Designed specifically for the mountaineer who wants to travel fast and light, this is the kind of jacket that I’d happily use most of the year round. The three-layer Gore-Tex Active fabric gives the jacket a perception of tough reliability, and yet it only weighs 360g, lightweight enough to carry for long periods in your pack.
In use the Velum 11 has kept me dry and condensation free, as you’d expect from a fabric like Gore-Tex Active, and the two large mesh side pockets can be used as vents if conditions are warm and stuffy. The hood is particularly generous, designed to fit over a climbing helmet if necessary, but it can be cinched down fairly well in bad weather to protect your head and face. The Berghaus single-hand adjustable system works pretty well, once you work it out.
This took me a little while because I couldn’t see the little release button that’s tucked away in the hem of the hood, but once I found it I realised I could quickly and easily adjust the hood using only one hand. How important that is in the greater scheme of things I don’t know, but I thought it was pretty neat.
First published: June 2013
