I’ll admit, I wouldn’t consider myself an experienced sailor. I’ve done bits here and there on various boats, completed the Day Skipper Theory course and read A LOT of text books. But I do have the advantage of owning an unpretentious slightly battered 21′ yacht with equally aged 6hp 2-stroke outboard, which has been languishing unloved in the marina in Inverness for many months now. With my annual mooring fees due I figured I’d best relocate her nearer to home – and living close to the Firth of Clyde (maybe the best cruising waters in the UK?) I’m not sure what took me so long to make the journey.

A 21′ yacht doesn’t have much in the way of living space or modcons – forget those notions of varnished mahogany saloon with wine rack, chart table and autopilot – we have a bucket for a toilet and a handheld GPS. I’ve sometimes caught myself yearning after a £100k super yacht before realising that as well as a large sum of money I’d also need a crew and be unable to repair collision damage with car-body filler and a coat of Hammerite. No, a small inexpensive and lightweight yacht with an engine that can be removed and fits in a car boot is far more my style. Plus the bigger, fully-crewed expensive boats get REALLY annoyed when you overtake them in light winds…

The Trip

After a weekend of badly-needed maintenance Davaar was craned back into the water and after some quick tidal calculations we motored around to the Clachnaharry sealock and the northern terminus of the epic feat of engineering that is the Caledonian Canal. This laid-back (but petrol-hungry) waterway was followed by a couple of days on a pontoon above Corpach waiting for the forecast gales to pass over before we hurtled (!) through Loch Linnhe bound for Oban. It rained. Then a long day punctuated by a spell at anchor waiting for the seriously impressive Sound of Luing tidal stream to abate – quietly smiling at those in big powerful yachts who forgot to add an hour to the almanac tide times for British Summer Time and ended up stationary in the 7 knot tide – before being catapulted through the Dorus Mor into Crinan Harbour and the start of our second canal shortcut, the Crinan Canal.

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The heavy manual lock gates were a bit of a shock from the hydraulically-operated gates of the Caledonian Canal, so we had an early finish above Lochgilphead where I was able to stock up on some particularly exotic pies for lunch. Leaving the canal at Ardrishaig we entered a mirror-smooth Loch Fyne and motored the short distance to Portavadie Marina accompanied by porpoises and inquisitive seals. Portavadie Marina is ridiculously luxurious, with organic hand moisturiser and hair-straighteners in the Gents, so we treated ourselves to a meal in the restaurant and a couple of pints of local beer before overloading the laundry facilities and taking advantage of a faulty electricity meter.

Our penultimate day was spent in Lochranza Bay on the northern tip of Arran carrying out our obligatory tourist duties followed by a couple of bottles of potent Breton beer onboard an Austrian yacht with Anna assuming rowing duties after my competence was proven to be mysteriously compromised. A leisurely start the next morning lead to our first sustained sail of the trip, rounding the red sandstone cliffs of the Cock of Arran before running goosewinged to our final destination and Davaar’s new berth in Clyde Marina, Ardrossan.

The trip was carried out at a top speed over the ground of around 6 knots – generally much much slower – which offered plenty of opportunity for photography (and tea drinking). Below you’ll find a chronological slideshow from the trip taken on various cameras – I’d suggest leaving the above video playing whilst you flick through!

August will be a bit of a write-off in terms of ‘proper’ blog posts – I’m away sailing for the next couple of weeks though I’ll try and post the odd update as and when I have the inclination/mobile phone reception.

But don’t fear,  I’ve got a whole host of things in the pipeline for the next few months – subscribe via the RSS feed if you don’t want to miss out, and follow me on Twitter for more regular, concise mini-updates.

Coming up we have reviews of the following items:

• The Neoair-competitor Pacific Outdoor Equipment Ether Elite 6 sleeping mat
• The incredibly breathable EDZ Epic ‘Softshell’ Jacket
• The impossibly sexy Hyperlight Mountain Gear Echo 1 Shelter System
• Some cool hammocky bits from Opie at whoopieslings.com
• The genius that is The Stickpic
• Some fashionable things from UK-based Finisterre
• A couple of bits and pieces from Keela, including a Lightweight Outdoors-designed sailing waterproof!

