Montane Alpha Guide Jacket Review

Update - for AW2017 the Montane Alpha has been replaced by the Halogen Alpha which is a slightly different jacket - with Pertex Microlight outer all over and with 50g of Alpha across the jacket. The result is a lighter jacket at 351g instead of 510g for the Alpha Guide.

My basic review (Feb 2019 update) - Alpha is amazing and has replaced fleece for me. Wear it in low temperatures and it breathes well and works to create a great balance of warmth.

In recent years, Polartec have really created some innovative technologies - from various forms of insulation and fleece through to their extremely breathable NeoShell that seems to out-breathe any other hard shell.

The Montane Alpha Guide 

Montane Alpha Guide modelled very badly by Noddy

Designed mainly for climbers (and in cold temps), according to Montane, their Alpha Guide jacket packs 80g of Polartec Alpha (around the body, with a Pertex Microslight stretch face) with a DRYACTIV stretch material elsewhere on the top (arms, hood, shoulders).

Hood (with brushed liner)

Sleeve with thumb loops

Inside, there's a breathable lattice type material to wick away the sweat ('PEAQ Hyper' - which sounds like a Star Trek character...) 

Montane Guide inner  with 'PEAQ Hyper'

The jacket has a very active fit which is intentional. If you're thinking about wearing this with a few extra pounds around the waist etc, you may want to look elsewhere as the next size up would defeat the object of having a close-fitting top. The Alpha Guide also has some waist toggles to tighten things and a double-zip so you can get access to your harness etc.

So enough of the waffle, how does the thing work? Does it work? Is it better than a fleece?

The first thing to say is that it is deceptively warm. The day before the sunny-looking snowy pics taken on Heron Pike, I did the corridor route from Seatoller up to Scafell Pike in some brutal weather - heavy rain, low mist, very strong winds and then hail into snow. I had a warm winter baselayer, the Alpha Guide and a Goretex Pro hardshell on the top. The temps were low degrees C into minuses as I ascended. With the wind it was unbelievably cold (-12C or so). On the way down I found that my back was sweating quite a bit. It wasn't the hardshell leaking so was my sweat! I do beast walks quite a lot and my waterproof did get blown up in the winds. But probably I was a bit too hot!

Blasted atop Scafell Pike

The Alpha Guide itself is great and I didn't really feel cold until I started coming down, slowed down and felt the wet on my back. But then again I'd had rain for pretty much 90% of the 9 1/2 mile walk. 

I would recommend using the Alpha Guide carefully and in cold temperatures only. If you're on a mission either walking or climbing I'd advise thinking carefully about baselayer and not wearing a thick one unless temps are below zero without windchill - this is certainly true if you get hot easily like me. It may also be that it doesn't breathe as well because of being under a hardshell (maybe I do need that NeoShell waterproof...)

On other days I used the top, I was also warm. In the pics below (Heron Pike), I had a lighter baselayer and despite the winds, the Alpha Guide worked well (I only wore a baselayer on the steep start of the ascent). As long as you're moving and it's cold, it's great. 

The jacket does let the wind in and is fairly breathable but you'll need to judge when it's needed and when it's not,

So compared to a fleece? Hard to tell but they're probably similar. I did Fairfield in Feb 2015 and wore a fleece that day and it was about the right kind of balance on a day that hovered in and around -1C.

I would say that the Montane Alpha Guide is a great specialist jacket and would suit things like climbing in the cold and even winter climbing where it wasn't snowing etc. I'm looking forward to a cold winter where this can get some serious testing both on walks and winter mountaineering. I'll post back with my results....

My results are in (Feb 2019)... This was used several days with hugely varied temperatures, with windchill down to -17 on both long day walks in snow and on a winter skills course in deep snow with lots of standing around. The result being that I didn't even put on a 'belay' type insulated layer. So in low temps it's brilliant and one of my favourite bits of kit. Breathes well but as stated, I wouldn't consider wearing it in higher temperatures.

