I am starting the planning for my walk up Ben Avon this week. The weather forecast is where I usually start my preparations and things are looking promising for Tuesday onwards. About this time last year I walked to the summit of Ben MacDhui and it was a hot day in the hills, so thoughts on what jacket to bring were more along the lines, will I need an outdoor jacket at all? Of course the answer is always yes. This year the weather is a lot cooler, the freezing level reported at 1200m at the weekend past, that is cold enough for snow on the summits in the Cairngorms. It is going to be 20 mile walk so that is going to be a bit of an energy spend and the hike up the steeper slopes will no doubt keep me warm. So what jacket to wear? Two things, one the need to keep the rain off and two, to keep the wind out but I suppose thirdly, but not at the price of overheating. For me that means, the outer shell of my winter ski jacket with a breathable shirt below and a further t-shirt below if warmth is needed. If some warmth is need and the weather is dry I’d go for just the inner lining of my ski-jacket with the outer shell packed in the rucksack. Given those choices I was looking around the hilltrek online store and selected the following items:
Gairn Windproof Smock for those cooler summer days when the rain and wind is likely.
Naturally Páramo Reversible shirts Explorer Light Pull on with the new lighter weight materials this versatile jacket provides maximum flexibility for cooler to warmer day use.
Made to Measure Braemar Single Ventile Windshirt for those that want want exact fit comfort and performance.
In many ways choosing a summer outdoor jacket is a harder job than a winter one but for sure one should be packed in a rucksack.
