UKH

Balancing lightness, warmth, weather resistance & breathability, a midweight synthetic jacket is the most versatile of insulation. We've put 11 models head to head in search of the best all-rounders.

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In reply to UKC/UKH Gear:

Seems a bit harsh to accuse the Alpkit Heiko of being 'not quite as jaw-droppingly good value as we have become used to from Alpkit', when it is half the price or less than all but one other jacket in the test (and even then it's only just more than half).

In reply to UKC/UKH Gear:

And what's with loads of them only scoring 3.5/5 yet still being highly recommended?

In reply to UKC/UKH Gear:
Strangely enough I bought the Paramo Torres Alturo jacket yesterday and took it back to the shop this morning. Despite going one size down from my normal size it fits like a flappy sack (albeit a warm flappy sack). I agree entirely about the hood being fiddly. If you tension it at the back to pull it in a bit it pulls the visor up and away from the face. Also the baffle behind the zip desperately needs some form of stiffener as the thin nylon catches badly in the zip.
However dog walkers in Surrey will love it.
I wish Id kept my old cheap and cheerful Simond Warm Belay jacket. If anyone has an XL in the grey that they want to sell please let me know
https://www.decathlon.co.uk/alpinism-warm-jacket-grey-id_8327120.html

In reply to rackandruin:

I've had my Torres Alturo for around 4 months , I really like it! yes its slightly bulky and heavy.

The pockets are amazing and the sizing is great because i bought it to wear as a belay jacket over everything else .... When I first got it i felt the fabric felt extremely "soft" and i was worried .... but it's held up well! i'm hardly likely to drag myself up and rock routes or go scrambling in it ..... its way too warm for that.

In reply to munro90:


That was me but I stand by it, I said it's not jaw droppingly good value, I didn't say it's not good value, because it is - that is why it got the best value award. But it is interesting that Alpkit went with branded insulation as that has to increase the price. I'm sure they had a good reason for that decision, but I reviewed it at the same time as the Laika base/mid layer which is non branded material and hugely cheaper than the branded competition as a result. Their shell range is also non branded and seems great value also.

In reply to womblingfree:

With "Best in Test" only receiving 4 stars the manufacturers clearly have a lot of improvements to make before they get a 5

In reply to UKC/UKH Gear:

Why wasn't the Alpkit Katabatic included in this test?

In reply to UKC/UKH Gear:

Warmth isn't the only factor that needs to be taken into account. If a 'belay jacket' doesn't have a double puller on the front zip it isn't a very effective belay jacket. 3 of the 'highly recommended' jackets don't.

In reply to UKC/UKH Gear:

Interesting review, thanks.

I do think an article this long could do with some kind of extra navigation options. Perhaps the top table could include links to jump to each section?

In reply to phizz4:


But they're not recommended as belay jackets, this wasn't a review of belay jackets in the sense of something you pull on over the top of a shell and midlayers. BD submitted one - not sure why, but I think the firm decide themselves what they will submit after reading UKC 'call'.

Incidentally, I've been using belay jackets ice and winter climbing for 16 years, and I've never felt the need for the zip to open at the bottom. I just looked back at this article I wrote in 2008 https://www.ukclimbing.com/gear/review.php?id=1375 and I didn't note it there. My first proper belay jacket, my 2001 vintage DAS doesn't have a two way zip I don't think and its still the best belay jacket I've used. Of course other people have their strong preferences but I've never had a problem with the jacket messing up my belaying point.

In reply to kmhphoto:

Don't know for certain, but the Katabatic was given a standalone test https://www.ukclimbing.com/gear/review.php?id=9158 so I suspect that Alpkit wanted to get people testing and talking about the Heiko as well.

In reply to TobyA:

"Don't know for certain, but the Katabatic was given a standalone test https://www.ukclimbing.com/gear/review.php?id=9158 so I suspect that Alpkit wanted to get people testing and talking about the Heiko as well."

Given that it got a decent review it would have been interesting to see it added into this group test but I see now that they only reviewed items sent in for this test.

In reply to kmhphoto:

Yep, I only reviewed the Heiko and Marmot one for this test, but clearly the Katabatic is a more similar style of jacket to the Astrum than the Heiko is. But I think your summary is accurate, for these group reviews Dan does a sort of "call for competitors" with an outline of what UKC is looking for, and then leave it up to the companies that want to take part to decide what to send in. From what I've seen this is always something along the lines of the UKC specification but companies might have their own interest in getting some more publicity for a product that hasn't been getting so much attention. Of course we review them against the spec, hence I think we can read from Dan's write up of the BD jacket that while it is a jolly good belay jacket, it is ridiculously warm for a "midweight synthetic jacket" and thus not much use in that role at all!

In reply to phizz4:

It wasn't a test of belay jackets!

In reply to TobyA:


Mine does, you may wanna check that.

In reply to jonnie3430:

Patagucci DAS (like about all other Patagucci apparel) has had numerous incarnations with different specs through out the times, but the name has stayed the same (as has the brand, makin' them the only 2 things identical between different versions ).

And yes, my someswhat old DAS does have 2 zippers, as does the current version...

Toby's version is arcane though, from the time of dragons, knights and alike.

In reply to UKC/UKH Gear:

From the articles introduction: Quote "warmth-boosting over-layer on belays" and "to burly winter-only belay refuges". To me that implies a reference to their usefulness as a belay jacket.

In reply to HeMa: The DAS is now officially dead. Long live the Hyper Puff.
https://gearjunkie.com/patagonia-hyper-puff-parka-jacket-review

In reply to rackandruin:


Just wait a few years... It'll come back (as completely different jacket... once again).

