Montane’s lightest hooded fleece, ideal for Sport Walking when the temperatures drop
Worn/tested by: Roger Burlinson
Duration: Worn consistently for over eight weeks
Worn for: Cool weather training
Price: £90 (UK stores)
Review by Roger Burlinson
Introduction
Autumn’s a tricky time. It’s not yet cold enough to go full winter rigging but, at the same time, it’s a little too cool to stick with your summer shorts and t-shirt. What to do? Well, a good mid layer can make all the difference and we think we’ve found one that hits the spot.
Now it would probably be good to explain how I came to this point in the first place, for clarity. I recently had surgery to my shoulder and this meant that, for a month or so, t-shirts were going to be out of the question. A zip or button up option was going to be essential, so I went off in search of a lightweight mid layer that would offer enough warmth to wear as a single layer, while not overheating, as temperatures at this time were remaining mostly between 14 and 18 degrees.
I first purchased a couple of other ‘waffle type’ mid layers but found them both to be a little on the thick and warm side. Then, I came across the Montane Protium Lite and although it looked pretty similar to the others, it was thinner but still gave just the right level of comfort, worn as a single layer against the skin.
Now it is true, these garments are normally worn over a base layer to give additional warmth and, obviously, you’d vary the thickness and warmth rating of the hoodie you wore, to fit the temperature you’re walking in. For me though, I had a slightly different, rather specific and, perhaps, rather testing set of requirements.
I needed the hoodie to be nice and soft against the skin, as I could only really cope with putting on one layer and I needed it to be warm enough to feel comfortable in and around the house in autumn. BUT….. I also needed it to work as a single layer to wear when I went walking and that’s where the temperature regulation side of things becomes more tricky.
Normally, I’d just work hard, get hot, sweat as much as the conditions required and that was that. But this time, I needed to be careful not to get too hot, as sweat would weaken the self adhesive dressings that had become a semi-permanent fixture in my life.
So this little garment had its work cut out from the start and as this was a new experience for me (previously I’d layer up from long arm base layers, through t-shirts or jerseys to thin waffle fleeces) I wasn’t sure how it was going to play out. I needn’t have worried though, it worked almost perfectly.
The Basics
OK, I’m not going to try and wax lyrical about the construction and technical make up of this hoodie, I’m going to leave it to Montane themselves. Here’s what they say about the fabric:
“The THERMO GRID FLEECE LITE takes the concept of a brushed back and gridded format fabric and turns it up a notch, optimising its ability to trap warm air close to the body, while slashing weight by 35%. Reducing the amount of fabric required to do this boosts the fleece’s ability to draw moisture and excess heat away from the body and out into the air, increasing its breathability.”
And that’s not all. It seems, my need to be able to wear it against the skin as a single layer was catered for too:
“The Montane Men’s Protium Lite Hooded Fleece Jacket is loaded with the latest in anti-odour protection. POLYGEIENE technology provides a permanent solution to provide longer-lasting freshness, even during high-energy, demanding activities, such as fastpacking across a ridge line.”
How it fits & feels
So what does all this mean to you or me? Well I can tell you what it meant to me, it meant that, first of all, the hoodie was really light and almost felt like a long sleeved jersey, so the 30% weight saving was definitely a tick in my box. Next, the fit was really good. It was close fitting, I think Montane refer to this as ‘Trim’, but its slim fit was slim in all the right places.
The waist cuff was close and the base of the hoodie holds well against the body. Next up, it’s slim on the waistline, so there’s no unnecessary fabric flapping arounds but then it broadens to fit snugly around your chest and upper back, so that you can wear a vest with ease and get a great fit – there’s no getting cloth creased when you put your vest on. The great fit continues around the shoulders. Once again, it’s just right – not too tight but, also, not too generous.
One of the things I was always a little resistant to with this sort of fleece was the hood. Minimising irritations when you’re on a challenging Sport Walk is important and, for me, the idea of having to try and negotiate peace between two warring factions – your fleece’s hood and your rain jacket’s collar – was something to avoid. With the Protium Lite though, I found that because the garment itself is so thin, the hood slipped inside my rain jacket really easily and didn’t create a ‘Quasimodo shoulder’!
I also like the idea of being able to use the hood underneath a rain jacket hood if I need just that little bit more comfort, without resorting to putting on a separate hat. I often wear ‘snood’ type head bands in autumn and winter and that’s normally enough but if I were going to be out for ours in the rain, having an extra layer that I could easily add to my jacket hood would be a benefit. So, yeah, I’m gradually overcoming my hoodophobia!
The one thing I was hesitant about when buying the Protium Lite was the absence of a thumb loop in the cuff, although having said that, the variety of different cuff configurations you get on running or walking kit nowadays has got out of hand in my view. A simple low profile slit to allow you to slide your thumb in when you’re pulling on something over the top of a fleece is useful. More useful in fact, than using it to add warmth to your wrists. That’s what gloves are for!
In practice though, I can’t say I’ve noticed any level of inconvenience when wearing the Protium Lite in not having a thumb slit. It’s not all that long ago after all, that thumb slits didn’t exist and we all managed perfectly well by grabbing the cuff of the garment in our hands as we put a jacket on. So I’m not even going to mark the Protium Lite down for not having thumb slits. Sometimes it takes the absence of something to make you realise its actual value. For me, in the case of thumb slits, I think they’re handy (if well integrated) but they’re not essential – my palms and fingers still work perfectly well – K.I.S.S!
In Action
Of course, all this philosophising about waffles, slits, hoods etc becomes irrelevant when your outsole hits the trail! What really matters is how the garment performs in practice, when doing what you do, day in day out.
Now, I must confess I’m still not fully back to my normal level of activity, I need to go easy for another four weeks or so before I start training properly for my next Ultra but that doesn’t really impact how this garment performs. At the moment, I’m using it as a base layer next to the skin and then adding a light gilet for initial warmth until I’ve been going long enough to feel comfortable in just the Protium Lite alone. Once I reach this point, I’ve found it to be almost perfect.
It breathes pretty well, so I can release some of that steam, to keep my dressing intact but, at the same time, the thermal element of the hoodie gives me enough warmth to feel comfortable. At this time of year (writing this at the beginning of November), I’d say it’s pretty much bang on the money for warmth and comfort and I know that as it gets colder, I’ll just need to add a base layer underneath (I’ll be able to put one on by then) to keep that temperature balance just right.
Ergonomically, the hoodie moves well with my body movements and the sleeves are a perfect length, so they don’t ride up. It’s a little difficult to write specifically about ergonomics as there’s nothing specific that jumps out at you, it just feels good and works exactly as you’d expect.
Summary
On the one hand, this is just a good simple little thin waffle fleece that gives a good balance of warmth, light weight and breathability but for me, it’s been much more than that because of my unique situation in buying and using it. In a way though, I think this actually adds to its appeal. If it can fulfil what I’ve needed it to fulfil, then it shows it has an even greater scope of potential than it might normally be bought for.
The Montane Protium Lite hoodie is a great addition to my Sport Walking wardrobe and, in my humble opinion, it would be a great addition to yours. A superb early autumn or springtime layer that can give you just enough warmth without overheating. A garment to lean on in many different situations and one that just quietly gets on with it. No fuss, no frills, just the right amount of warmth to keep you on the move.
Sport Walk Recommends grade: 9/10