In addition I’ll be developing the idea of ultralightweight sailing (stick with me on that one….), seeking volunteers for an inflatable flotilla trip, as well as continuing to seek out Local Adventures and tease ‘heavyweights’  Al and Andy.

You’ll probably notice that my regular weekend trips will revolve around Ayrshire and Arran over the coming year – I’m proud to be writing a couple of guidebooks for the extremely lovely people at Pocket Mountains and developing the same areas for walkhighlands.co.uk . So if you’ve got any top route tips for these areas, please don’t hesitate to do my work for me/get in touch.  I suspect I’ll be passing quite a few beer in Tookie’s direction.

Cheers!

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I had some pretty definite views on using eBook readers in the outdoors, I may have mentioned them a little on Darren’s blog actually, and my basic opinion was one of negativity. Then I saw this.

Amazon’s new Kindle

• All-New, High-Contrast E-Ink Screen – 50% better contrast than any other e-reader
• Read in Bright Sunlight – No glare
• New and Improved Fonts – New crisper, darker fonts
• New Sleek Design – 21% smaller body while keeping the same 6″ size reading area
• 15% Lighter – Only 247 grams, weighs less than a paperback
• Battery Life of One Month – A single charge lasts up to one month with wireless off
• Double the Storage – Up to 3,500 books
• Books in 60 seconds – Download books anytime, anywhere
• Free 3G Wireless – No monthly payments, no annual contracts
• Built-In Wi-Fi – In addition to the 3G wireless, you can connect to Wi-Fi hotspots
• 20% Faster Page Turns – Seamless reading
• Enhanced PDF Reader – With dictionary lookup, notes, and highlights
• New WebKit-Based Browser – Free 3G web browsing (experimental)

It’s 247 grams, and has FREE 3G, WiFi and a one month battery life with the wireless off.

This changes everything.

I want one.

I’m so fickle.

If you’ve got limitless funds, it’s pretty easy to start backpacking (sherpas don’t count) – the latest and lightest products can be purchased, tested and exchanged with impunity, you can adorn yourself with logos and order that custom cuben fibre ‘onesie‘ you always wanted.

But is it better this way? A £325 Akto is quite probably a better choice for an above-treeline winter backpacking trip than one of those £10 supermarket pop-up tents, but if your ambitions are a bit more modest then why not save a bit of money? I’m sure that many potential Local Adventurers are put off by the atmosphere of outdoors shops with their vast range, impenetrable  lingo and premium pricing, but what are the alternatives?

With the assistance of well-known high street retailer Argos I put together a basic two person ‘big three‘ (shelter, sleep system and backpack) suitable for a simple weekend Local Adventure in the UK.  I wanted to keep the total price below £200 and the weight below 10kg. The list is tailored around the needs of my cold-blooded companion, hence the variation in sleeping bag insulation!

Small 2 Person Teepee (3657g)-  £24.99

Lichfield Trail 250gsm Sleeping Bag (1205g) – £19.95

Pro Action Ultra Light 50gsm Sleeping Bag (715g) – £9.99

Karrimor Bobcat 65L Rucksack (1390g) – £64.95

Pro Action Venture 40 Litre Daysack (715g) – £16.95

Argos Value Range Backpacker Single Airbed (783g each) –  2 @ £9.99

Total ‘Big Three’ weight for 2 people: 9248g (note that I include ground insulation in my ‘big three’ weight)

Total price: £156.81 (July 2010)

I was somewhat limited in my product selection by Argos (long story) so both of these figures could be reduced, though I got a bit lucky with a clearance sale on several items.

