Review: The Montane Men's Ace Jacket

Whenever we get the first look at products for the new season, there's always at least one that stands out and I think to myself "I must have this". There was no exception when Chris from Montane came in to give us the lowdown on what was new for Autumn/Winter 2012. Now we've actually received the large majority of stock for the Winter season I stuck to my guns and got myself the Montane Men's Ace Jacket.

I've had it a couple of weeks now and I have to admit I've mainly used it as more of a casual piece, heading out to the football or just for general around town use. Really the jacket is geared towards rock climbers, ideal for multi pitches and bouldering especially. The jacket itself uses an OkEarth fabric, a recycled material to make it as environmentally friendly as possible. The outer of the Ace has the classic soft to the touch but durable soft shell feel with a water repellent coating, that copes pretty well with a light shower or two. There was one weekend not that long back that I found myself walking from the car to the football ground and the heavens decided to open (this is a great advert for taking a waterproof with you in the car), I was fully expecting to get a good drenching, but as I hurried into the dry I found that the water had for the most part beaded off and any damper sections had dried off in a matter of minutes.

The inner lining of the Ace Jacket is it's shining glory. Instead of the same soft shell fabric inside, on the torso you get a fabulously plush and soft to the touch high loft fleece lining. It's only a thin lining, but as soon as you don the jacket the cosiness is palpable. Don't get me wrong, I wouldn't recommend wearing it out in blizzard like conditions in the heart of Winter on it's on, but for general usage or at the rock face, it's an extra bit of luxury that elevates the jacket to higher reaches (if you pardon the climbing pun).

Spec wise, the Jacket has flatlocked seams throughout for extra durability and comfort against the skin and anything you may be wearing underneath. It's articulated arms allow for high reach movement and has been tailored specifically to reduce hem lift. Two substantial hand warmer pockets provide plenty of room for your accessories or your hands of course if its a tad nippy. The hand pockets have also been fleece lined on one side for extra comfort and have been placed well clear of a backpack or climbing harness. The full length, reversed and baffled one way YKK front zip also makes for ease of use with a backpack or climbing harness as well. Low bulk elastic cuffs give a nice snug fit around your hands to cut out cold spots, but also allow adjustment to roll up your arms if you get a tad overheated.

The Montane Men's Ace Jacket costs £89.99 and weighs in at 480g. We've currently got it in two colours; Black/Steel Zips and Moroccan Blue/Alpine Red Zips. I plumped for the more colourful Moroccan Blue just to add a bit more liveliness to my wardrobe and outdoor pursuits!

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