Mountain Equipment Firefox Review

in Outdoor Gear by Simon — August 21, 2011 at 7:00 pm | 10 comments

I had borrowed a Mountain Equipment Firefox test jacket for use on the Mourne Seven Sevens because the weather forecast was suggesting that the heavy rain currently washing the hills would continue through the weekend – it looked like a good opportunity to see just how good the new GORE-TEX Active Shell material really was and carry a little less weight in the process. As things turned out I didn’t need to don the jacket at all and it stayed in my bag all day. With hill time severely restricted, a couple of weeks passed before my next chance to get out and try out the Firefox, but at the first opportunity I jumped in the car and headed down to the Carrick Little car park for an all out assault on Slieve Binnian.

As the Mourne Mountains came into view I was disappointed at how much I could see of them – where were the rain clouds? Once I’d found somewhere to park, I had a quick munch on a GO Bar and pulled on my Meindl Vakuums – it was time to give the Wildcats a rest and I needed to get used to wearing boots again for an up-coming trip to Wales. The weather was overcast and there was a fair amount of cloud on Slieve Binnian so I had hopes of getting some rain, but I left the Firefox in my bag for the time being. Setting off at a brisk pace I made good time and passed a couple of groups who were taking a more sensible approach to Binnian and I was soon generating a lot of heat and moisture – no need for the jacket just yet though.

Nearing the summit I caught up with and passed Joe, who I had met for the first time on the Seven Sevens, but a quick explanation of what I was doing and a promise to see him at the top and I was pressing on. Fifty-five minutes after leaving the car I was on top of the hill and in more of a breeze so I pulled on the Firefox to keep me from chilling down too quickly.

The Firefox is made from GORE-TEX Active Shell – the lightest and most breathable membrane from GORE-TEX to date. Regardless of whether a garment is made by Mountain Equipment, Haglöf (pronounced “hog loof” by the way!), Berghaus or any other manufacturer , the fabric comes from Gore and is then made into the final garment by the manufacturer (in this case, Mountain Equipment) … er, seems obvious, so why am I telling you this? Well it allows Gore to exert a certain degree of control over the final product. This is good in a number of ways – think quality control for example. With regard to Active Shell it means that Gore can specify that any jacket made from GORE-TEX Active Shell weighs under 400g. This then, is a light jacket – in fact the Firefox comes in well under the limit at just 320g. The jacket I had was a medium and with just a long-sleeve merino base layer underneath the active cut felt just right. The body was short and close fitting without being restrictive, while the articulated and pre-shaped sleeves were long enough without threatening to engulf my hands if I undid the velcro fastenings (which are high quality and easily adjustable). The front zip on the Firefox, a water resistant YKK affair, is one way zip – presumably there is no real need for a two-way zip on a jacket like this and to add one would just add weight. Where extra and unnecessary weight has been added is under the arms. The Firefox, like other active cut jackets has a high cut under arms, which improves the performance of the waterproof/breathable membrane; so why – in a jacket that is made from such a breathable fabric – have pit zips? Aren’t the large ventilated chest pockets enough? The answer, apparently, is that the European market demands them! Coming back to those chest pockets for a moment – they have water-resistant zips and are backed with mesh pocket bags in case you do need to store something inside them. The hood, which has a stiffened plastic peak, is great in terms of volume and adjustability, but I found that the roll-away closure didn’t work too well and my carefully rolled hood soon started flapping around uncontrollably. At the other end of the jacket a hem draw-cord allows for whatever degree of close or loose fitting that you prefer.

Just as I had zipped up the Firefox, a fellow who arrived at the summit from the opposite direction said hello to me and addressed me by name. As if meeting someone I had only met on the hills once before wasn’t coincidence enough, this turned out to be a family who I had been walking with more than a year before and it was their first time out on the hills since then. After chatting for a while I realised that, despite having been very sweaty, I didn’t feel clammy or uncomfortable.

