Paramo Ostro Alize Ultra Light Jacket | Review - Outdoors Magic

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Paramo Ostro Alize Ultra Light Jacket | Review

You'll hardly notice this 120g windproof jacket from Paramo

We’re spoilt rotten when it comes to super powers these days. No, stay with me here. It’s true. Seemingly a week doesn’t go by without another multimillion dollar big screen version of some comic book or other coming out where people can fly, or shoot lasers from their eyes, or sling spiderwebs from their wrists, or hide a massive, highly developed city behind some trees having eaten a flower.

“You genuinely hardly notice them when you hold them in your hand”

It makes it easy to lose sight of our own, every-day little super powers, like stirring your girlfriend’s tea with the spoon you stirred your coffee with and her not noticing, or getting a zero scoring answer on TV’s pointless (albeit from the comfort of your sofa).

Paramo want to add to your arsenal of super powers with their Ostro and Alize Ultra Light jackets.

The Ostro, and female-specific Alize (not pictured here), really are incredible bits of kit. When Paramo put Ultra Light in the name, they aren’t kidding. Weighting in at less than 120g, you genuinely hardly notice them when you hold them in your hand. They genuinely feel no heavier than a sheet of A4 paper.

“The Ostro and Alize jackets are ideal for hiking, climbing cycling, or just about anything that you want to do outdoors”

Both the Ostro and the Alize also pack down into a single internal pocket which, when all said and done, is smaller than your average burrito. Weirdly, when packed down, they do feel a touch heavier, but we assume that’s to do with scienctific things like surface mass and, err, gravity? The point is, they’re so light, and pack down so small, that you’ll hardly notice them when they’re stashed in your bag. It’s as if they’ve become invisible.

For their light weight, the Paramo Ostro and Alize jackets pack one hell of a tech punch. They use ultralight Nikwax Windproof fabric. This not only gives you protection from cold gusts (and the sun’s rays we should add) but also means they’re water resistant enough to cope with light rain. Imagine Captain America’s shield but, you know, in an outdoor context.

Features include a helmet-friendly hood which has a cinch on the back and a semi-rigid peak to keep the rain out of your face, plus ventilation zips to help you dump the heat when you start to work up a sweat.

 

Here’s the really clever thing though. Combine the Ostro (or Alize) jacket with the Ostro (or Alize) fleece and you have a fully waterproof system.

All of these features and factors combine to make for a men’s or women’s jacket that really is ideal for hiking, climbing, cycling, or just about anything that you want to do outdoors this summer and autumn.

The Ostro is now consistently in any pack I take out with me thanks to the inconsistency of the British summer, not least in the North West of the country. In fact, even if i don’t take a bag out, anything other than blue skies outside mean it’s usually stuffed in a pocket somewhere.

“The fact it packs away to virtually nothing but when called upon will keep the wind and rain at bay – and also stop burning when the sun does put in a rare appearance – makes it a very useful bit of kit” – James Renhard, OM Gear Tester.

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