Reviews - June 2009

It wasn’t until I read their weight that I realised what the 295 stood for! Sensible I suppose, but it always confounds me when products are given numbers as numbers just aren’t sexy. Talking of sexy it’s not a word I’d use to describe the look of these shoes either.

There, that’s the negatives out of the way, let’s get on with the positives. What a great pair of running shoes. Incredibly lightweight, incredibly grippy both on muddy ground and wet rock, the two toughest test pieces. According to the official blurb: the patent pending Fascia-band aids propulsion efficiency of the running cycle. I’d agree with this. Combined with the high profile rubber spikes which cover the whole of the tread there is a real bounce to the shoe, feeding back a massive amount of energy into each stride, especially on the harder surfaces. On soft, steep, muddy surfaces where I’d previously have been slip-sliding around, I’m now able to actually accelerate on the uphill and throw caution to the wind on the downhill. So far breathability has been good, with no noticeable odours emanating from the shoes, though the thin, lightweight upper is prone to letting in water in damp vegetation / wet roads, meaning that the shoes need drying after most runs.

Gripes and concerns centre on the lack of support for the ankle afforded by their low-profile of the upper – but then again, how else would they shave the weight down so drastically, and I do suffer with weak ankles – and the short laces. Longer laces might have added another gram or two, but would have made life a little easier when putting on the shoes. On that note the pull loops on the heels of each shoe are too small to put a finger through rendering them all, but useless unless you have a dedicated pulling device like a tent peg to hand! I reckon they could have kept the weight under 300g and added longer laces and longer pull-loops.

Build quality seems very good and Inov-8 certainly seem to have a good rep in this department. RRP is £65 which is very reasonable for a performance shoe. All in all a strong pair of shoes for any off-road runner.

Reviewed by Matt Heason on behalf of planetFear
 

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This shirt retails at £40 which, in my eyes is a lot of money to pay for a base layer. That said, it’s the best base layer I’ve yet owned. It’s a kind of cross between your skinny thermal and nice thick fleece, coming somewhere in between the two in terms of its feel, but comparing favourably with the thermal in terms of its weight. To date (and I’ve had it some 6 months) it is showing no signs of bobbling as many lightweight fleeces do, and neither is it beginning to take on the permanent and slightly unpleasant smell that most thermals develop over time. My one complaint is the neck zip. The inner side of this zip is particularly pointy and catches far too easily for my liking on my chest rendering it unwearable with the zip in certain positions. If it wasn’t for the zip I’d say it was well worth the £40. Fix the zip Montane, and you’re onto a winner here.

The official blurb from Montane:

Lightweight, reversible POLARTEC® Microfleece shirt.

The Balance Shirt is a truly brilliant and simple piece of lightweight, versatile outdoor clothing. Making full use of the POLARTEC® Velour Grid / Jersey microfleece, the Balance is warmer when worn with the grid on the inside and higher wicking when worn with the grid on the outside. It's therefore the ideal lightweight fleece mid-layer for changeable conditions or long days where your needs may switch between moisture management and insulation.
Details

* Reversible
* Flatlocked seams
* Neck zip with double head slider
* Lycra bound hem and cuffs
* Colours: Ink, Alpine red, Chestnut brown (Main Image), Black
* RRP £40.00

Fabric

POLARTEC® Classic Micro® Grid / Jersey
- 175g/m² 100% Polyester Single sided velour grid / jersey
- Warmth with minimal weight
- Highly breathable and quick drying
- Comfortable next to skin
Weight

230g / 8oz: Medium

Reviewed by Matt Heason on behalf of planetFear

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The Mammut Probe Light is a six-piece aluminium avalanche rescue tool that allows the user to locate buried victims up to 240cm below the snow. This probe is part of Mammut’s range of mountain safety equipment together with shovels, avalanche transceivers and packs. The probe is aimed at the recreational back-country skier, boarder, snow shoer and alpinist. For guides and more experienced users Mammut’s range also includes the Probe Plus which at 280 cm is 40cm longer than the probe light and the super long Probe Expert at 320cm.

The design is similar to a modern tent pole with a piece of Dyneema cord running down the centre of six aluminium pole sections that can be assembled into a single ridged pole that measures 240cm long. Now I’ve assembled many tent poles in my life so I assumed the probe would be just as easy to put together. However initially, I found this not to be the case, as the Dyneema cord the runs inside all the sections is not elasticated as with a tent pole. This meant that the sections didn’t slot naturally together and seemed to push apart as I tried to assemble them, this would be somewhat annoying in a true emergency situation. But I was missing a trick, the art is to simply pull the red cord and black toggle at the top of the pole to tighten the inner cord and the pole slots itself together and locks securely into place - genius – perfect for speed in an emergency and as long as you are aware of this simple method the probe is ready for use in a matter of seconds! This simple method also allows for ease of use when wearing gloves. The tip of the probe is a sturdy metal ‘drop-shape’ which penetrates the snow well. Also in use I found that although quite long the probe has very little bend in it which should allow for deeply buried victims to be located even in hard packed snow.