But if you want something different to a fleece (and certainly something that dries quicker), that compresses well, that is a sound midlayer and looks pretty darned nice, the Alpha Guide is a good, if not essential bit of kit. I'm completely sold on Polartec Alpha anyway and won't be going back to fleece.

Berghaus Deluge Waterproof Pants / Trousers / Overtrousers - Review

There are a number of pairs of waterproof trousers out there on the market, each with their own unique amount of features and purposes in mind.

There are other options that we'll consider below but if you're looking for a pair of solid waterproof over trousers then the Berghaus Deluge must be right up there...

Absolutely battered by wind on Place Fell - helped by the Berghaus Deluges

The picture shows myself and a mate on top of Place Fell in Feb 2015 on a day of very high winds and a fair amount of blustery rain. The Deluge pants coped admirably - as they did on a long walk for charity across Dartmoor in 2011 and everything in between!

So what makes the Deluge good value?

First up they're very hard-wearing - although this does mean they're heavier than I'd ideally like (390g). I would be confident of dragging these through any terrain! In comparison (for example), the Montane Minimus are 150g, although at £80-90, twice the cost of the Deluges.

Alternatives (Dec 2017)... Craghoppers do the 'all in one' Kiwi Waterproof trousers at £70 - 365g with Aqua Dry or a 'Gore Tex' pair (likely Paclite but not specified) but Paclite is not at all hard-wearing. Rab do an amazing pair of eVent ones at 320g but these cost a lot (£120 odd) but include extra knee protection. Montane do the Minimus ones which are amazingly lightweight (these would be nice in the pack sometimes!) or the Spine pants at 291g (again a bit pricey at £120+ but with Gore Tex Active). Mountain Equipment do the slightly lighter Firefox pant at 259g (again over £100 and Gore Tex Active) The obvious problem with light(er)weight overtrousers can be durability, something the Deluge ones are very unlikely to suffer from.

Secondly, they have almost full-length two-way zips (and poppers) on the outside of the leg which extends right to the bottom of the trousers and almost up to the waist. The bottom of the leg 'popper' isn't always found on other waterproof pants. This means they're very easy to get on... don't under-estimate the usefulness of this when the rain or snow suddenly comes down.

Thirdly this also means that venting is possible due to the zip / popper combination. The two-way zip is great for this - you can unzip and use the poppers to vent if the rain isn't too heavy. It's worth noting that the other higher end waterproof pants mentioned before also have 2 way zips.

Fourthly, these act as a great second layer in winter to keep the legs warm! I would much rather use waterproof trousers than baselayer leggings in any weather except very cold temps - much easier to regulate temperature - i.e. much easier to take them on and off. Obviously when very cold, you'd use waterproofs and leggings - possibly unless wearing something like Paramo.

The downside

The main downside of these is first of all their heavy-weight but more importantly, they're not very breathable. They're definitely less breathable than eVent and Neoshell which means you may not always put them on when it's warm and you may get a bit sweaty!

The other thing I've found is that they are really not at all fitted. In a hoolie on Dartmoor, I looked like the Michelin man and wondered if I'd take off. My friend wearing her Montane Spine waterproofs didn't have the same problem as they are more fitted (yet probably less durable). So, you pay your money and you make your choice according to features needed and cost.

Final thought

For the features and the price, the Berghaus Deluges are very hard to beat! Nothing else touches their features at their price. Paying more will give you more fitted, more breathable and towards the higher end, more durability and winter-specific features like crampon protection, snow gaiters etc.

Outdoors Trousers / Pants Review - Craghoppers Kiwi Pro Stretch, Montane Terra Pants, Bear Grylls Survivor Pants, Crahoppers Kiwi Classic

Outdoors Trousers Review - Craghoppers Kiwi Pro Stretch, Montane Terra Pants, Bear Grylls Survivor Pants, Crahoppers Kiwi Classic.

I've reviewed the Pro Stretch and the Bear Grylls in more detail on the site but this is a comparison type review!

I've worn all of these pants over the past 7 years and in all kinds of places and conditions. This is a mini review of each of these trousers to hopefully help you!

