Simond Men's Warm Mountain Jacket (Alpinism) Overview / Review

Quick overview of the Simond Men's Warm Mountain Jacket from Decathlon. Just as a note, this hasn't yet been worn outdoors as I decide between this and another jacket. So this is an initial impressions review...

I'm a medium in most things but bought a large jacket to fit over my kit. I would say the jacket is a regular large. It fits with room to spare. I've tested it over a fleece / waterproof and it fits very easily. I'd say that a medium may even fit. If you were to move in this / climb, I'd stay with your normal size.

In terms of aesthetics (if important to you), the jacket actually looks pretty good and would easily act as a warm jacket about town. It has a good balance of 'outdoors' and 'town' feel. It is very slightly shiny but not so much that you need sunglasses to shield your vision...

The jacket itself seems very high quality and well made. It looks as good quality as any other jacket. It also has a micro-ripstop outer to help with any rips an tears. Very good feature on a jacket of just £50!

Link to product - http://www.decathlon.co.uk/mens-warm-mountain-jacket-id_8327120.html

The picture below is of the Montane Flux (on the left - my go-to jacket) and the Simond jacket on the right. The Simond jacket does have a greater fill. Slightly hard to compare completely as the Flux is medium and the Simond is large.

Montane Flux (left) and Simond Mountain Jacket

OK so let's start at the top. The hood has two cinches on the front (secured down so they don't flap in your face). The back of the hood also has a toggle to tighten the hood. Not as easy to use as toggles from other companies so may be a bit trickier in cold conditions / with gloves to tighten.

Close up on the hood

Back of the hood (showing toggle, apologies grainy pic)

The hood fits over a helmet very comfortably (as demonstrated in a highly grainy pic)... Apologies for lack of a pic on a snow-strewn belay pitch (and more my mug in the picture)...

Simond hood over the helmet. No I'm not quite that thin...

Next up, the sleeves which are a simple elasticated affair. Not too much problem when using as a belay jacket but not as technical as the cuffs on something like the Montane Flux or Ice Guide for example.

Sleeves with elasticated outer

Across the top of the jacket at the back and down the outer sides of the arms, the fabric is reinforced so you can wear with a pack. Would be ideal to see another reinforced area towards the lower back where a pack sits but this is meant as a 'stop' jacket so again this isn't as important as a top worn for climbing specifically. It does add a nice extra bit of 'design' to the jacket too.

Sleeve showing the reinforced fabrics

At the bottom of the jacket, there are two toggles to bring in the hem of the jacket and lock that warmth in. Very similar to the Flux and other jackets.

Toggle on the hem of the jacket

The zip has a 'guard' running up on the right to stop it catching. The zip is also a two way zipper, which isn't always the case in every jacket like this. I did find the zip a little tricky to do up when wearing the jacket but may be me being a bit inadequate...

There is a small pocket on the top left of the jacket which you can stash a mobile phone in or something similar. Nice little toggle to open it up too.

Top pocket on the jacket

The two pockets on the jacket are brilliant. As you put your hands in there is a fleece lining on the 'outer' side of the jacket which instantly warms up those pinkies. Nice touch!

Warm fleecey lining on inside of pockets

Warmth

The Montane Flux has a 100g Primaloft Eco fill. I get cold quite quickly when out and have worn this all over the place in the UK and overseas. It's fantastic but isn't as warm as I need, esp in winter. The Simond Warm Mountain Jacket is definitely warmer. The fill (to feel) seems similar to the Flux but it's clearly warmer. How much warmer it's hard to tell without using it outdoors.

Sizing

Sizing is your call but it's pretty normally sized I reckon - not an athletic cut. I would suggest the jacket is slightly oversized to be a belay jacket (actually in a similar way that the Montane Flux is). If you are a climber or going out lightweight and not stopping long, I think your normal size would be correct. If you need to wear a lot of other layers underneath, then go up a size. I'm a normal medium and found the large to be just slightly too big. But to be honest, either size with the hem drawcord tight would be fine! I find the shape of the jacket to be spot-on!

Conclusion

This is a very well made, nice looking jacket with a number of great features. I simply don't think you could get anything better at this kind of price. It's £49.99 from Decathlon and at that price it's amazing what you get. I think this rivals any jacket out there for keeping you warm, esp if just used on the hills. It's such a good price it's 1/3 of the Montane Ice Guide which is currently the most insulated synthetic jacket available in the UK.

The one downside for those travelling about the place is simply the weight which is relatively high. Decathlon list the weight as 775g for large. My less than accurate scales weighed this in at around 720g which is a good thing if accurate! So this isn't designed for your fast alpine ascents or alpine style treks with lightweight gear.

OK so if you want it for the more technical features in winter etc then I'd go for something more technical. Those that use their kit regularly in winter will know how things like large toggles for use with gloves etc are essential. But for the average hillwalker it's amazing and I couldn't think of anything much better for the price.