At 180g the weight of the Mammut Probe Light is perfectly fine for recreational users but it is not the lightest on the market, a friend of mine has a carbon fibre version that I borrowed which did feel considerably lighter than the Mammut version I tested, however so will you wallet after purchasing. When dis-assembled for packing the probe is 44cm long which means it fits neatly into any day sack. For ease of packing the probe comes with a nylon storage sack and according to the Mammut website a set of emergency safety guidelines. My test version did not come with these so I am unable to comment on the content.

The Mammut probe has clear depth markings along the length of the shaft in gold numbering to indicate how deeply buried a casualty is – up to 225cm. Moreover being a European manufacturer these markings are in metric, clearly marking every 5cm with dashes every cm. I’m sure for all of you of a more traditional imperial leaning you can still purchase probes with markings in inches and feet but you will probably have to look to a manufacturer from across the pond for one of these!

In summary, for the recreational user looking for an avalanche rescue probe you can’t go wrong with the Mammut Probe Light in my opinion.

What Mammut Say:

Lightweight avalanche probe that belongs in every touring backpack. Even safer and easier to operate with gloves, thanks to improved lock.
• 6-piece aluminium probe
• Dyneema cord for minimum weight
• Telescopic lock for quick and easy interlock
• Drop-shaped probe tip
• Suitable for use with gloves
 

Reviewed by Dan Webber on behalf of planetFear

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The Mammut Raptor is an all-in-one telescopic rescue snow shovel. This shovel is part of Mammut’s range of mountain safety equipment together with probes, avalanche transceivers and packs. The Raptor is aimed at the recreational back-country skier, boarder, snow shoer and alpinist.

The only shovels I have previously used are two-piece ones where the blade detaches from the handle. I find that two-piece shovels are easier to carry with the handle strapped to the side of the pack and the blade stored in the front pouch pocket of the pack. Despite the fact that the shaft does fit neatly into the blade the all-in-one nature of the Raptor means that it is a bit cumbersome to carry, taking up more space than it probably should (24cm x 45.5cm x 9cm when packed).

The packing issues aside the advantage of the one-piece telescopic design is that it is amazingly quick to put into use saving vital seconds in an emergency rescue situation when an avalanche has buried a casualty under the snow. The telescopic handle simply pulls out and locks into position – meaning you are ready to dig in a matter of seconds. The speed with which the Raptor can be assembled is akin to the speed in which its dinosaur name-sake attacks its prey! I timed myself assembling my two-piece shovel and I was considerably slower – up to 30 seconds to remove from my sack and assemble – which in a rescue situation could be the difference between a casualty’s life and death.

The Raptor’s blade is made of a ‘Lexan’ polycarbonate so it may not have the strength or longevity of a metal blade but at only 680grams the saving in weight seems to be worth the potential loss in strength. My only concern is that the polycarbonate could crack if you land on it after a particularly big fall especially as cold temperatures can weaken plastics. According to Mammut the blade is actually ‘shatterproof and torque-resistant’ reinforced by ‘stabilization ridges’. Mammut also produce the Raptor Edge which has a metal tipped blade for extra strength. The Raptor blade also has attachment holes so that it can be employed as a snow anchor. Given this design feature, I am however, convinced that the Mammut design team will have thoroughly researched and tested the blade’s strength and so far my Raptor remains undamaged.

In use (digging back-country kickers rather than an actual avalanche rescue) I found that the Raptor cuts through the snow easily and feels rigid with no bend in the aluminium shaft or polycarbonate blade. The T-grip handle is comfortable, grippy and moulds into the hand well while digging. The ‘world first’ secondary D-grip in the blade allowed me to dig two-handed which I found helped to increase the power and speed I could put in – which is what Mammut claim the patent pending innovation is designed for. When fully extended the length of the shovel (93cm) meant that I had to bend down much less than with other shovels I have used putting less pressure on my back, meaning I could comfortably dig for longer periods of time.