Armed with the above items, plus a lightweight gas stove from my personal collection and a few items of test gear, we headed out on the train to the Isle of Bute for a short walk and overnight beach camp. The walk was low level, relaxed and contained enough distractions to keep Anna entertained until we reached our proposed wild camp site in Ettrick Bay.

The teepee went up relatively easily, and the instructions were clear and concise. The massively heavy steel wire pegs struggled slightly in the sand (though that’s hardly their fault) meaning that the fabric was a touch saggier than I would have liked, but the sheer quantity of pegging points assured me that the shelter was unlikely to go anywhere if the wind picked up. I was quite impressed by the features included – all add weight but also add to the glamour – there are two doors, some pretty clever dual-purpose vent/windows with multi-positional hoods and good quality hardware.  Interior space, as you’d expect, is substantial – lots of space for two people and bags, and the removable floor can be partially detached and rolled back to create  dirty/clean areas for footwear. The shape of the shelter allows for stoves to be used within the footprint, remaining sheltered by the side walls but leaving the top clear to vent.

It rained all evening and night on this trip, and there wasn’t a hint of the heavily-taped seams failing, merely a thin film of condensation on the inner surfaces that was easy to avoid due to the steep walls. It’d be really easy to reduce the weight of this shelter – the heavy steel centre pole could be replaced with lashed-together trekking poles to save a massive 575g, and the heavy floor could either be reduced in size or replaced with a much thinner material.

Overall, a practical, hardwearing spacious shelter that is incredible fun to use, particularly for (big) kids regressing to their cowboys and Indians  phase. I can’t believe it sells for £25 actually.

Sleeping bags at this price point were always going to be synthetic – the issue therefore is the packed size rather than weight, as  I find a relatively lightweight 50gsm bag perfectly suitable for summer use. Surprisingly, the Ultra Light bag packed down to a tiny size, albeit in a ridiculously over-engineered compression sack that I would never use again. The Trail 250 wasn’t quite so small, and came in a stuff sack complete with cord shoulder-straps to enable you to carry it to a sleep-over. It’s pretty much the same size as my TGO Challenge pack.

In use, both bags did the job. I was particularly impressed with the quality of the Trail 250 – very well put together and a nice soft inner fabric that appealed to Anna in particular. The Ultra Light was a bit short for me, and came with a right-hand zip for some reason, but as a basic, no frills sleeping bag it’s pretty good!  I actually prefer basic ‘one season’  synthetic bags for situations where I know that I’m going to get wet, or be getting into my bag fully clothed – bivvy bagging springs immediately to mind – I just wouldn’t put any of my down quilts through that punishment. I’d like to test the Ultra Light in this application –  maybe a high level summit camp over the coming months?

Teamed up with the bags, I chose the Argos own-brand sleeping mats, which turned out to be repackaged lilos, complete with six individual tubes and valves. Pretty heavy, and don’t offer much in the way of insulation. On this trip they were comfortable enough, but inflating and deflating was an epic event. The non-return valves aren’t the best quality, and it took a bit of finesse to actually introduce air into the chambers. Getting the air out was akin to milking a very peculiar cow, one person rolled from the bottom, whilst the other released each valve in turn in stages. Absolute nightmare.  After the first mat was deflated we discovered a small packet of short straws in the stuff sack, and it appears that these are to be pushed into the valves to over-ride the non-return diaphragm. Oh how we laughed.

The white label suggests not using these on rough water offshore – something I’ve not seen on a sleeping mat before. I’m not sure I’ll be using these again on dry land.

All this had to be carried, and it took me a while to decide upon the size of rucksacks that’d be most appropriate. The pack weight wasn’t too much of an issue, I just couldn’t envisage how bulky the kit would be, especially the synthetic sleeping bags. I settled on a 60 litre bag that I was confident could cope with the sleeping bags (even if that’s ALL that fitted in), and a 40 litre for the tent and other bits. Obviously the £65 Karrimor bag wasn’t my first choice, being a touch expensive and heavy, but due to a variety of logistical issues that’s the one I ended up with. As you’d expect, it’s well put together, well padded and somewhat idiot-proof. What can probably be described as a ‘classic’ style?

