A new favourite
Montane Alpine Raid Hoodie £100
Remember when fleeces were dull and boring? Well the Alpine Raid Hoodie is anything but. Aside from having a name that makes it sound like a piece of Special Forces kit, it works flawlessly. It’s light and fitted, so it can be worn comfortably under a shell. But it’s also really stretchy, so I’m not restricted by it. Tough? Yep, it’s that too; the Pontetorto (wonderful word, rolls of the tongue) Tecnostretch fabric has a Cordura (the stuff they make motorcycle clothing out of) face for enhanced durability. And, of course, it’s warm – it’d be a fairly poor excuse for a fleece if it wasn’t. The only slight niggle is that at £100 it’s a relatively pricey fleece when you can pick one up for around £20 – if not less – from the middle of Lidl sometimes. But I know which one I’d rather take out onto the hill with me, which one I’d trust to keep me warm and protected on a Scottish 4000ft peak
(or even an Alpine 4000m summit, for that matter), and it’s not the supermarket special.
Verdict
Simply one of the most versatile fleeces I’ve ever owned. USED BY Ben Weeks,
Trail senior writer
USED FOR 3 months