Read on as Martha from HQ takes Montane’s new ultra-warm jacket up to Scotland and gives her thoughts.
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As well as being committed to creating lightweight and functional products, Montane is also committed to offering more sustainable choices within its range. The Anti-Freeze XT Packable Hooded Down jacket is new in the Montane range and is offered as one of their ‘More Sustainable Choice’ products, this means, as a minimum, it uses more than 50% sustainable materials. This jacket has a Montane 100% ‘More Sustainable Content’ and uses a combination of recycled Nylon for the inner and outer and Responsible Down Standard certified duck down for the fill. A warm insulated jacket is essential for Autumn hiking, particularly in the Scottish Mountains and I have been lucky enough to test out the new Montane Women’s Anti-Freeze XT Packable Hooded Down jacket and was able to put this jacket through its paces whilst walking the Affric Kintail Way in Scotland in September.
The women’s Anti-Freeze XT is a super-warm down jacket, with great warmth-to-weight ratio, it is perfectly suited for a variety of activities in cold environments, keeping you warm in freezing temperatures. The jacket features a 100% recycled PERTEX® QUANTUM ECO rip-stop outer with PFC-free DWR meaning it is sustainable without compromising on its durability. The insulation is 190g of water-resistant duck down with a fill power of 750+, helping to keep you warm in damp environments. The down helps keep it lightweight and packable whilst retaining the warmth and it can be easily packed into its own stuff sack for convenience. There are many features to help keep out the bitter cold; a cinchable hem, adjustable cuffs and hood help to lock in the warmth, and these along with the helmet-compatible hood and full-length, two-way YKK front zip mean that it is suitable for a range of activities. The two zipped pockets and internal zipped chest pocket mean that you can easily keep your valuables on hand and stored safely, and the supplied stuff sac means it can be simply packed away and stored with ease.
The Anti-Freeze XT jacket was the perfect accompaniment during my time walking the Affric Kintail Way in Scotland, on the cold and windy evenings, a warm but packable jacket was essential. The high down fill power meant that I was kept very comfortable and would definitely have been happy with temperatures far lower. Because it is filled with down, it compresses down to an impressive size in its stuff sac without compromising on the warmth, this made it ideal to carry in my rucksack as it took up very little room and would very easily fit in a day pack. I also found the jacket in its stuff sac a perfect pillow, and having multi-functional products is always a bonus when you are carrying all your gear! The ‘Mountain’ fit means that you can accommodate versatile layers underneath, and although not needed for the temperatures in Scotland at the time, the jacket felt spacious enough for plenty of layers when needed, but still worked exceptionally well to keep me warm over a base layer.
I think the Montane Anti-Freeze XT Packable Hooded Down jacket is an ideal option for anyone who would like a very warm down jacket with a small pack size for adventures in extreme environments. In addition to this, the sustainability credits this jacket has, make it an even better choice for people who would like to ensure they are reducing their impact on the environment. I can definitely see myself using this jacket for many different adventures throughout the winter and will be reassured I will be kept warm and comfortable.
