featured elastic cuffs.

A poachers pouch is pretty useful for drying gloves and storing belay mitts. It would be pretty silly to not make it with one of these.

Also I can't imagine your belay jacket will be warm enough for full on winter. It only weighs 550 grams, whearas the Patagonia DAS and PHD Zeta weigh closer to a kilo. I'm sure it will be a great jacket, but perhaps more appropreiate for summer alpinism and cragging.

HTH
In reply to UKC Gear: I'm not fussed about the hood.

I'd like 'frikin lasers' on each shoulder but that ain't gonna happen.

Warmth and good zip are the important things for me.
 L.A. 23 Jun 2009
In reply to UKC Gear:
Warm enough to justify carrying it yet light and squashable enough to actually bother putting it in the rucsac.(sub 650grm)
A wired hood that offers good protection over a Meteor/Half Dome and still gives good side visibility
2 external zipped hand warmer pockets big enough for mitts etc
1 external chest pocket big enough for GPS/Phone/mars bars
Mesh inner pocket, Nalgene bottle sized,for drying gloves out
Cheap enough to justify wearing if the weather really goes to pooh and you have to trash it in some gnarly chimney(£60ish)
A lightweight compression sac included
Consistant sizing

A cheaper, lighter + more compressable version of the DAS parka
Paul F 23 Jun 2009
In reply to Paul F:

Oh, and another advantage of the Zeta is that you don't have to fiddle around with the zip with cold hands as it has a velcro flap you can quickly press over to seal out the weather.
Having a velco flap closure means you don't have to rely on the zip which means a near useless jacket if you knacker it 2 days into a 7 day trip.
Would like to see that on the alpkit one, but then the costs start to go up.
Randy Baird 23 Jun 2009
In reply to UKC Gear:

Two big guidebook sized pockets that are orientated on a diagonal slant to stop things falling out of them (not the vertical orientation shown above in your photo).
Non- catchy zips that zip up the way to close- which will stop stuff falling out accidently.
Aye zips- I can't stand it when pertex tops & jackets snag on the zips so IMO it's worth facing the wind guard baffle material behind the main zip with something thicker to stop this. A small addition in weight but a million times more usable as a result.
My Patagucci snags on itself- a jammed zip on a windy necessitating a gloves- off scenario is a MASSIVE pain in the man breasts.
Two pockets, a good big snorkelly hood and keep it as simple & light as possible.
I agree with the bright colours advocate above. Much better for both safety and photographic reasons.
If you do a good one for around fifty knicker the market's yours.
 dirtbag1 23 Jun 2009
In reply to UKC Gear:
A few things.....
No. 1 - two internal big pockets for keeping stickies warm between routes.
No. 2 - four way zip so you can zip open a small section for belay plate to stick out with out having bottom of jacket open.
No. 3 - Spindrift skirt, but not for spindrift, just for windproofness etc.
No. 4 - two different temperature specs for UK chilly cragging and UK winter stuff, obviously different pack sizes.
In reply to UKC Gear: Goretx Redline. Nothing else came close for belaying at The Snore in the middle of winter.

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