In summary, if speed-to-dig in a rescue situation is the prime factor you consider when purchasing a rescue shovel then the Raptor should definitely be considered as your tool-of-choice. However, for pack-ability a shovel design such as the Mammut Alugator range would be my preference.
What Mammut say:

• Ergonomic T-grip at the end of the shaft
• Attachment holes for snow anchor
• The D-grip is raised almost 10 cm above the blade‘s surface to facilitate shoveling and protect the hand
• The D-grip in the blade gives additional gripping positions (patents pending)
• The lateral geometry of the blade improves control during insertion, and the wedge shape helps to cut into the snow
• Stabilization ridges reinforce the extremely robust Lexan blade (shatterproof, torque-resistant)
• One-Piece-Concept, a special locking mechanism allows you to prepare the product for use with a simple movement of the hand
• Oblong aluminium profile shaft with bevelled corners ensures positive handling and ultra-fast deployment

Reviewed by Dan Webber on behalf of planetFear
 

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The Mammut Spindrift 40 is a 40 litre pack aimed specifically at the off-piste / back-country skier or boarder, however it would be equally suited as a day pack for light weight mountaineering. This sack is part of Mammut’s range of mountain safety equipment together with shovels, probes and avalanche transceivers. In use I loved this pack and as you can see the pros significantly outweigh the cons.

Pros

• The sack is extremely comfortable in use with a padded back support made of what feels like neoprene gel compartments.
• The contoured shoulder straps, adjustable chest strap and very effective padded hip belt can all be securely tightened preventing the pack from bouncing around which is obviously crucial for a pack that is aimed at the skier or boarder.
• The hip belt also has a small zip pocket for items such as a compass or emergency chocolate.
• Although the pack is made of lightweight material it has surprisingly remained undamaged, even waterproof in a downpour and can more than adequately cope with a dusting of powder. However, only time will tell how hard-wearing the sack is.
• Double draw cord sleeve and clip prevent snow from entering the main compartment.
• Zipped lid pocket and pocket under the lid to allow for quick access to small items and contain the obligatory key clip.
• Simple and effective carrying system for skis – accommodating my mid-fat backcountry twin tips (89mm underfoot) with ease, one on each side. The system would even fit the massive planks that are modern day powder skis. The skis can be securely fixed to the pack using simple locking buckles that prevent the straps from loosening.
(See Photo of ski carrying system in use)
• Simple and effective carrying system for snowboards vertically down the front of the sack – employing the same locking buckles as the ski carry system.
• Excellent side zip to give you access to the main compartment of the sack. In my opinion more sack designers should consider adding this feature as it allows quick access to items at the bottom or middle of the sack.
• 2 Ice axe loops with Velcro straps to prevent the axes from slipping whilst you are hurtling down untracked powder.
• Plastic coated haul loop.
• Insulated hydration system hose pocket in the shoulder strap is an excellent feature to this back-country sack. I have been out in the mountains on several occasions when mine or my friend’s hydration hose have frozen solid. The hydration bladder can also be fastened inside the pack using 3 Velcro loops and elastic pocket.
• The front pouch pocket allows quick access to your shovel in an emergency and could also be used to store crampons. The shovel can also be held into place with a Velcro strap to prevent it bouncing around. The front pouch also has a small mesh base to allow any melting snow that is still on your shovel after a rescue situation or building that kicker to drip out.
• Mammut have thought of everything with this sack and the front pouch pocket also has a very useful sheath for the storage of a rescue probe.
• The striking red and grey colour scheme typical of the Swiss manufacturer.
• Nice touch of the inclusion of safety information under the lid of the sack which includes; a checklist of what to pack for a backcountry skiing adventure, emergency signals, emergency telephone numbers and basic first aid guidelines

Cons
 

• I would prefer a slightly smaller carrying capacity, say 25 to 30 litres for use as a purely recreational skiing/boarding day sack but the 40 litres is spot on for more adventurous days in the mountains when ropes, axes and additional equipment needs to be carried.
• The mesh for carrying a helmet on the front of the sack is useful but very flimsy and prone to snagging on lifts. To prevent damage I unclip mine and only attached it when required to carry my helmet.
• As the sack has so many straps I often found myself clipping the wrong ones together when doing up the lid in a hurry.
• The wide zip allows full access to the lid pocket however I found I kept dropping items out of the lid when opening.
• As with a lot of Mammut equipment the sack is not cheap and the current weak value of sterling exacerbates this, however, the best kit on the market usually comes at a price.

In summary this has to be one of the best back-country sacks that I have ever used and is highly recommended for the more adventurous skier, boarder or lightweight alpinist.

Reviewed by Dan Webber on behalf of planetFear
 

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