FOLLOWING on from last issue’s ‘trail running shoes for hiking’ review, Great Walks is staying ultralight by looking at the new generation of sub-200g, seam-sealed hard shells. First, a caveat – these jackets are not primarily designed for hikers. They’re mostly aimed at trail runners, cyclists, and belaying climbers, ideally on fast and light missions, who probably aren’t going to be out overnight. While the fabrics’ hydrostatic head measurements (the industry standard measure of waterproofness), where quoted, are impressive, the garments are not designed to withstand heavy or persistent rain and aren’t durable enough for prolonged abrasion on bush bashing or rock scrambling routes. To take this category of jacket somewhere like the South Coast Track would be highly irresponsible and would expose the wearer to a higher than acceptable risk of hypothermia. (It’s interesting to note, too, that a few years ago, most if not all of the models would have used a Gore-Tex membrane. Now, all use their own proprietary technologies.)
We are therefore reviewing these jackets as emergency weather protection layers – something to take on day hikes when the possibility of rain is
