Chris Townsend reviews a superb lightweight windshell – our best buy.
This review is part of our windshells gear guide, and was first published in the April 2018 issue of The Great Outdoors.
Having given the Lite-Speed Best Buy in three previous windshell reviews spanning well over a decade I tried really hard to see if there was a newer jacket that I thought was better. However when it came down to it I couldn’t find one. I still think the Lite- Speed is the best combination of weight, features, performance and price. And that’s despite three big design and fabric changes over the years.
The Lite-Speed is made from Pertex Quantum, which is soft, comfortable and breathable as well as windproof. It has a good hood with a wired peak plus front and rear drawcords. Cinching the hood closely round the face is easy and it’s big enough to fit over a warm hat. The two pockets are set just high enough to be usable when wearing a hipbelt but not so high that they’re uncomfortable when used for your hands. They’re big enough for maps and are made of mesh so the zips can be left open for ventilation. The cuffs fit quite closely but are stretchy enough to allow the sleeves to be pushed up for cooling.
For three-season use the Lite-Speed is ideal. The weight is quite low, the features excellent. My only complaint is about the sizing. In earlier versions the Medium fits me. In the current one the Large is only just big enough.
