Montane Waterproofs: The Minimus & eVent Venture Jackets

Judging by the looks of things outside today and by the weather forecast for the rest of the week, it's the ideal time to have a gander at a couple of waterproofs. Following on from the shiny new banner on our home page we thought we'd have a closer look at how Montane are going to be keeping the rain at bay over the coming months.

First up we have the Montane Men's (and Women's) Minimus Jacket. It's a 'does what it says on the tin' jobby, weighing only a minimal amount, 215g for the Men's to be more precise, making it one of the lightest fully waterproof jackets on the market. It's been made with Pertex Shield Plus, offering high levels of waterproof protection (20,000mm HH) and windproofing. The Pertex Shield Plus fabric is also soft to the touch and incredibly breathable, making the ideal piece to wear for fast paced endurance activities where you need a high amount of moisture transfer. It's also just as at home being used as a regular walking waterproof for the hills. It's lightweight construction and packability also makes it easy to stuff into your rucksack when you don't want to be without a waterproof just in case the heavens decide to open.

Spec wise the Minimus Jacket features a roll away mountain hood with reinforced wired peak and an elasticated volume adjuster. It comes with one large mesh ventilated chest pocket, with plenty of room to store a map and other documents. There's also a full length YKK zip with internal storm flap and rain drain. To make for a customized fit the Minimus has a single hand adjustable elasicated drawcord hem, face aperture and hook and loop adjustable cuffs with rubberized tabs. 360 degree reflectivity ensures you can wear the jacket when the starts to disappear, also a handy feature for cyclists. And as if the jacket couldn't get any more packable, it also comes with it's own Montane stuffsac, sorted!

Heading into a more mountaineering orientated product, we have the Montane Men's eVent Venture Jacket. It uses an eVent waterproof membrane, an ingenious composition which allows millions on tiny pores to breathe at their full potential while remaining completely waterproof. eVent wateproofs are ideal for faster, strenuous activities, because of these optimum levels of breathability. The eVent Venture has been constructed with Hi-tenacity and durable nylon reinforcements on the shoulder and seats, so you don't have to fret about abrasion when wearing a pack. The jacket comes with a roll away helmet compatible hood with a wired peak and an elasticated volume adjuster with single hand operated face aperture drawcords.

Two large zippered chest pockets with water resistant zips provide the idea sanctuary for maps, documents and other gadgets that need to be sheltered from any wet conditions. There's also an internal bonded chest pocket to keep valuables safe. The eVent Venture also features a handy durable water repellent beardguard chinguard for extra weather protection and next to skin comfort. Like the Minimus it also has a good amount of flexibility regarding customization with a single hand operated adjustable drawcord hem and part elasticated hook and loop adjustable cuffs with rubberized tabs. The eVent Venture Jacket weighs in at 450g, so not quite as lightweight as the Minimus, but still an extremely packable, performance waterproof jacket.

You can check out our entire Montane range, including Insulation, Fleeces, Legwear and Equipment on our Montane Home Page!