For the record I'm about 5'11", a 29-30 waist and an average / athletic build. I've got slightly short legs for my height.

Craghoppers Kiwi Trousers (Classic version)

On the shores of Buttermere

These are the original Kiwi trousers and I had these in grey, 30 waist and regular leg length. These are also available with zip off legs so they can become shorts. These come with a decent belt.

These are the baggiest and most 'heavyweight' feeling trousers out of all the ones I've had. They are very resilient and useful in all kinds of situations - outdoors and work. My friend took a pair with him when working in Belize and he swears by them.

However, they don't have any stretch and aren't the most manoeuvrable trousers I've ever worn! In fact my decision to retire them was because they just don't give any articulated movement. As a part-time mountain goat this doesn't help and you can forget scrambling well in them! They do dry out fairly well.

Highly recommended for basic walking and when you need a tough pair of trousers. Not recommended for scrambling, climbing and where you need lots of flex and movement.

They hold a map very well with the pocket perfectly sized.

Craghoppers Kiwi Pro Stretch

In the snow... in May

I've got these in black, 30 waist and regular length leg. These come without a belt.

The trousers are the best balance of great value general walking / scrambling pants. They are very stretchy, especially having come from a pair of the old Kiwi trousers.

They give plenty of freedom of movement. Despite being a 29-30 waist, I find the Pro Stretch very slightly tight around the waist - but it also gives a huge amount of stretch as well. I did have to re-sew the button (double stitches!) and that's been fine. They dry quickly too.

The downside is that they don't give any extra protection in the vulnerable areas like the bottom of the inside of the leg or on the knees / around the backside. For this reason I don't use them when scrambling unless it's basic grade 1 stuff or climbing.

These don't hold a map brilliantly as the trouser pocket is a bit loose and not quite deep enough. I wouldn't keep my map in these over very rough terrain or in very windy weather.

Bear Grylls Survivor Pants

The Bear Grylls pants... having survived part one of Lord's Rake

Got these in the grey / black size. Having read reviews, I went for these in the 32 waist and short legs (I got them cheap on ebay too...) The 32 waist is about right but it does mean I need the included belt to keep them up. I could have bought the 30 waist. Legs are a little short for me.

These are pretty hard-wearing and my automatic go-to trousers when I'm dragging them across rock etc. They do have a couple of flappy pockets on the legs which isn't ideal fro scrambling but they're pretty hard wearing (polyamide) and have slight reinforcement material in all the key areas - these areas are all stretch as well which is a nice touch.

Up towards Blencathra

The two side pockets are useless for holding a map in many ways - again, not quite deep enough and too loose and without the ability to keep them 'shut' with the map in.

These are a bit noisy when you walk in them - the Craghoppers Pro Stretch pants are silent. So just be aware of that as well.

Montane Terra Pants

I bought these in the graphite colour in size small - which equates to 28-30 waist.

These are the most expensive pair of trousers out of the four reviewed and it shows. There are touches in the Terras that aren't found on the other trousers.

The feel of these is very nice and they are incredibly lightweight in feel and touch. Don't be deceived by this - the tactel fabric with teflon surface is very hard-wearing indeed. They have vents at the top outside of the leg and a zip at the bottom of the pants as well. The knees are pre-bent, there are two deep pockets and there's reinforcement exactly where needed.

One thing I did find is that the elastic on the trousers is incredibly tight. I think I would only need the included belt if I were wearing an XL... The small is a great fit for me but so tight on the waist - there really needs to be more give. Even when I tried on a medium they were still really tight on the waist, except too baggy elsewhere. I have read a couple of reviewers saying this same thing.  The amazing thing is that I think my small Montanes stretch nearly 10cm beyond my waist, it's just the elastic is too rigorous.

Conclusion

So, you pay your money and take your choice. These are only a few of the many trousers available so get out there and find the pair that's right for you!

Rab MeCo 120 Long Sleeve Baselayer Review

Rab MeCo 120 is another good baselayer, this time from Rab. I've used this out in the hills, wearing around the place and even for sleeping in winter.