Patagucci is however not the 1st to play this game... 5.10 has gotten rid of the pink and the white, yet here they are again... 'Ryx stopped makin' Alpha Comp for a few years, and then re-launched it again some years ago.

In reply to UKC/UKH Gear:


No f*cking shit! Why is a hybrid being compared with totally different types of mid-layers and then getting highly recommended?

In reply to UKC/UKH Gear:

proper YKK zips or just coil zips?

In reply to GarethSL:

It's a tricky one... but a question I hoped the intro paragraph addresses: "the 'midweight' category has no hard definition, etc". The Alfar is a jacket, the others are jackets - the detail of design and construction may not be identical but that's rather the point of a comparative test isn't, to weigh the various merits so that people can decide which one best suits their needs?

The Alfar got highly recommended because it scored high enough to qualify for that in the summary table, where we've rated them all for warmth etc and averaged out an overall score.

Fundamentally, we can only include the product that each brand wants to submit. That is usually done in discussion with us, but the final decision is rightly theirs.

In reply to phizz4:

I'm going to contradict Toby here (sorry Toby). You're right:

We have rated the jackets for (among other things) warmth and fit, part of the latter score being how well it layers over other clothes, and part of the former obviously being how comfy you feel when stationary on a cold day. We've also looked at how weather proof they are. These are all characteristics useful to a belay jacket. If you want something that's as versatile as possible - desirable in a midweight jacket - then being able to do duty in belay mode is one of the things you might look for. It's not the only thing we've rated them on - the 'active insulation' pieces here are going to be more comfy on the move but less useful as a belay jacket for instance.

These are not jackets designed above all else for standing still for hours belaying in - with the notable exception of BD and Paramo - but belay duty is certainly within the remit of several of them. They're not ultimately as warm as a full-on belay jacket, but on the other hand they'll be more versatile since they're not as sweaty and bulky when you try to move in them.

In reply to UKC/UKH Gear:

Surprised there was nothing from Montane in the test; either the Fireball or the Prism would have fit the bill

In reply to r0b:

I'd be interested to hear why some things get included and some don't.

Is it purely down to whether the manufacturer has got it together to submit it? Can reviewers request certain models to be sent for the inclusion? Does seem often the mix of things is a bit off, with a few notable omissions and a few slightly weird additions.

In reply to JayPee630:
There are various factors at work here.

As a basic rule, we prioritise products from brands that we have a working relationship with.

We discuss the product submitted for review with each participating brand, based on the pre-established review criteria. While we do have input in the selection, the final choice of what to submit is a decision for them.

There's a more fundamental point too: the sheer size of the market. It would be practically impossible to include every relevant product available somewhere. In reality we work with so many brands that we can only include those we're working with in most of our current reviews. If someone's personal favourite jacket/rucksack/whatever isn't included in a review that may be regrettable, but it's not surprising.

In reply to Dan Bailey - UKHillwalking.com:

Really, you only review brands who advertise? I actually didn't know that.

Montane do advertise then as I'm sure you've done reviews of their stuff in the past.

In reply to Dan Bailey - UKHillwalking.com:
But it devalues the test if an obviously outstanding candidate is missing. Not your fault if Rab submits an alternative but this is a glaring omission:

http://m.outdoorgearlab.com/Insulated-Jacket-Womens-Reviews/Rab-Xenon-X-Hoo...

Winner in either or both men's and women's for the last three years.

Point taken about only featuring advertisers however.

In reply to JayPee630:

I've clarified the above...

Yes, Montane have advertised in the past

In reply to Dan Bailey - UKHillwalking.com:
I agree and get the point about the huge amount of items that could go in each review, but I'd have thought it makes some kind of sense to review products that are the standard for each category from each manufacturer, and are also the ones that can be got hold of in the UK - which seems to be increasingly hard with shops seeming to stock less and less options nowadays.

Like as mentioned the Rab one rather than the Outdoor Research one that is a brand hardly stocked anywhere I've seen.

And is the fact Montane advertised in the past as you said means they're currently not so don't get included? IS that how it works?

In reply to Dan Bailey - UKHillwalking.com:

So if you were reviewing micro fleeces you wouldn't pick up either an ME eclipse or Patagonia R1 unless they were sent to you?

In reply to FreshSlate:

No

In reply to BnB:

Surely if the decision of what gets reviewed is down to the manufacturer, and what people perceive to be the "correct" item isn't in the review, it's the manufacturers you should be complaining to, not Dan?

To be fair to Rab though, they could easily have put in the Paradox Pull-on, Alpha Flux Jacket, Nimbus Jacket, Nebula Jacket or the Xenon X Jacket.

In reply to Ysgo:

Not particularly, because the manufacturer wants to advertise. It's not concerned with pitting its clothing against industry benchmark pieces of gear. It's like doing a review of medium sized cams but omitting any mention to a BD camalot because they didn't get a bunch of free ones and a pile of cash through the post.

It also means that UKC are not going to criticise a big named brand in a review for a lousy product, it's far too much of a dangerous tactic for them as they won't get anything sent through in the future.

It is what it is, but you need to take these tests with a pinch of salt.

In reply to Ysgo:


I suspect Rab sent the one with the best commercial potential.

In reply to UKC/UKH Gear:

I'm a personal fan of the Salewa Ortles hybrid 2,

Really awesome jacket, insulation where you need it and loads of movement!

and a jazzy colour range

http://www.salewa.co.uk/en/ortles-hybrid-jacket-men.html

In reply to UKC/UKH Gear:

Mmm... this was always an accident waiting to happen... what is is "mid weight"? Here it seems to cover too wide a range and thus very different jackets - apples and pears! Then of course we have have the whole "new" category of 'active insulation'. In short, the synthetic insulation category is a veritable mine field!