Have you heard of Montane? You will. Based in the UK and very popular in Europe, Montane is becoming a force in the outdoor industry market in the United States, and with due reason; they make solid outdoor gear.
A jacket has never so much earned its’ name as the Montane Featherlite Down Jacket. Weighing just over 14 ounces, this jacket is one of the lightest, most compressible jackets I’ve ever worn. I’ve been sporting it here in Seattle on particularly colder days, and it’s my go-to choice for hiking in the snowy mountains just outside of the city.
The Featherlite jacket is a revamped model of Montane’s Nitro jacket, the major change being the addition of the hood to the Featherlite jacket. Two handwarming pockets in the front, a chest pocket and small inner pocket keeps the design minimal and simplistic. The jacket is 750 down fill power, exceptionally warm and, as I can attest to, weighs as light as a feather. 🙂
A big concern I have with wearing down jackets in the Pacific Northwest is the damp, wet weather. I was pleasantly surprised by the Featherlite. The jacket has a windproof, 100% PERTEX outer layer which is a lightweight fabric with excellent strength to weight ratio. This means (to you non-gear junkies out there) that you can really put the gear through the ringer without worry for tearing or-gasp!-down getting wet.
The hood is one of my favorite features with this jacket, it really comes in handy on those colder days outside. Small tabs at the front of the hood allowed me to easily cinch down the jacket when it was really windy out. And finally, on those sunny bluebird days, I found the stuff sac to be useful to pack away my jacket and clip it to my backpack.
Since it’s a UK company, the sizes are european, but not to worry, they match side-by-side with XS-XL. I did notice that the jacket is a slim fit, with ample room in the shoulder, but very tight around the torso. Even with the female jacket and a larger size, it was tight around my hips. I did though enjoy the slightly longer cut at the bottom, which kept my back covered while I would lean over to fix my boots.
This jacket would be best suited for those who are very active in cold climates, and need an exceptionally light, durable jacket for their outdoor sports. All in all I’m very impressed with Montane and look forward to seeing what their other products have to offer for the female outdoor enthusiast.
The Featherlite Down Jacket can be bought for $257 here on the Montane website.