This is what Rab says: 

The MeCo 120 Long sleeve is a light weight long sleeved base layer made from a blend of Merino wool and Polyester with Cocona technology.  

The top is pretty good in terms of keeping away nasty miffs from under the armpits! This is one huge advantage of merino over some other materials like polyester, especially if the polyester is untreated! It may not quite be as a good as my Montane 100% merino in this way but the advantage is that the Rab MeCo is really nice to touch and wear - unlike 100% merino (generally anyway!)

The MeCo is fairly well fitting. I'm wearing a Medium size here and the MeCo sits pretty well on my average sized frame!

Modeled with baggy jeans on!

The neck is fairly wide, so while this helps with breathability, it's not as great in terms of keeping the chill off. Not a deal breaker by any means!!

If you like tops with a good length, the MeCo is great again, with the top hanging down well below the waist but also hanging fairly loosely. If you're wanting a fitted top, the MeCo isn't for you but it's a great top and baselayer!

Like a lot of Rab products, the baselayer has slightly overly long sleeves, which you'll see below. My thumb hasn't been cut off, it's disappeared under the baselayer length!!

If you care about things like colour, it's a really nice blend of royal blue and a dark-teal-black contrast under the arms and down the sides of the top.

So overall, a baselayer is a baselayer yes, but this one looks pretty good and works well. There's a small amount of bobbling around the place and I'm thinking this won't be the most resilient baselayer in the world. But it does its job, it doesn't pong and is pretty good all year round - barring hot summer days!

Montane Torque 40L Rucksack Review

My go-to rucksack is my Montane Medusa 32 litre pack. But for Winters, something bigger and more beasty needs to rear its head... Drum roll and cue the Montane Torque 40...

(Note that the colour of the pack is not blue as shown below. The most accurate colour is the second picture of the opening clip. The pack is a kind of blue-green colour. The clips and the back of the pack is orange not reddish as in the pics).

Montane Torque 40L

So here it is - flattened on the ground in a sad incident of cupboard squishing... But when it isn't being stored, what kind of kit can fit into it?

Well, I can easily stash a bunch of dry bags in it containing belay jacket, waterproofs, goggles, crampons, food, flask, Nalgene bottle, spare hats and sets of gloves, helmet and rope. And there's room to spare. I find the pack comfy to wear and as it's only one opening it's fairly easy to open up. Obviously the spindrift collar makes things a wee bit slower but hey. What I tend to do is pack my kit in specific dry bags in winter so I know what's where - quickly.

The base of the pack is also reinforced which is essential !


Opening the pack

At the front of the pack, the opening is a simple 'hook and loop' type of arrangement as shown in the pic below. Some may find this a little tricky in snow but I found it's much easier than a traditional opening in brutal conditions!

Bag Opening

Like the Medusa, the Torque has an open and close system that revolves around tugging one side of the cord to close the pack and then tugging the plastic on each side of the pack (shown in the third pic). The pack also has a spindrift collar as well which is mostly a great help!

Opening to the Torque showing inner and top sleeve - top sleeve can be extended for more volume

Showing the outer sleeve closed

Same pic but showing the handles you tug to open up the pack

Both openings closed

Rope compression strap clicked in place

Top Pocket

Very spacious pocket at the top of the pack. The 'buddy system' means that your buddy can open the pocket as it faces 'backwards' away from your back. The material is reinforced so it doesn't 'flop' forward with your kit spilling out. Killer feature - very helpful!

Underneath and inside the pack is a zipped compartment with a key chain on it and spares for the Montane Torque - again, a great feature.

Torque top outer pocket

Underside of the top outer pocket showing key chain and bag of spares

Inside the Pack

Inside the pack there's a single compartment. There is a hydration bladder section which I don't use but it's there for those who do! A great feature is that you can get into the pack via a zip at the top inside of the Torque. When you unzip this, you can take out the 'VertErgo Climb' back system which is there to give the pack needed strength and support. You can also manoeuvre this and shape it to fit your own body. It's also removable for lightweight enthusiasts. Also in this section is a folded removable bivvy mat! It's very thin but again it's a great feature and you could use it to sit on as well.

