By Graham Dawson / Adventure Medic Gear Editor
Never has one piece of kit changed the way I dress in the mountains, or come to think of it on the crag, trail, road or the walk to work. I first bought my Montane smock with a view to hill running but since then I have literally thrown it in my pack or pocket for every conceivable activity which isn’t underwater! My smock is now about 5 years old and Montane have recently revamped it with a two tone colour scheme and even better Pertex® fabrics to ensure it continues to perform for generations to come.
It is a simple design with elasticated hem and wrists, articulated arms and a half-zip. The material is Pertex Microlight which not only has great wind resistance, also seems impressively durable. I’ve thrutched up rock routes around the country as well as packing and unpacking it thousands of times and it still has no holes.
On top of this, the kind folks at Montane have DWR treated the fabric so it stands up to light showers pretty well for the first few months. After that it does require reproofing to keep beading, but to be honest I find that by keeping the wind off it keeps me warm when wet and saves me turning to my shell for longer every time.
At £50 for 105g it seems quite steep for such a measly piece of kit but considering the number of hours I’ve worn this, it works out probably the best value thing I’ve ever bought. Except my lucky pants of course.
Montane Featherlite™ Smock: £50.00 from Montane.
