Have been meaning to write to you for ages just to say how wonderful the Greenspot double ventile jacket I bought this time last year has proved .I have used lots of different “waterproof ” jackets for cycling over the last 20 plus years years ranging from Gore Tex ones ,to the old racing cyclists PVC “boil in the bag ” and have never had such a good one . The quality is superb, I wore it a huge amount during last years wet summer and carried on using through the winter and it looks completely unworn, apart from a few oil stains. The pocket layout is great, being able to have mobile phone and wallet easily accessable is a big plus against just having the normal cycling rear pockets . The jacket being equally good for ordinary  ”civilian ”  use as on the bike.

I  have number of cycling jackets at moment and except for racing and proper training yours is by far the best and most versatile and the only one I wear regularly off the bike. Hilltrek jackets a secret the cycling magazines see to overlook for some reason.

Thanks ever so much for a product which is true value for money

Patrick Hayes

Páramos’s lightweight Nikwax Analogy clothing was designed for use in warmer conditions  however it’s light weight is appealing for moving quickly in winter especially for cross country skiing.

I decided to put Quito jacket and Quito trousers to test on a recent trip across local hill Craiglich in sleet at temperatures around zero.  I wore a new Páramo Grid base layer under the Quito Jacket  but packed a Torres Insulator Gilet in my backpack  just in case.

In conclusion the Quito Jacket and Trousers combination kept me warm and dry despite the conditions. Standing still even for the obligatory cup of tea at the summit was cold,  however the Torres Gilet kept me warm.

On Christmas Day I unwrapped a set of sparkling new Hillsound Trail Crampons and the  first opportunity to test the crampons was a post-Christmas walk up  Creag nan Gabhar,  a Corbett near Braemar.

The hill was topped with snow and the tracks leading up to the summit had a slight covering of snow and ice. The temperature at the car park was -2 degrees Celcius.

On the track up to Loch Callater there were snowy patches but not enough to justify putting on the crampons. Near to the summit I wore the Hillsound crampons to cross frozen snow fields and I did not take them off until I reached the car park an hour later.

The verdict:

Hillsound Trail Crampons are a really usefull piece of gear for £45.  You can walk much faster with them on and they are easier to wear and lighter than full mountaineering crampons.

They are easy to put on – did not have to take my gloves off- just insert the toe of the boot, pull over the heel, make sure they are flat across the foot and pull a strap across the top of the boot.

They are much lighter than mountaineering crampons, 210g each as opposed to 470g for my Petzl 12 point crampons.

In fact they could easily be carried  in addition to mountaineering crampons for less challenging sections of a hill walk.

Even for low level walks, where there is a reasonable snow covering, in comparison to the proliferation of ‘pavement crampons retailing for £10-£15, the Hillsound crampons are built to last and give much better traction.

What are the downsides?

Because  they are not so rigid as mountaineering crampons there is a risk that the base plate could move on uneven surfaces therefore I would not wear them for use on exposed or steep sections.

On a hard track you need at least a 1.5cm (3/4 inch ) of snow cover otherwise the crampon spikes  hitting the solid ground over a long time tire out the leg muscles as I discovered on the lower sections of the track on my return to the car park.

See them on our website.

To find out more about Creag nan Gabhar see the WalkHighlands website

The London Cyclist Magazine tested our Greenspot Double Ventile Jacket earlier this year and published the results in their Feb/Mar 2012 magazine.  It will soon appear on line on their website London Cyclist.

Highlights of the review

‘Retro clothing fans hunt down the old ‘Greenspot’ jackets that used to be a favourite with tourist cyclists. Now Hilltrek has revived it using Ventile. Tested in rain, the jacket matched the performance of my goretex waterproof trousers keeping me dry and warm. The cut is spot on for cycling but its casual look is equally at home in the pub’

The reviewer commented to us that in his opinion the Greenspot Jacket had exceptional high quality and outperformed more expensive similar garments. He gave us feedback on how we could improve the jacket features which we will consider for the next version.

 The London Cyclist  is a  11,000-strong membership charity, making sure that everyone who cycles, or wants to cycle, has a voice in Greater London. For more information see their website….

I took the opportunity to test the new Paramo Grid Baselayer this weekend in Assynt with excellent results.

The weather forecast for the weekend was pretty awful  -high winds, high wind chill, intermittent showers – and that was Saturday.  Sunday’s forecast was constant rain and gales with 100 mph gusts on the summits.

We chose to climb the corbett Quinag on Saturday and take a long lie in on Sunday. 

On a cold day in the hills, I typically wear a Explorer Reversible shirt above a short sleeve Cambia baselayer and Alta 2 jacket on top, if there is heavy rain forecast. If not I will choose a Braemar Smock.

To test the Paramo Grid I started out with the same layering system on the long climb up the south-east crest of Spidean Coinich.  Within a short time I had to take off the Cambia baselayer as I was overheating.

At the summit of Spidean Coinich we had a lunch stop and I pulled on a Torres Gilet to stay warm as the cloud rolled in and there was little shelter from the strong west winds.

The ridge down to Bealach a’Chornaidh has some exposed sections which normally would not have been difficult but the strong gusts of wind made us extremely cautious and we had to occassionally crouch down to prevent getting blown over.  With reduced speed and high wind chill, I kept my Torres Gillet on until we reached the Bealach.

