UKH

Hi all, just after a bit of advice really. I have a Montane Antifreeze down jacket that I bought in late August from Go Outdoors. 

Since then I have used it maybe 4 or 5 times, once scrambling in the Pyrenees, once scrambling Tryfan and the other times just out on countryside walks and it seems to leak down like it is going out of fashion. I expect a little bit of leakage from any down product but this just seems excessive to me. My partner has a Rab Microlight Alpine jacket and she is lucky if she even has one feather on her by the end of the day doing the exact same activities. In fact, since she bought hers in September, I would say hers hasn't lost even a quarter the down that mine will lose in a day and she wears it much more than I do. 

It has also developed these weird marks on the material over the pockets, almost like it has worn the material down and its started threading. The only thing that has come into contact with these areas are the waist straps on my rucksack, but these would have only been in contact with the jacket for probably a total of 15 hours MAX on two occasions and there are no marks over the shoulders or on the back. I wouldn't expect a Montane Pertex jacket that is designed for climbing to be this fragile? I am scared to use it!!

I have emailed Montane with some pictures and got a 'copy & paste' answer about how all down products lose feathers but they will get better with time and to take it back to the retailer if I think there is any issue. They haven't acknowledged the damage over the pockets. 

I got the same response about leakage from Go Outdoors in September when I took it back so I have waited until now but it isn't getting better, it is getting worse. So I will take it back again this week but not expecting much of a result without a fight. 

I took it into Cunninghams in Betsw-y-Coed on Saturday and they agreed that they would send it back to Montane if they had sold it. 

Below is a link to some pictures taken after our day up Tryfan this weekend. My partner had one feather on her sleeve from the day, doing the same thing with the same size pack. 

https://drive.google.com/drive/folders/1-hEx-cL42oaYFWubY2MMQpIz7JjQijlF 

Any advice would be appreciated, or any experience with how to get it resolved with Go Outdoors/Montane would be great. 

Kind regards,

Dan

Have a look at http://www.legislation.gov.uk/ukpga/2015/15/contents/enacted specifically satisfactory quality. Your contract is with GoOutdoors - so their responsibility.  repair or replace. Possibly partial refund (cash) - you don't have to (and probably shouldnt) accept store credit. Go to citizen's advice if you don't get anywhere...

It probably should go back to Montane so take it back to Go Outdoors and be a bit insistent. 

The down leakage issue  could well be due to the ratio of down to feathers: the feathers tend to migrate out due to the stalks pushing through the seams. My old Mountain Equipment Vega still has a small amount of visible plumage after about ten years of hefty use. 

I'm wary about commenting on the pocket fabric issue. Pertex isn't the world's toughest fabric though having scraped Buffalo gear up gritstone for years I've never seen damage like that. Certainly something Montane will want to see first hand before doing something about.

As said by Naechi, this is between you and Go so it ultimately falls to them to sort whatever Montane end up doing.

Thanks for the replies and advice. Took it into GO last night and explained and they let me exchange it without a fuss. No Montane Down jackets in stock so went for Rab Electron.

Dan