There’s a massive sheet of rigid plastic in a sleeve behind the back padding that I removed to save 300g – this resulted in the pack folding in half with the load I subjected it to and was replaced. With some care I could have packed to mitigate this, but it actually carried pretty nicely with it in place.

The 40 litre unbranded pack (shown as bright orange in the catalogue – I was a bit disappointed with the baby blue) was minimalist and unfussy. Three external pockets plus a large lid pocket, two buckles and an interior drawcord opening. Minimal padding was the order of the day – as this is sold as a ‘daypack’ it has a simple webbing waist strap that Anna found pretty useful – as most ‘unisex’ packs are really men’s packs this is a bit of a result. There was a definite gulf in quality between the two packs, the 40l suffers from cheap hardware (zips and buckles) but nothing broke and the pack  did the job, so I can’t complain at £17.

Despite varying degrees of rain over the weekend we had a thoroughly relaxing trip – a Kuksa or two of wine, a  shared Mountain House meal and some cookies and Anna was more than happy to brave the bugs and axe murderers. Similarly, I was impressed with the Argos kit; if I’d managed to procure the pack I initially requested the whole ensemble would have come in close to £100, which seems to disprove the old saying that ‘you get what you pay for’. In fact, stick a different logo on some of these products, display them in an outdoors shop and I’m positive that people would happily pay double.

So, as summer seems to be drawing to a close (in Scotland at least), empty that big jar of loose change, sell that Pokemon card collection, head along to Argos and take a friend camping. For an investment of under £100 you could have a walking companion for life.

I recently had the privilege of a behind the scenes tour of Scottish outdoor clothing manufacturer Keela’s facility in deepest darkest Fife.  The majority of my time was spent up in the attic being updated on their current range, as well as  flicking through the 2010/2011 workbook. The lightweight range definitely looks interesting, as those that made it to Friedrichshafen should be able to confirm. Until there are production models to play with I’ll not elaborate too much – but there are some lightweight down pieces as well as ‘multi-activity’ items utilising Keela’s vast range of inhouse fabrics.

This is where Keela get really interesting – and this post gets considerably more geeky. Probably not many pictures of hills coming up….

So, whilst the Keela brand has been in existence for 21 years, the parent company, Ardmel Automation, has been going for closer to 37. Ardmel actually invented the tape seam sealing machine, transforming an industry dependant upon hand seam-sealing almost overnight. That’s right – in the late seventies mass produced outdoors gear was still being seam sealed by rows of women on big benches using the same paint and daub method that many of us know and love. Ardmel’s machines changed that, and the chances are that the  waterproof you have in the cupboard was taped using an Ardmel machine.

This machine can be loaded with a vast selection of tapes, dependant upon the garment being sealed, as well as offering all kinds of exciting customisation options.

The next piece of equipment is simple, but genius. I’ve always wondered how they carry out hydrostatic head testing on fabrics, and this is how:

It’s pretty much as it looks – stretch the fabric/seam over the white test pot, set the desired test pressure and turn it on. For reference, the MOD consider anything over 800mm as ‘waterproof’, whereas the European standard is 1000mm, referencing the height of the theoretical column of water that the fabric can support over it before leaking. All largely irrelevant as almost all ‘waterproof’ fabrics  surpass this figure many times, except where seams have been poorly sealed, and this is Keela’s area of interest. Note in the photo above that a ‘X-seam’ is being tested, a kind of worst case scenario.

Once at the desired hydrostatic head/pressure, the seam is left overnight just to be totally sure that it doesn’t leak. Sadly Sam didn’t test the seam to destruction – the pressurised jet of water might have been a bit dangerous I suppose – but she did with the next machine.

The Tensometer! Pretty simple, put the fabric in the jaws, tighten and turn the wheel on the right. The LCD display on the left measures the force (up to 980N or 100Kg), and again there are British and European standards that have to be met. The best bit is that with this machine you CAN test to destruction safely, and it’s amazing how taut you can get the fabric before it bursts.