Looking down into the inside of the pack. The black part you can see is the folded bivvy mat

Looking down into the pack, the 'white' part is the VertErgo Climb back support

Side compression straps

Two lockable / unlock able / adjustable straps either side of the pack for storage or compression of the pack. The lower strap passes through the ice axe holder but don't affect the storage of the axe if you care to stash your axe here. I personally stick my axe down the side compression straps.

Torque side compression straps

The next feature

The back of the Torque 40 is the same style as the Medusa. The great thing is that the shoulder straps are clothing friendly which means they have been designed not to be abrasive on your clothing. And they work! The back is water resistant so snow doesn't weigh down and water-log your pack. The waist strap is very effective and easy to tighten - and padded with just the right amount of padding for me at least. The back also allows moisture to escape fairly well. OK it's not a mesh wafting in the air style back but it's what I like! Makes me feel more secure as it's tight to my back.

Back of the Montane Torque 40

The straps etc

You can see the chest strap in the picture (resting on the back - not done up). The waist strap is great and works very effectively. Unlike most other packs, you simply tug on the strap on either the left or right and the waist strap tightens.

This is a great winter pack. If you're doing the Alpine thing you may well want something more stripped back and with fewer straps and I can well understand this. For UK winter use or if you need to carry extra kit / spares as a Mountain Leader with a group, I cannot recommend it highly enough.


A shameless beautiful winter shot from near Heron Pike

This day was very windy and mad. But in the middle of the madness there was a few moments of clear weather!!

Montane Torque and Heron Pike meet

Macpac Tuatara 25L rucksack review

Quick mini review on the Macpac Tuatara 25 (I think!), sadly seemingly retired now from the Macpac range. It seems to have been replaced by the Rapaki 26.

Here's the Macpac link anyhow - http://www.macpac-europe.eu/tuatara-20.html

Macpac Tuatara 25

Just doing this review because I love this little pack so much - it's been up mountains, on coastal paths, on days out and carried loads of guitar gear and

This is a 25L rucksack with a webbed waist belt, a carry handle, hydration bladder, three zipped compartments and an inner pocket with a key hold. There's a recessed separate inner for carrying things you need to keep safe.

This pack is also weatherproofed and tough as nails.

Back of the Macpac Tuatara 25

The back is pretty padded around the shoulders and lower back and fits well to the back. A perfect rugged day sack for out and about. After around 6 years the pack is still going incredibly strong!

I imagine the Rapaki will be just as good! Only real difference seems to be the lack of bungee on the front of the Rapaki compared to the Tuatara.

Update 2022 - this rucksack is still going. Tough as nails! Pretty sure it was 25L not 20L.

Winter gloves and mitts review / General Outdoors Gloves Review - Montane, Rab, Extremities, Berghaus... Updated 2018

UPDATED January 2018 - To add the Montane Via Trail glove and to add in some more real world experiences. These gloves have all been used in the mountains across the UK regularly.

UPDATED March 2016 - Just a quick update. Been out in some serious winter conditions this year on and off. Found that the Ansell 78-101 work glove is just amazing for such a cheap price. Dries incredibly quickly (esp in Cairngorm winds!) I found the now discontinued Montane Thermostretch glove to be warm but pretty non-dextrous to be honest. For serious winter conditions and needs an under glove. The Outdry gloves were very good - they're dextrous, waterproof but not hugely warm. Finally, the Montane Extreme mitt is an essential bit of kit if you need to warm up your paws quickly and easily.

Instead of doing separate reviews, I thought I'd group together a bunch of gloves and mitts and tell you my experience with them all...

These aren't being compared against one another exactly, I'm just sharing my opinions! And this is by no means an exhaustive list. I realise the gloves listed all have different uses!

Here are the contenders... With a ruler next to the gloves to give some size comparisons... As a note, my hands fall just between medium and large frustratingly. I've got fairly long fingers (good for guitar playing!) Here's my hand next to a ruler if this helps...

