Mountain Equipment

Manaslu Women’s Jacket

£400 460g (M)

pockets, zips, underarm and cuff venting

noisy fabric, no soft chinguard

Fabric: Gore-Tex Pro 3L, 40D / reinforcements 80D Sizes: 8-16 (men Lhotse S-XXL) Performance stats: 28,000mm / n/a Back length: 73cm mountain-equipment.co.uk

My first impression was of fabric noise – the jacket crackled like a bag of crisps – although it seemed to quieten slightly after a few outings (or maybe I got used to it). Mountain Equipment (and Rab) has chosen the “most breathable” version of Pro and it works very well; I didn’t manage to create condensation or damp patches even in mixed warm/wet conditions. Waterproofing and DWR are excellent and the fabric isn’t prone to wetting out, even at rucksack contact points.

A large Gore-Tex tab at the nape secures the hood and traps sweat, whilst the lack of a soft chinguard lining meant the inner face quickly felt wet from exhaled breath. Cut is roomy but the hem is relatively narrow compared with the body allowance. Zips are AquaGuard wide-coil laminate with decent pulltoggles and sturdy storm -flap backing. The pit zips allow smooth, one-handed adjustment, and sit above a rucksack or harness hipbelt so vent effectively. Pockets are spot on: hand pockets well above a hipbelt, plus a large chest pocket and an internal mesh zipped stash. Wide cuffs vent and fit over or under most gloves, with a wide Velcro zone for adjustment.

The hood is mostly a thumbs-up: back-of-head adjustment for volume and pull-toggles below the chin to secure around the face. But the cords run to the peak and stop, so when they’re pulled, the peak points down over my face. Fortunately the soft-wire brim allows much better positioning than on older ME jackets. The fabric was noisy around my ears, and didn’t move well with my head. In a nutshell, I love the pockets, cuffs, zips, fabric performance, but am less keen on that birdsongdrowning fabric rustle, and the lack of a soft chinguard lining.