Tim Emmett's Favourite Mountain Hardwear Products

© Klemen Premrl
Tim Emmett, Mountain Hardwear athlete, chooses some of his favourite Mountain Hardwear winter clothing.

photo
Tim Emmett, wearing the Drystein 2 Jacket and Pants, climbing at Helmcken Falls
© Klemen Premrl



Desna Jacket  © Mountain Hardwear

Desna Jacket - 482g

I have probably lived in this top more than any other for the last three years, I love it.

Built with the same cut as the Monkey Grid, the Desna jacket sports a sleek body with well articulated, long arms with thumb loops, made out of stretch fleece. They both have a hood too, which I love as the number of times I have been hanging on a belay starting to get cold, an extra layer of close fitting fleece on your head makes all the difference. The hard face grid fleece increases durability but for me more importantly, this reduces friction between the layer with another garment. It makes a huge difference to a normal fleece and I don't get clogged up with restrictive material.

There are two zipped hand pockets and also a chest pocket for iPhone, Radio or other items that need to be kept close to hand.

To summarise the Desna Jacket is my number one go to mid layer piece. Low volume, low friction and really well featured.



Monkey Man Grid Jacket  © Mountain Hardwear

Monkey Grid Jacket - 397g

This has exactly the same fit and features as the Desna Jacket, but it's even lighter and also warmer, with longer filament Monkey Phurr on the body and arms for those really cold days.

The hard faced grid fleece means that you can still wear it as a layering piece without restricting your movement by 'sticking' to other layers. This has to be one of the lightest, most technical fleeces on the market, it's awesome. Try one on and you'll see what I mean.



Drystein 2 Jacket - 538g

Drystein II Jacket  © Mountain Hardwear
In 2011 DryQ Elite won an award at the outdoor show, for technology and innovation. The test results for air permeability and hydrostatic head (how waterproof it is) were significantly better than anything else that had been tested before.

The moisture vapour transfer rate (MVTR) alone was more than double of Neoshell, and levels of waterproofness 4-5 time greater than other air permeable membranes that had been tested after several washes. Mountain Hardwear were so impressed with the performance of their new membrane that they decided to stop working with Goretex completely, seeing as they had nothing to offer which could match this new innovation. In real terms what this means is that it starts breathing as soon as you put it on, but perhaps more importantly, the waterproofness of the membrane does not degrade over time, it will always keen you dry. No other membrane has been able to achieve this before, and that's why MHW are so psyched about it.

The Drystein 2 jacket is a fully feature alpine and mountaineering jacket made out of DryQ Elite. To get the best fit I wear a small, which fits perfectly, especially with the stretch panels under the arm and especially on the elbows. The velcro on the cuffs reaches the very end to ensure a good seal around gloves without extra material getting in the way. All the usuall features that you would expect with a top of the range MHW jacket, zip garage's, di-cut finish to the taping and high p[ockets to allow access when wearing a harness. There are also two chest pockets and an additional internal pocket for phone, radio or GPS.

One of my favourite features of the Drystein pants (623g) is the stretch panels on the seat and the knee's, allowing excellent movement when you need it the most. The built in gaiters also fit over ski boots so if you're climbing in a place you need to ski the approach, they actually work with ski's too. There are also a couple of pockets on the front of each thigh for putting anything you might need to access when wearing a harness. It also has a soft shell half bib which keeps the snow out and gives you maximum breathability too. Low profile buckle on the waist so it doesn't dig into your waist when you're wearing a harness.

The Drystein jacket and pants offer total weather protection for all your alpine activities.


A full range of Mountain Hardwear technical clothing, including the products described above, is available to buy online and in store at Ellis Brigham.

Mountain Hardwear at Ellis Brighams, Products, gear, insurance Premier Post, 4 weeks @ GBP 70pw

Check the Mountain Hardwear range out at www.ellis-brigham.com


For more information www.ellis-brigham.com



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