The photo above shows a test of an ultrasonically bonded seam, as per the Flytepacker Packraft (with larger seam allowances) and non-VPL underwear (apparently…..). Of course, Ardmel make an ultrasonic sewing machine to create these seams, which are totally watertight due to lack of needle holes, require less seam allowance and eliminate puckering. The machine looks almost identical to an industrial sewing machine, and operates almost identically too. In fact, Ardmel’s first ultrasonic sewing machine was a modification of just that. This same ultrasonic technology is used to cut 2 and 3 layer fabric with totally clean, fused edges that can be pretty intricate designs.

So, Keela use these machines to join fabrics and test their seams – but Keela/Ardmel have also designed most of their own fabrics too. Rather than the familiar Goretex, eVENT and Pertex brands, Keela have developed their own proprietary fabrics and membranes that in tests are claimed to surpass the performance of the well-known alternatives.  There are more details here, and the arguments are compelling, especially when backed up by results from the Leeds University Centre for Technical Textiles (I want a go in their rain room….)

As well as testing at Leeds University, Ardmel have their own testing machines that attempt to replicate some of the conditions that their fabrics could encounter in the outdoors.

The machine above is a ‘twisty-rubby’ machine (I’m sure that’s not the proper name) which stretches, twists and abrades the sample thousands of times to assess longevity. It’s a real ‘worst-case scenario’ situation, but it’s best to test too much than not enough, right?

This is a condensation chamber – the nozzles continually spray water onto the fabrics to represent rain, and the environment inside the perspex box is controlled to replicate a sweaty hiker. The breathability of the fabrics can then be easily compared. It’s a bit of a simplistic test compared to the labs at Leeds University, but can offer an interesting comparison nonetheless.

Keela cater primarily to clients such as the MOD, Police and mountain rescue (plus the Isle of Man postal service strangely), all who have specific requirements and technical standards. The fact that Keela have the onsite support of Ardmel allows them to have an idea for a garment (human or animal), design a machine to achieve it and prototype it all in one location has to give them a competitive edge, and this is borne out  by the exciting samples filling every available space in the offices.  I wish I’d seen the pig sperm-warming blankets though.

As Keela have applied this ethos of innovation and risk taking to their 2011 workbook the initial images and samples look very promising, with several items that are sure to appeal to the lightweight backpacker at a very competitive price. Unpretentious, practical and innovative, there’s some cool stuff happening in this unassuming industrial estate in Fife.

Prototype Mountain Rescue Jacket

I’m sometimes surprised by nature’s palette, particularly when it interacts with the austere practicality of the inner city.

The succession of fronts that have passed over Scotland recently has resulted in some spectacular light shows that augment the metallic manmade structures alongside the River Clyde.

I love walking the mile or so along the river home after a weekend spent in the outdoors – once the crowds have gone nature reasserts herself and reminds us that no matter how much we may feel in control, we’re just renting the place. No idea what she’s going to say about the oil stains on the carpet, mind….

In my last post I explained my personal requirements from a packraft – a means for crossing a body of water rather than an expedition vessel in itself – so I’ve been most attracted to the lightest, most packable packrafts. The market leader in this category is most probably the Alpacka Scout, which featured in my first packrafting video and seemed to tick most of the right boxes for lightweight backpacking use. The obvious compromises are the length, only an issue for a long-legged six footer, and the small stern tube diameter which encourages moist trousers in choppy water. These compromises are acceptable in a boat designed purely with weight in mind, but on anything other than a short hop they become less ideal. It’d be great if you could somehow ‘stretch’ the Scout, making it more comfortable, whilst keeping the weight down. Maybe it’d even be a bit cheaper? I think the deciding factor is the Alpacka fabric – even on the Scout it’s incredibly durable and more than capable of handling the abuse that the ‘normal’ whitewater Alpackas can take. The discontinued Curtis Designs raft -based on WWII aircrew liferafts – used a far lighter fabric that was most definitely not pointy rock-proof, but sufficient for short, calm river floating and lakes. If only they were still available, or you could get a slightly larger Scout made from this fabric…..

