Marmot Artemis Jacket – £200 / 340g

Review

The Artemis is all about the breathability of the NanoPro Membrain fabric – Marmot claims moisture vapour transmission rate of 47,000 g/24h and a hydrostatic head spec of 10,000mm, which is remarkably high. And for once, we have to say that real life results do seem to live up to the hype. The jacket is one of the most breathable waterproofs we’ve tried and up to serious uphill thrashing as well as running and biking. A great call if you run hot, fast and sweaty.

The rest of the jacket is familiar Marmot alpine-style shell. The fit isn’t quite as refined as ME’s but it’s cut long and slim with plenty of stretch in the fabric for both fit and mobility thanks to the proven Angel Wing cut. There are venting pockets and pit-zips for cooling breeze induction and a decent helmet hood, though the mouldable, laminated peak is a little on the soft side by UK standards.

Finally, the Artemis is impressively light for an alpine shell at a measured 340g, halfway between the MHW and ME jackets.

Pros

The cut and features are both decent – there’s a Vislon zip for example – but where the Artemis plays a blinder is in the breathability department. It scores as well in real life as it does in the lab and means you stay comfortable for longer when you’re really pushing on.

Cons

The hood peak is a little on the soft side, something it has in common with many US jackets and while the fabric uses a polyamide / Nylon face, the soft feels has us wondering how durable it would be if really abused.

Best For

Weight conscious hot and sweaty mountaineers, walkers and alpinists.

More info: www.marmot.com.

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Mountain Hardwear Stretch Plasmic Jacket – £170 / 290g

Review

New for spring/summer 2014, the MHW Stretch Plasmic follows on from the original entry-level Plasmic Jacket, but has more features including pit-zips and – the clue is in the name – stretch. To be fair it’s more ‘give’ than elasticated boinginess, but it’s there and combined with the dry-feeling 2.5 layer fabric, gives the jacket a really nice feel.

If the fabric works like the original Plasmic – watch this space for a full review – then breathability should be decent, without being outstanding, but then with a weight of just 290g it’s going to be as happy sat in your pack until needed for summer downpours as being worn.

Pros

Things we like about the Stretch Plasmic include a nice fitting hood that moves with your head, a sleek, close, athletic cut which the stretch helps to keep unrestrictive, the mad green colour which is more vivid in real life than in pics and a good list of features for the weight including handy, unobtrusive mini pit-zips.

Cons

The pit-zips need an added cord loop on the zip-pull to make them useable and in an ideal world, we’d add a wired brim to the lightly stiffened peak. No women’s version currently.

Best For

Balance of lightness and features at a decent price.

More info: www.mountainhardwear.eu.

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OMM Kamleika Race Jacket II – £160 / 260g

Review

Kamleika has been around for yonks and is often overlooked, but it’s a super-stretchy, minimal rustle, soft-feel fabric that we really like. While the stripped-down Kamleika Race Smock is aimed at gramme-counting mountain marathon types, the revised Jacket version is much more of a fast and light all-rounder with a more forgiving cut.

It’s still pretty light though at 261g for our medium test jacket and has a more modern look thanks to new colours and water-resistant zippers plus even more stretch thanks to new stretch tape on the seams.

The pay-off for all that stretch is that the jacket has a neat, close fit to it that’s completely non-restrictive and works equally well for running, biking, light walking and even wet weather road-cycling, though the hood does get in the way there. If you do get hot, roll up the sleeves and use the mesh-lined pockets for additional venting.

The hood is more lightweight minimal with very limited stiffness than a mountain one, but then it’s aimed at fast movers rather than gnarly mountaineers.

Pros

If stretch and neat cut with a drop-tail is your thing, they don’t come much stretchier than Kamleika. The quiet, soft feel makes it a pleasure to wear when running and biking and the fit is close but non-restrictive because of the give in the fabric. We also like all the reflective bits – great for night time use.

Cons

Hood is a little soft in the brim plus the 65% Polyester fabric isn’t the toughest option out there.

Best For

Comfortable fast-moving multi-sport option with unique levels of stretch and quiet performance.

More info: www.mountain-equipment.co.uk.

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