Mo■ta■e Icarus/Phoenix £150

■ I■su●atio■ Primaloft Thermoplume

■ Me■’s S-XXL (Icarus) ■ Wome■’s 8-16 (Phoenix) ■ Weight 605g (size M)

IT'S GOOD

This is a great warm jacket for throwing on at the summit.

It’s packed with Primaloft Thermoplume insulation, which is said to offer similar performance to 500 fill power down. The nylon Pertex Eco outer fabric fends off the wind well too. The sleeve movement is superb, without a hint of the cuffs or hem riding up. The two main pockets are wellplaced so you can access them easily even if wearing a rucksack, and there is a third chest pocket for a GPS receiver. A nice touch is a section of soft brushed material at the top of the zip to protect against any rubbing of the chin. In many ways this performs almost as well as those with more chilling price tags.

HOWEVER

It is a little heavier than others (and note this was a size medium, while others are size large), but also others have additional features. So for example the hem and the cuffs do not get any adjustment apart from elastication. The hood has no adjustment either, and while it did fit well it did not move at all with the head. A more subtle aspect of the jacket is that the fabric feels a little stiffer than some others with higher price tags, so it feels just a little less comfortable to wear. The price is not the lowest either.

VERDICT

For many this would be ideal to throw into the rucksack in winter when heading to the hills, but there are some drawbacks.