Enter the Flyweight Designs FlytePacker packraft.

The dimensions are closer to the Curtis Designs raft and Sevylor Trailboat than the Alpacka – the FlytePacker features a bulbous stern tapering down to a narrower bow, with an internal length sufficient for me to just about sit with my legs straight out. The large diameter stern tubes hold huge amounts of air and as a side effect form a really comfortable back rest.

I found that my old-style Alpkit Wee Airic self-inflating mat fitted into the bottom of the boat almost perfectly – it could have been made to measure – and added a bit of insulation from the water as well as padding.  The tubes are formed from several segments with neatly trimmed external RF welded seams – it looks a bit odd, but works – and are inflated by an excellent Boston valve. These valves really are superb, and feature on most consumer inflatable boats with good reason.

The valve consists of three parts, from the top: a dust cap, a non-return valve and an aperture. To inflate, simply remove the dust cap and blow. The non-return valve prevents air escaping between puffs, handy as there’s no pump or inflation bag supplied with the boat.  Other inflation devices can be ‘adapted’ to fit, or a standard hand, foot or 12V pump can be attached. I found around 50 lungfuls to be sufficient though, with only a short recovery period required. I’d not bother carrying the extra weight of a pump. To deflate, unscrew both the non-return valve and the dust cap and deflation is pretty rapid. Yes, a whole paragraph extolling the virtues of a plastic valve. Flattr at will….

Other than the valve, the only other fittings are the three lashing points which have been secured in a manner that allows them to be ripped out without compromising the integrity of the tubes. I was confused by the position of these at first – assuming that these were to accommodate the lashing of a rucksack I initially positioned myself in the narrower end of the boat and quickly found myself performing the aquatic equivalent of a wheelie. The manufacturers explained that in fact the lashing points were designed as row-locks – a proportion of their target audience  are fishermen that would welcome the ability to row the raft rather than paddle kayak-style. In fact, I found that the raft moved particularly well when paddled in ‘reverse’ or stern first, and as my paddles break down into sections this could be a viable method with the addition of a bit of shock cord.

With the local rivers little more than trickles, Steve and I headed for Loch Awe last weekend hoping to explore the many islands and ruins. It became immediately apparent that paddling the FlytePacker into a headwind against the current just wasn’t going to happen, so we aborted (not that Steve was having any issues in Doris, by the way) and headed for the familiarity of the Loch Lomond islands and a wild camp. Although nowhere near as fast as a canoe or kayak (or pretty much any other watercraft) the boat felt perfectly safe and stable over the course of the paddle to the islands. Plenty of room for my medium-sized bag (a larger bag would have been easier as it could have spanned the tubes above my feet) and the opportunity to change my foot position to ward off cramp. The large diameter tubes kept the wake from speeding jetskis at bay too.

So, conclusions after this first brief trip. In my opinion, for the ultralight backpacker looking for a means to cross non-technical water, the fisherman looking to access the prime swim in the middle of an alpine lake or anyone who has always wanted to carry a boat in their briefcase ‘just in case’, the FlytePacker might well be your perfect companion. Just get one before they sell out. Again.

Stats:

Weight: 1046g in bag with repair kit, 982g for just the boat

Price: $269

Availability: http://flyweightdesigns.com/products.aspx (plus detailed stats)

I’ve had quite a few questions from people looking to use a packraft in the UK – mainly revolving around how to keep warm and dry. In a packraft you will almost certainly get wet – the extent is of course dependant upon the type of craft, a small minimalist boat like the Flytepacker or a spraydecked expedition boat like the Denali Llama. An open boat with smaller tubes tends to lead to splashing and a wet lap, whereas a spraydeck negates this but adds weight. It’s a compromise.