At this point we split up; Anna deciding to go out to the northen summit Sail Gorm ,as she had not done it before, and Ailsa had  had enough of the wind and walked back to the car. I decided to climb to the eastern summit Sail Gharbh and attempt to catch up with Anna.  It meant fairly brisk walking. Despite this, the Paramo Grid  baselayer kept me warm and any perspiration was quickly moved.

For the remainder of the day I walked with the Alta 2 and the Grid Baselayer despite high wind chill occassionally donning my Torres Gilet at stops.

I wore a Grid Technic which has a neck zip, useful on this walk for occassional venting, and a small chest pocket. The pocket is too small for a map  however I used it for my car keys.

See further details of Paramo Grid on our website.

To learn more about climbing Quinag see Sean Fallon’s excellent  website.

We recently received a letter from a Gentleman who had been given one of our Glencoe jackets as a gift from his daughter. His use of Ventile has exceeded 50 years, as you can see from his photographs.

The black & white image was taken in 1957 “on the hills above Cannich”, and shows the wearer in a Blacks of Greenock Ventile anorack.

The second image shows the Hilltrek Glencoe being put to use on a “day of driving rain in the hills North of Keswick”. The wearer also reported “not a drop of rain inside”.

Here’s to the continued use of Ventile in the hills.

A new outdoor gear review website called www.wildreview.co.uk has been ‘blown away with our Braemar Ventile Smock and rated us 10 out of 10.

Courtesy of Wild Reviews

For more info see www.wildreviews.co.uk

Odlo Longsleeve half zip Windproof

15th May, on a cold and breezy Sunday, and a hardy group of mountain bikers meet for a strenous ride around the Ladder Hills to the North of Corgarff.

I had chosen to wear my new Odlo windproof baselayer due to the wind, but didn’t want the extra warmth of my cycling jacket. The baselayer is made of 2 fabrics. Windprotection 3L on the front of the body & sleeves, with a highly wicking,  fine pique material on the rear of the body and sleeves. Odlo recommend the 3L tops for any sport in which the wearer is moving forwards at speed i.e running/cycling/Nordic skiing. Thankfully I’d made the right choice, as the red and sweaty faces of my colleagues poked out from the collars of their waterproofs.

The weather as I mentioned earlier was cool and breezy, and as the ride progressed we were caught in intermittent showers. Luckily due to the windproof front of my top, I could carry on cycling without having to overheat in a jacket. The highly wicking fabric meant that at the end of a long pedal uphill, I wasn’t chilled by perspiration on my skin. The material also dries very quickly, so the showers did not pose a problem.

I have worn the Odlo windproof over the last few months, and it has exceeded my expectations of what a baselayer can do, as well as reducing the need to layer up on cool, windy days. All in all, a fantastic piece of innovation.

Push hard,

John Green

Paramo introduced new lightweight pull on waterproof Quito trousers recently and  last weekend I had the first opportunity to test them on a walking trip in Torridon in North West Scotland.

Saturday on Bein Alligin was sunny and windy and the new Quito trousers stayed in the bottom of my rucksack.

On the second day on Corbett Sgurr Mhor just south of Beinn Eighe the weather was  different  -very windy, warm and thunder showers.

We started the walk along the track passing the SMC Ling Hut in sunshine in 17 degrees and slowly climbed the slopes to the summit plateau. Then the thundery rain showers started and I pulled on the Quito Trousers over my light walking trousers.

Quito Trousers are designed to be pulled on without removing your boots. Each leg is zipped open, the trousers held up by a waist belt while each leg is zipped up. Difficult to do in a strong wind as I found out but it helps when the stud at the ankle is fastened. During the wind blown rain the Quito’s kept me perfectly dry and despite working hard walking through rough terrain I did not overheat.

Luckily on reaching the summit the rain stopped , the sun came out and I took the trousers off. This is done by zipping up from the bottom of each leg, unfastening the ankle stud and then removing the waist belt. This was all done when I was standing up without taking my boots off.

Next day in the same conditions I had to use the Quito’s on another nearby Corbett and by then I had mastered quickly putting them on and taking them off as the weather changed.

My first impression of Quito Trousers was very good. It took some time to master putting on the trousers and taking them off, especially in wind but so much easier and faster than conventional overtrousers.

They compare favourably to  lightweight Velez Adventure Trousers being very slightly heavier at 425g compared with 414g but much more versatile. Velez Adventure Trousers have slighly heavier fabric in heavy wear areas which make them more robust. They are both priced at £145.

Quito Trousers are only available at Paramo Partners such as Hilltrek and directly from Páramo.

The full specification is as follows:

• Innovative and simple “zip off” construction allows trousers to be put on or taken off speedily, without taking one’s feet off the ground or sitting down.
• Full-length side zips with poppered internal storm flaps allow variable ventilation.
• 2 handwarming pockets at hips.
• Adjustable webbing belt in waistband tunnel, with hook and loop tabs to secure.
• Articulated knees enable unrestricted movement.
• Contoured shape minimises fabric bulk and flap.
• Ideal to put on quickly over shorts or light trousers or can be worn next to the skin.
• Constructed from Nikwax Analogy Light fabric ensuring low bulk with minimum weight.

For more details of the walk see http://www.walkhighlands.co.uk/torridon/sgorr-nan-lochan-uaine.shtml