1. Work type gloves (these are Toolzone latex fleece lined, Large) - £3-£5 a pair

These are cheap and cheerful. They are fairly close fitting and fairly hard-wearing, although you'll see the holes in them. These may be good as general gloves or climbing gloves as the weather gets a bit colder. The fleece lining doesn't really give that much warmth but these are solid cheap gloves. Everyone should have a pair, if only for gardening and work ;)


2. Rab Power Stretch Gloves (size large) - around £18-£20 a pair

Rab Power Stretch Gloves

Rab Power Strech gloves on the wrist

Powerstretch is a great fabric. It's 'relatively' hard-wearing. Don't go climbing and scrambling in them too often... But Powerstretch excels at being breathable, pretty warm and drying quickly. They also work well as liner gloves inside mitts. The Rab version is a long 'all in one' type of glove (no separate kind of 'wrist' part as some gloves do) which stretches a fair way down your wrist as you can see from the picture. The fingers of the gloves are very long and certainly much longer than the Berghaus equivalent. The cuff is also finished off nicely which is a great touch. These aren't actually my gloves so I haven't used them but I'd be as happy to use them as my Berghaus ones. Everyone should have a pair!

(Just as an aside, having tried on the Rab PowerStrech Contact gloves, the contact gloves' sizing is different - a medium in the Contact gloves is fine for me but the regular Power Stretch ones in medium were too small)


3. Outdoor Designs Outrage Gauntlet - OutDry (Waterproof). Large. Around £35-£45

Outdoor Designs Outrage Gauntlet

Outdoor Designs Outrage Gauntlet - on the wrist

The great thing about OutDry is that it's a bonded breathable membrane and so unlike some other gloves, the waterproof and breathable bit is together. I don't know about you but I also absolutely hate gloves that have detachable inners - they are (a) useless and (b) impossible to get back into the glove. Anyways, these gloves are waterproof and pretty breathable. They have a leather palm, a velcro seal, a detachable leash and drawcord wrist closure. On the back of the hand is high pile lining. These are great gloves when you need manoeuvrability in winter cold conditions with precipitation with a long wrist cuff. They are pre-curved so holding an ice axe is easy. My only 'gripe' is that these have a huge cuff area so they are brilliant if ice climbing (carabiner loop on each glove to hang right way up off your harness) but hard to fit under the waterproof cuffs. But this is more about knowing what to use the gloves for, rather than these specific gloves. I also don't like waterproof gloves as much as say pile gloves in the sense that they're not as breathable, hold water in when wet and take ages to dry out when wet! But that's separate to these excellent gloves. They are pretty warm too. Not really enough room for anything except a silk liner glove etc.


4. Montane Thermostretch Gloves - large - around £40

Montane Thermostretch Gloves - pile lining

Montane Thermostretch glove being worn

These are great gloves and pretty warm. They're fairly close fitting which I found perhaps slightly reduces the warmth (certainly in comparison the Outrage Gauntlets above have a looser fit) but they have Dryactiv 2000 pile lining on the inside. The palm has a leather palm, slightly pre-curved fingers for ice axe (one of its best uses!). There's also a nose wipe, a velcro wrist to lock in the heat and a DWR coating which works well. The gloves themselves aren't very long up the wrist so maybe get some wrist warmers if you're worried about warmth escaping up your wrists. They have a 4 way stretch as well, so these are great for winter / alpine use in my view.  Carabiner loops on each glove for storage. Small Montane logo on the palm of the glove very unobtrusively placed. Easy enough to use with ice axe and certainly warm but not quite so manoeuvrable as my Outdoor Design gloves - but stay warm when wet.