My packrafting experience this far is with the smaller boats – for me a packraft is a tool to be used to cross bodies of water that stand in the way of a long distance walk, rather than as an expedition vehicle itself. In Packrafting!, author Roman Dial makes the distinction between Sport Boating, “using your packraft like any other recreational, muscle-sport boat”, Day Boating ” preferably you’ll hike and boat in equal measure of distance, if not time”, and Wilderness and Adventure Racing “don’t use special clothing. [This] will keep you moving faster”.

My packraft usage aligns closest to the latter (though ‘racing’ might not apply…), where the packraft is used to cross rivers and lakes as a time saving measure. As such, I don’t want to have to carry specialist clothing in addition to the extra weight of the packraft, paddle and buoyancy aid. I’ve struggled to find the optimum combination of walking and packrafting clothing, and inevitably there are some compromises, particularly when considering gear that can be used in the depths of winter. Cold water and down insulation don’t mix, and taking a plunge at -7°C without something warm to get into or the means to make a fire, could be nasty.

When I considered the part of my body that got most wet when on the water in November with Colin, it was the feet. To avoid sitting on the bottom of the river, you need to wade out to some extend in order to launch – this is OK in summer in sandals or quick-draining trail shoes, but in winter? In addition to wet feet, not being able to perform a particularly efficient paddle stroke due to a short (light)  paddle and the height of the tubes means you end up with a wet crotch. The idea situation would be one of Alpacka Rafts’ two-piece breathable drysuits, which have been in development for what feels like a decade now, and perform dual duty as walking waterproofs and packraft wear. Bored of waiting, I explored other options, and came across the Kokatat Tempest Pant, which, joy of joys, has built in socks! Kokatat make alternative trousers with a Goretex membrane, or their proprietary TROPOS T3 membrane, but I love the Tempest Pants with socks – they make so much sense. The TROPOS fabric is pretty close, if not identical, to that used in the Alpacka prototypes, and really does appear to breathe. In addition, the wide neoprene adjustable waistband eliminates the ‘builders’ bum’ effect and resultant soggy underwear. Great news. There’s enough room to layer insulation beneath them, both legs and feet, so for winter use feet can remain toasty warm in thick merino socks. Weight? Around 500g.

In addition to the trousers, I found that a standard waterproof jacket works fine. No need for a drytop or anything – the main water entry point is the cuffs and this can be blocked by the use of overlapping waterproof mitts – I like Terra Nova Tuffbags.  Beneath this the standard layering system applies, though I thoroughly recommend the use of synthetic insulation over down for obvious reasons.

I’ve uploaded a short video showing one example of this system in use on an overnight trip, though I might choose a thin merino baselayer on a longer journey rather than the synthetic shown. The Flyrocs are one size bigger than normal to accommodate the drytrouser socks (and thick insulative socks in the winter), though I have wide feet and others may not find this size increase necessary. The video also shows a standard foam buoyancy aid – this trip was on Loch Lomond which has alot of water traffic including police patrols, and an outward impression of safety is always a good thing when floating in what appears to be a large rubber ring.  The Mountain Laurel Designs MoPacka would be my choice ‘in the field’.

I’ve got a few items on test from the current and future Keela range – the Quantum Jacket, ADS Short Sleeve Zip Top and Mocha Advance microfleece.

Keela don’t really fall into the normal  ’ultralight’ bracket – they produce durable, practical clothing from their production facility in Scotland, primarily for the emergency services and military users. The result is a range of simple, no-frills products that actually manage to be lighter than many ‘mainstream’ equivalents due to the lack of unnecessary features and overt branding. Prices are keen too, surprising for a manufacturer that has avoided the draw of cheap production in the Far East.

The Quantum is the kind of jacket that I’d use in winter, combining a grid-pattern fleece with weather-resistant outer to form a really useful all-in-one outerlayer that can easily be layered further with the addition of another insulation piece such as the Belay Advance Jacket underneath.  As it was, I needed to get some photos to Keela for their winter catalogue, so both the Quantum and the ADS Top got their first tests on a warm summer day at a secret location just outside exotic Motherwell.

