Mountain Equipment Guide Gloves

The ME Guide gloves are designed to be a general mountain and ski glove. The come equipped with Drilite extreme waterproof lining, a tough nylon outer shell, cowhide leather palm, soft nose wipe, elastic wrist leash, single handed drawcord closure and a fiber pile and fleece lining.

I have used these gloves in various conditions and have found them to be not especially warm this is not helped by the fact that I have been finding that my hands get wet inside the gloves. I have not managed to establish whether this is caused by poor breathability or waterproofing of the Drilite membrane or rain water is entering the glove from another location. These gloves are comfy to wear due to their pre curved design and soft lining I feel these gloves would be ideal for autumn and spring hill walking but something a little warmer would be needed for winter months.

Rab Photon Primaloft jacket

The Rab Photon Jacket is as Rab say “a Rab classic” this jacket is constructed from Pertex Microlight 30D which is durable, wind and water resistant. The body of the jacket is filled with 133g Primaloft® Eco and the sleeves have 100g of Primaloft Eco. This jacket also comes with a hood with 60g of Primaloft® Eco filling and a wire reinforced peak. There are Velcro adjustable cuffs and an elastic draw string around the base of the jacket to help to keep out drafts. Large chest pockets which are high enough to not to be effected by climbing harnesses and ideal for warming hands.

A clever feature of this jacket is its ability to be packed into its own inside pocket this is useful when packing this jacket into a day pack.  Because this jacket is filled with Primaloft even when wet it retains 80% of its thermal properties which makes it a ideal jacket for throwing over your other layers when you are standing on belay or stopping for a break while out for a day in the hills.

I have used this jacket both up in the Scottish hills and on the summit of Kilimanjaro and found it to be extremely warm and light. As of yet I have not found any faults with this jacket and would rate it a worthy investment. This jacket normally retails at £120 but I have seen it for as little as £80.

ASOLO Imperial GV boots

The Imperial GV is the latest walking boot to be released by the Italian boot company Asolo retailing at £149.99. The boot is constructed from water resistant full grain leather which as a minimum thickness of 2.5mm, a Gore-Tex lining and Asolo/Vibram’s new Radiant Sole.  A pair of size 10 tips the scales at 1526g which makes them a light full leather option when compared with other full leather boots in this price range.

The Imperial has a slightly narrower construction around the heel when compared to boots such as the Mammut MT Trail. This gives good support and helps to prevent those dreaded blisters from making a guest appearance on a day out in the hills

The Radiant sole has been developed by Asolo and Vibram to give outstanding performance and grip. The Radiant sole comes equipped with aggressive heel cleats and Asolo’s Aso-brake system which enhances grip on steep descents. 

The only thing that let’s this boot down is the absence of a rubber rand which would give the boot more protection on rocky ground. The Imperial feels extremely comfortable straight out of the box and does not suffer from areas that require time soften like we have seen in previous Asolo boots such as the Powermatic 500. The Asolo Imperial GV is a good general all rounder 3 season boot for those two enjoy valley, hill and mountain walking. The the only limiting factor is the lack of a rand means that it might not stand up to hard walking in rocky environments as well as some other options. Undoubtedly this is another excellent boot from Asolo and will give many years of pleasurable walking.