5. Montane Extreme Mitt - large - around £25-£30.

Montane Extreme Mitt and bag

Montane Extreme Mitt on the hand

The Extreme mitts have a Pertex classic outer shell, pile lining on the inside with some Primaloft (Gold - on these new ones, although 'Gold' is just a new name for normal Primaloft I believe) on the back of the hand. The palm is 'hypalon' which is pretty hard-wearing. I did read a review on these saying go one size up to layer but I personally found that going up to size XL was a stretch too far for my paws. Once I down-sized to large I found them much warmer. These are basically Montane's equivalent to the classic Buffalo mitt. They have an adjustable hem and wrist cinch which both help with warmth, keeping spindrift out etc. I have used these all over the place in all kinds of weathers and they have completely warmed my hands up within 5-10mins on a few winter days after fingers have got cold snapping photos. I cannot recommend them highly enough and think everyone should have a pair especially in winter. They can be put in a stuff sac as well which helps. Awesome!


6. Ansell Therm-A-Knit 78-101 gloves. Size 9. Around £6

Ansell Therm-AKnit gloves

Ansell Therm-A-Knit gloves live in action...

Ok so these don't need much explanation. They're a basic 'liner' style work glove with thermal properties. I'll say this about them - they're my go-to gloves. I've even worn these in minus C temperatures in the snow on their own as they dry super quick and are super light. Brilliant. Get a pair or two as you need a bunch of gloves like this when out on the hills, moors and mountains - breathable, quick drying and lightweight. Just get some.


7. Berghaus Power Stretch Gloves. Large / XL size. £15-£20

Berghaus Power Stretch Gloves

Berghaus Power Stretch gloves on the hand

One of the great things about Powerstretch is simply the warmth and lightweight nature of them - plus they dry very quickly. These Berghaus gloves are smaller than their Rab equivalents without a doubt and certainly the fingers are smaller. But they're absolutely fine and have had loads of use with me as part of a glove system of taking a bunch out on the hills in cold weather. I tend to use power stretch gloves a bit less if I'm scrambling - my go-to gloves for that are my Extremities Sticky Thickies. But again, Powerstretch gloves are great. I've read some reviews from people saying these gloves have been a bit inconsistent in terms of wear. But I've had no problems!


8. Extremities (Hi Wick) Sticky Thicky Gloves. Large 

Extremities Sticky Thicky gloves

Extremities Sticky Thicky gloves - on the paws

Initially described as a liner glove, these (if can be found) are more accurately described as hard-wearing multi-use thermal gloves! Chris Townsend wore these one winter while on a walk across Scotland and I can see why. I found that the medium was a bit too small and that the large was a bit too big (my fingers are right between the two sizes). I opted for large. I found that the highly grippy silicone palm means they aren't so easy to use as liner gloves, which is fine as I use them on their own. These are very durable and strong. Perhaps not as quick drying as I'd read about but brilliant for everyday walking, scrambling and hill walking. Having used them loads of times and washed them I can't see any holes or faults which is a testimony too their durability. Probably because these are slightly too big for my hands, I don't find them as warm as the Ansell ones. Great for scrambling though!


9. Montane Via Trail Glove

A recent experience led me to decide to get some hard wearing and lightweight decent touchscreen gloves. While wandering in the mountains during a brutally windy and yet beautiful day being whipped by spindrift, I decided to take a number of photos. This led to extremely cold hands due to removing gloves to take the pictures on a smartphone. The photos became more important than my fingers! Thankfully the Montane Extreme mitts were in the bag and warmed my tingling and slightly numb fingers up quickly. But I thought I needed to get that issue sorted! I'd got a pair of Lowe Alpine 'spiderman' touchscreen gloves which are great for around town but not hard wearing enough. So onto the Montane Via Trail glove...

These again fell between medium and large on my hand so I went for the large. They are quite big and fit up the arm a fair way. Designed for trail running, these are a softshell glove that are wind and rain resistant. There's a 'snot wipe' on the thumb of the gloves and they're touchscreen compatible. Perfect really and highly rated by ultralightoutdoorgear. These fit the job perfectly and will be fairly hard-wearing. The one thing is that you can feel some of the stitching on the inside of the glove so they have the potential to be *slightly* uncomfortable. But have been perfect so far. Just check sizing.

Montane Via Trail glove back of hand

Montane Via Trail glove

I hope this mini gloves review is genuinely helpful. I realise we all have different paw sizes and varied needs in our uses of gloves. But this is my guide - feel free as ever to write any comments etc below.