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MONT takes on the Kiwis
By Jay Reilly (Jan. 2005)
Ahh – there’s nothing like visiting New Zealand’s’ stunning Southern Alps in the summer! Blue skies, wildflowers in bloom, beautiful temperatures…
Well – that’s what it’s supposed to be like; however, New Zealand is currently in the throes of the wettest summer they’ve had in some say 19 years! Which was PERFECT for me to test the latest instalment of MONT gear, which, conveniently enough included a fabulous waterproof!
I was taking a small group of novice climbers to the Mt Aspiring Region, in order to train them in the finer arts of mountain climbing. This trip was a precursor to a Himalayan trip that they would be on later in the year. Most of the party were equipped with MONT equipment. What can I say – these people have taste!
The 2 items from the MONT arsenal I had on test were:
Superfuse Jacket
Mountain Guide Pack
This time you’ll notice a new column in the review. This is for MONT to offer their direct feedback to the comments I give. Cool huh? How many gear makers do THAT!
| Item | What MONT say | What I thought | Additional Comments | MONT's response |
| Superfuse Jacket | A dynamic action cut, and the use of stretch fabrics results in a lightweight alpine shell that excels on ice walls…. | Takes some getting to know because it’s so ‘adjustable’. This jacket can adapt to almost any situation. Rain, snow, wind, humidity, helmet on, helmet off…. This jacket seems to have a setting for it all. | I really enjoyed this jacket once I got to know it. Four different hood adjustments alone!! You can really ‘dial this jacket in’. A very good hard shell to be active in – and looks to boot! | Thanks Jay. The Superfuse just happens to be one of the most favoured jackets amongst our product design and development team. |
| Mountain Guide Pack | The ultimate fully featured alpine pack designed to carry everything for the mountains… | Well – it certainly carried everything! We were carrying loads of about 25-30kg. I do like packs that have a place for everything, and the Mountain Guide has that. | Here’s my ‘thing’: I really like racking loops on the hip fins. This pack needs them. This is the ONLY pack I’ve used to carry such heavy loads that hasn’t left me crippled! | We love it too! Great feedback Jay. Good to see our Moto Active harness getting another real workout under considerable load. Your comment about racking loops is well noted and has been passed onto our design team for future development of the Mountain Guide pack. Stay tuned! |