- Field Report [February 11, 2014] -
Conditions
I've
been busy in the past two months field testing the Flux jacket as our
Rocky Mountain winter settles in with deep snow and cold
temperatures. In all, I accomplished eleven hikes for about 40 mi
(64
km), one afternoon of light bouldering, seven snowshoe treks for about
30 mi (48 km), three Nordic ski trips
for 8 mi (13 km), and one all-day alpine ski outing. In all, I
experienced temperatures from 0 to 40 F (-18 to 4 C), and wind chills
as low as -50 F (-46 C). On most of
the outings I wore the Flux jacket with only a
wool-blend long-sleeve shirt underneath. The exceptions were two
trips when temperatures reached a high of just 15 F (-9 C),
and I needed a lightweight fleece over my shirt and under the
jacket. In addition to the usual
dry and cold Colorado environment I had the opportunity to wear the
Flux
in rainy, humid Texas.
Fit & Performance
As
I noted in First Impressions (above), the Flux fits me quite well overall - small
was the correct size for me. After using it a couple of times, I
found
that I liked to snug up the bottom at my waist using the shock cords:
this helps keep warm air in, so I leave it adjusted that way most of
the
time. However, the jacket is cut with a slight "apron" at the
rear, which helps cover pant tops where a shirt might be tucked in;
this is useful when the hem is not tightened via the shock cords.
Sleeve length is just a bit long for me with the cuffs loose, but I leave the
hook-and-loop cuff tighteners set in place so that they are snug
enough, but with
enough room for my hands to slip in and out of the sleeves.
My favorite feature of the Flux has to be the collar and hood design - I've never had a winter jacket where I actually wanted to zip up all way to keep the hood pulled up and almost forget to
notice that it's up! The front of the collar is lined with
polyester fleece to feel soft, but more importantly, the fabric lays
snug against my neck and chin without binding or letting in too much
cold air. The two orange elastic cords on the front sides of the collar help
keep it adjusted exactly where I need it - tight when the cold wind
blows, looser when I need more air circulation. Also, I rarely felt
any binding on the collar when turning my head.
The
same goes for the hood - it wraps very well around my head, and in
addition to the side cords for the collar, a third orange elastic cord
at the
backside (above the neck) pulls the hood tight around the sides and top
of
my head. Like the collar, the hood stays in place even when
moving my head side to side, without disturbing position of the hood
top or
opening my neck to the breeze, and the adjustable brim stayed where I
put it. Since I wear glasses all the time, I was initially
concerned that too much wind would slip in around the sides where the
hood can't cover the glasses' temples, but this turned out to be not an
issue when I pulled the hood just a bit tighter. Being able
to keep good peripheral vision is especially important in area alpine
skiing when the slopes are crowded, and this hood performed above my
expectations in this regard. And, as a bonus, I found that the
hood fit very nicely over my medium-thick brim-style hat, giving me a
bit more sun protection than the Flux hood alone.
Although the hood rolls up and can be held in place by a hook-and-loop
strap, after about my third outing I found it easier to just leave the
hood hanging loose when not needed; but when rolled up, it was not in
the way and merely made for a slightly thicker rear collar. I
observed that the jacket's hanger loop is not available when the hood
is rolled and secured by the hook-and-loop strap; a minor design flaw
that could be remedied.
So,
is the Flux warm? You bet! Wearing only a lightweight
wool-blend long-sleeve shirt underneath, the Flux obviated my need for
the extra fleece that I usually pack for backup. In fact, when
exerting strenuously while breaking trail on snowshoes or Nordic skis I
ended up with a pretty good sweat, so I regulated my
temperature by opening the front zipper from the top either halfway or
3/4 of the way down. Although there were a couple of outings
where the
temperature warmed up to freezing and the Flux just seemed too warm
overall, I was glad I had it on when stopping for a rest, because it
let me warm back up rather quickly. As far as wicking damp air
from my core, the inner lining of the Flux (which Montane calls "PEAQ
Synthetic") didn't do as good a job as I expected, and this is in a
very dry winter climate with relative humidity around 40% or
lower. After one particularly strenuous snowshoe, the entire
lining was almost dripping wet, and my wallet in the inner pocket was
damp as well.
I
had one opportunity to test the Flux in relatively warm, wet weather
(over 40 F (4 C)) in humid Texas, and I was impressed with its water
repellency in a light-to-heavy rain during a two-hour walk.
Unlike some of my Colorado hikes, I didn't feel clammy (despite the
humid air), but this is probably because the walk wasn't very
strenuous. However, in all of my test outings, regardless of
temperature or climate, the outer ripstop fabric did very well against
the wind, and I never felt the need to layer on another windbreaker
over the Flux.
As
far as jacket flexibility and movement, I like how
comfortable the Flux is while skiing both Nordic and alpine
style. I didn't feel any binding in the arms or waist - the articulated arm design is successful. In addition, for
these activities I appreciated the relatively thin jacket filling
(especially when compared to a puffy, and sometimes bulky, down jacket). 
