When we designed the Alpha Clip we were determined to produce the most ‘clip friendly’ biner ever made.
CGR says – although TNF are promoting this jacket as a Ski mountaineering jacket when I looked at it I thought that would easily crossover as a climbing jacket. The cut looked excellent and the mapping looked about right. It uses TNF’s own Apex Softshell and Hyvent waterproof materials to good effect and the taped seams should ensure it it stays reasonably snow proof. The female specific version had more insulation around the critical areas. A good looking winter jacket.
CGR says: these compliment the Alloy jacket and again would easily crossover to winter climbing. Plenty of the now familiar hybrid features like waterproof knees and seat areas. We particularly liked the low profile waistband for harness comfort and the two ways zips on everything. The jury is out whether they will be too warm for UK winter but we’ll let you know as we have a female pair on test.
CGR says: a nice looking fleece jacket that was light, warm and versatile. It is a ‘furry’ style fleece with Power Stretch panels where needed. A very warm looking mid layer that would be great for any mountain day out. You have to remember the lowly fleece is a very versatile item of clothing, robust and easy to wash and very warm. That’s why they should have a place in any climbers wardrobe!
CGR says – we’ve noticed a new trend in water resistant down products so expect to see more coming. TNF haven’t quite beaten everyone to it but the Catalyst should be more accessible and better priced than the Patagonia Encapsil. This was a great looking all purpose down jacket that would be great out on the hill, belays on warmer winter days and in the pub. The Prodown although not as water resistant as Primaloft it should perform better than a normal down jacket and be shower proof if you’re unlucky to be caught half way up a route. We’re predicting this style of jacket with the Prodown down filling will become a classic summer alpine jacket.
CGR says: the long awaited and much heralded Thermoball jackets. The insulating materials does indeed look and feel like down and if you go to the TNF shop in Leeds (or any other for that matter I just live in Leeds) they have some on display and you can feel for yourself. The jacket was über light, I mean really light and great on. It should be ideal for climbing in and belaying on those chilly autumn days. The jacket is not in the Summit Series so not designed to be a full on mountain jacket, but as a midlayer it would be fine even for winter climbing in. There have been some production issues but they were in the shops over the weekend when I went to look.
The North Face® Men’s Casimir 32 is a light, robust and versatile alpine daypack for go further and faster adventures.
The Pro Guide belay plate is a superb choice as the ‘do it all’ belay device for belaying, abseiling and guiding on ropes from 7.7-11mm
CGR says – a good looking all rounder that looks like it’s at home on Gogarth or The Ben. We’re looking forward to trying it out on both. It certainly feels lighter and those 7 gear loops will come in handy.
CGR reviewer Kasia offers her intial thoughts : First impressions of the DMM Puma 2 harness is that it’s comfortable and neat and I love the floating waist pad so that I can easily centralise my rack no matter how many layers I’m wearing – and in winter that tends to be quite a lot for me. I haven’t quite got my head around what I’m going to do with all 7 gear loops (5 on sizes XS and S) but I’m sure I’ll work out what works best for me as time goes by. An opportunity hasn’t arisen as yet to try the ice clipper points– but I’m certainly looking forward to seeing how the harness performs this winter so I can give you an update.
CGR reviewer Richie Allen offers his first impressions: Though the Orion from Edelrid is billed as an ‘all-rounder’ suited to sport or mountain use its design is slanted more toward the trad and winter climber. Ample racking by way of four asymmetric gear loops and two low profile cunningly concealed ice clipper slots (which it appears they have had to label so you can find them!) should cope with most racks. What sets this harness apart is its ’3D Vent’ technology which shapes the very wide foam padding ergonomically whilst using thin webbing strips to support the foam and allow ventilation. The waist-belt is a similar width to my other harnesses but definitely more ‘shaped’ whereas the leg-loops are significantly wider. This certainly seems to aid comfort when just hanging in the harness and it will be interesting to see how they feel on longer winter routes.
CGR reviwer James Parkinson with his initial thoughts: The Summit is a very comfortable harness for all-round use. Seven gear loops mean that you can carry everything you’d ever want (some might think them overkill!) although if you use the two ice clipper slots you will lose two large gear loops.The two buckle waist belt means the harness is very adjustable for different seasons and clothing systems although it is not as straight-forward to use as a simple one buckle set up.All-in-all, the Summit is a well built piece of kit that will work well for all types of climbing in all seasons.
CGR says: an iconic and established harness from French company Petzl. Seen on the waists of many of the great and good. Just don’t expect to have your normal UK massive rack hanging from it!
CGR says – this is great looking all round harness, we love the skinny rear gear loop, which is large and inconspicuos. It looks great for winter mixed as well as sport climbs and we’re looking forward to testing it out on both!
In outerwear’s natural selection, our award-winning Isotherm Hoody is evolution at its best.
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The North Face Men’s Radium Hi-Loft Jacket for mountaineering has the highest warmth to weight ratio of any Hi-Loft fleece from The North Face.
The Blue Ice Warthog 38L is tough and light like its little brother, the Warthog 26L, but added volume and features make it suitable for longer adventures.