By this stage, Joe and his nephew had arrived and I walked on down and off Slieve Binnian with them at a comfortable pace. At the foot of Slievelamagan we parted company and I pushed up to the summit in 25 minutes, breathing hard, generating a lot of heat and wishing that there was some rain! At the top of Lamagan I stopped at the summit cairn and dropped my Osprey Raptor 10 on the ground. I knew that I had been sweating hard, but I still didn’t feel uncomfortable. Putting my hand inside the jacket my baselayer was soaked – you might at this point be thinking that the talk about the breathability of Active Shell was all hype and no substance, but hang on a moment and think about what is going on; even if I hadn’t been wearing the Firefox I would have been covered in sweat, the real test for the fabric is how long I would remain that way. The answer was soon obvious as I felt a chill on my back. All GORE-TEX is windproof, so I wasn’t experiencing the sort of windchill that would be expected with a wind permeable garment like a fleece. What I was experiencing was the evaporation of my sweat as it was being transported through the membrane to the outside of the garment – this was breathability in action. What is interesting here is that eVENT has long been considered the most breathable of the waterproof and breathable fabrics on the market. Wearers of eVENT garments are often warned that they might find the extra breathability causes them to be colder – has Active Shell caught up with eVENT in the breathability stakes?

While not discomforted by the chill on my back, the cloud prevented any views from the summit and I walked on at a more leisurely pace. Coming down off Lamagan I decided to cut the day short and descended towards Cove Lough and Lower Cove. Just as I was reaching the crags at the edge of Lower Cove I was hailed by a couple who had come out without a proper map and become disoriented in the thick mist. After a dangerous skirting of the crags they were more-or-less at the point where they could safely descend, but I offered to walk with them until their route back to their car became obvious. When Percy Bysshe came in sight I said my goodbyes and pressed on alone at a quick pace. Arriving back at the car the first thing I did was to remove clothing to make myself more comfortable … and so I  pulled off my boots and socks, not the Firefox. Apart from playing around with the various packet and pit zips, It had remained zipped up since I had put it on and I still felt comfortable even now. Taking the jacket off, the inside felt vaguely damp rather than wet and my baselayer was noticeably drier than it had been at the top of Lamagan – for a jacket to allow a baselayer to dry out like this shows a high degree of breathability.

The only problem with the day was that, like the first attempt at testing the Firefox during the Mourne Seven Sevens, there was no rain. Never mind, there’s always garden hoses! Now a garden hose is not a perfect replication of rain. It can certainly provide a large volume of water, but it won’t necessarily replicate the sort of wind driven rain that we’ve probably all encountered in the hills. What I can say is that the durable water repellent finish (which had been revived before wearing the jacket by washing in Nikwax Tech Wash and then Nikwax TX Direct) beaded up nicely and the water resistant zips didn’t let in any water even when being blasted directly with the hose. I did end up with a slightly wet tee shirt after getting a faceful of water, which then dripped down my neck … but that was nothing to do with the jacket!

Active Shell jackets are promoted for “fast and light” activities and the features and performance of the Firefox certainly lend weight to this positioning of Active Shell within the waterproof and breathable market. The breathability of the Firefox impressed me tremendously and I felt comfortable all the time I was wearing it. At 320g I was impressed by it all the time I wasn’t wearing it as well!

The problem, if there is one, with Active Shell is the doubt surrounding the durability of the fabric. It would be unreasonable to expect that it would be as durable as Pro Shell Ascendor II, but it is clearly not even as durable as Performance Shell. How do they stack up against Paclite? The conventional wisdom at this stage suggests that Active Shell jackets won’t stand up to extended use with a heavy backpack. But they are touted for use in adventure races, so where does the line get drawn? If they can stand up to a mountain marathon can they stand up to ultra-lightweight hiking? Sorry folks, no answers here, just questions. Only time and experience will tell.

The question remains, would I buy one? The answer … at a retail price of £200, is that I’m tempted. I think that as a summer jacket with a baselayer and a light midlayer it would be a great hard shell for those light days with long miles. However, for winter use I’d need to go up a size to accommodate thicker layers for the really crap days. So although I’m tempted, I’m not tempted enough just yet.  As much as I like this superlight, extremely breathable and small packing jacket … oh, and did I say I think it looks great too, especially in the green with blue zips … I’m waiting. Waiting to see just how durable the fabric is!

 

 

Tags: County Down featured Gear Mountains of Mourne walking