Did
the pockets live up to initial expectations? With one exception,
yes. The two "Napoleon-style" outside breast pockets are very
generously-sized, and in them I would store a glasses case, trail
snacks, extra grove liners: just about anything small that I'd need
quickly while on the trail. The smaller inside-breast pocket, on
the right
side, was convenient for my thin or small items (like a wallet or keys)
that I didn't need to get to very often. I like the hand pockets
for their size and placement: As Montane mentions in the jacket
specifications, they are designed to be out of the way of backpack
straps, thus I could use them anytime. (On the other hand,
comparing this jacket to other jackets that I own didn't show any
significant differences in hand pocket placement - all were as
comfortable as the Flux with a pack.) In the photo to the right
I've have three pockets stuffed with mittens and some other gear - looks
funny but stores well! All four of the exterior pockets are
reinforced at their top ends where the zippers close up - nice
attention to detail. My one gripe about the hand pockets is
that they are not lined with fleece material, and the nylon ripstop
lining (same as the jackets outside) sometimes felt cold and
clammy on my
hands.
All
of the jacket's zippers worked flawlessly, and I'm hard put to remember
any time that the front zipper caught in the fabric - always a clothing hazard. Although
there are no fabric zipper covers on the jacket's outside, the front
zipper does have a 0.8 in (2 cm) thick insulated weather strip sewn in behind
the right-hand zipper side, which does keep wind and wind-blown snow
from migrating inside the jacket. According to British convention
(Montane is based in England) the front zipper is "left-hand", with the
pulls on the left side, but I quickly got used to reversing my hands
when using the Flux's zipper.
In
regards to the thin outer shell ripstop nylon, I initially had some
reservations about how well it would hold up against off-trail
obstacles like tree branches and rough rocks. However, experience
so far has shown that the shell nylon is quite durable, holding up to
mild rock abrasion, small twigs and branches, and non-thorny
brush. One afternoon of some light bouldering on rough-surfaced
limestone and rhyolite left some dirt and other marks that came
off easily with water and light rubbing.
Storage
Montane
has thoughtfully designed a self-storage feature in the right-side hand
pocket's lining, which pulls out to allow the rest of the
jacket to be stuffed into it. It took me about one minute to
complete the task, and it was pretty easy to push the jacket's fabric
and stuffing into the pocket and the corners.
I
was careful with the wire in the hood brim so that it didn't get bent
too much out of shape. I noted that there is reinforced stitching
at both ends of the now-exposed pocket zipper, which will help when
it's stressed slightly in order to zip up the bag with the jacket
inside. I used this storage feature only once so far on my winter
trips, because I kept the jacket on and didn't need to store it.
Loose Thread Issue
I
had only one problem with jacket workmanship, and it was a minor one at
that. A thread had pulled out at the bottom of the right-side
breast pocket, to about 0.5 in (1.3 cm). It proved to be an easy
fix with a needle and short length of gray thread as I tied it off and
tucked it back in securely. However, I don't consider this a
serious problem (I've seen loose threads many a time on outdoor gear)
and I usually find loose threads easy to repair, as it was here.
Summary
After
two months of extensive use, my evaluation so far of Montane's Flux
jacket is very positive. For me it's living up to Montane's
claims of comfort, warmth, flexibility during strenuous activity, ease
of use, light weight, and wind- and waterproofness. It has become
my outdoor winter jacket of choice, replacing the two-layer combination
of fleece and hard shell that I used to wear during winter hikes,
snowshoes, and skis. A note on color: the dark gray and vermilion
combination seen here was not my first choice, and at first I didn't
like it. But after wearing the Flux a lot, the bright orange of
the zippers and inner lining bothers me less, so that form and function
is more important to me now.
- Long Term Report [April 2, 2014] -
Since
my Field Report (above) was posted I've continued to use the Flux
jacket
on about five hiking and snowshoe day trips 6 mi (10 km) or greater,
as well as shorter walks around town, where temperatures varied from 20
to 50 F (-7 to 10 C). I still think it's a great jacket, for all
of
the reasons I give in the Field Report. I've not seen any
additional loose threads or, indeed, any other defects. I'm going
to add
the Flux to my spring-through-fall seasonal backpacking gear as well,
because even then in the
high mountains of Colorado it frequently drops to freezing or below at
night. A brief test at home indicates that the jacket will also
make a good camp pillow
due to its excellent loft.
Finally, this is definitely a winter or cold-temperature jacket; being
active
in the Flux at or above 40 F (4 C) was too warm for me, and there is no ventilation other than at the sleeves or by opening the front zipper.
I have only a couple of minor negative design
observations about the Flux, but in my opinion
neither of them detract from its overall excellent design and
comfort. The first is that the hanger loop attached to the inner
side of the collar is unavailable when the collar is rolled up and its
hook-and-loop strap is fixed in place. This could easily be fixed
by placing the hanger loop just below the hood strap instead of above,
where it is now. Second, the breast
pockets are too big for me - that is, they bottom out into the tops of the
hand pockets, so that when I store an item like my sunglasses
case in either breast pocket, that item gets into the way of my hand when
using the corresponding hand pocket. I would have these pockets bottom out about 2 in (5 cm) higher than they do now.
Pros
- warm and snug
- excellent hood fit and coverage
- very compressible & very lightweight
- water repellent
- 5 pockets provide lots of storage space
- adjustable cuffs and waist
- very adjustable hood fit, with stiff visor wire
- excellent flexibility in hood, shoulders, and arms
Cons
- hanger loop not available when hood is rolled up
- breast pockets too large, stored items can sometimes interfere with use of hand pockets
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