I’ve not really embraced the recent softshell explosion, other than my trusty Paramo and a pile & Pertex jacket which I suppose are the ‘original’ softshell concept? I’ve  more or less resigned my Paramo Velez  to sailing and winter cycling use now, and a firm believer in the traditional UL layering system for four seasons I’ve not really seen a full-time place for softshell in my wardrobe. But I noticed that Steve of Suluk46 uses them in the Canadian winter, so maybe they’re worth another look?  Plus, as the jacket will be worn full time, weight in your pack isn’t really relevant. Offsetting the need to carry a separate midlayer though, really is…. hmmm…

So now to the the Quantum. This jacket uses Keela’s AirXtream Advanced Softshell fabric, which layers a stretchy, matt-finish water-resistant outer layer with a hydrophilic (water-loving) membrane, and the grid-pattern inner lining that promises to maximise the air gap between the garment and skin. This air gap can help to minimise that sweaty, clammy feeling common with hardshell jackets, as well as trap warm air to enhance insulation where necessary. Seams are taped to enhance weatherproofing, suggesting that this fabric might well be as water resistant as non-waterproof Paramo.

Walking with purpose around the secret location in fairly warm temperatures I was surprised to find that through venting (using the double-ended zip, excellent pit zips and pockets) I was able to remain at a decent temperature throughout, and the ‘Air Channel Matrix’ really did seem to prevent any feeling of clamminess that may have existed. Of course, a layering system needs to be considered holistically, and I wore the ADS top underneath the jacket. The ADS technology claims to disperse moisture across the surface of the fabric, thus allowing for more efficient evaporation. This is where the hydrophilic membrane comes in – this seemed to ‘pull’ the moisture from the surface of the ADS top, through the membrane and through the jacket face fabric.  The system seems to work – I sweat, the top spreads out the moisture, the jacket ejects it. Nice.

With regards to fit – it’s a British-designed jacket, so perhaps a little less ‘athletic’ than the likes of Arcteryx or brands designed for people 5′ 8″ /170cm tall with short arms. I’m 6′ 2″/185cm with a *ahem* ‘stocky’ build, and the Large fitted very nicely, with good, long sleeves topped with Velcro-fastening cuffs without those nasty stiff  plastic tabs.  Two good handwarmer pockets and a Napoleon pocket with quality zip-pulls offer ample storage possibilities, though will obviously be partially covered with a pack hipbelt.  The drawcord hem allows the jacket to be cinched in nicely to prevent any draughts, and the length coupled with double-ended zip would allow for a climbing harness to be worn hassle-free. It’s a proper alpine cut that allows for great freedom of movement.

Alpine styling, harness compatible, stretchy fabric, sounds ideal for mountaineering and winter use right? Wrong. The hood isn’t helmet compatible. It’s one of those medieval archer style close-fitting hoods that unrolls from within the collar. It has a volume adjuster, and it’s made from the same fabric as the rest of the jacket (hence reassuringly cosy) you just can’t get a mountaineering helmet underneath it. I tried wearing one over the top, and quickly realised that the volume adjuster cordlock on the back made that impossible. Besides, the chin strap compromises the integrity of the well-designed,  up-to-your-nose collar.   I just don’t understand.

However, I can’t remember the last time I used my climbing helmet (I can think of many occasions when I should have though) and for winter backpacking and snowshoe trips I tended to wear a warm hat anyway, so for my applications I suppose the non-helmet hood isn’t a big deal. This won’t be getting much use for a few months now (hopefully) so I won’t get the opportunity to find out just how this fairs in a Scottish winter, but as a jacket designed and tested in Scotland I have high hopes.

Stats

Weight: 690g (size L)

Price: SRP £99.95

Availability: from Keela direct, or many  independent outdoors shops.