Reader Reviews

Rating: 5 / 5

A great, great windshirt, and I've been really surprised by its inclement weather performance. I've been on brief runs [20-40 minutes] in the rain with the Featherlite. While it eventually wets out and gets soggy, the cool thing is that my shirt underneath is almost always dry.

A nice deep 1/3 zipper for good ventilation, and the multi-layer collar is great. All the seams are clean and well-sewn.

I've put it through the ringer in the woods, and the only durability problem I've had is snagging on a door at home :[ Just a small hole that hasn't spread after a quick cauterizing.

The Featherlite has become dailywear for me, a great just-in-case item to have around.

Complaints? The drop-cut hem is a bit too generous in the butt [for running, in particular], and I'd like to have a hooded version.

Edited by mlarson on 11/04/2005 02:41:26 MST.

Rating: 5 / 5

I've been using the Montane Featherlite Smock as a replacement for a bulky hardshell and its worked great so far. The Pertex fabric with DWR really does well in light precipitation and even in the occasional storm I don't have a problem as I'm usually wearing a wide-brimmed hat and the water just beads off the garmet like water off a duck's back.

The close fit of the garment also eliminates "billowing" in strong winds (at least for me) and the calendered fabric really feels good N2S.

I give it an "almost perfect" because I'm not yet sure how long the excellent DWR treatment will last and when I will have to re-treat it.

However, that said, this smock is probably comes closest to the absolute paradigm of "form follows function" in my arsenal of outerwear.

Rating: 5 / 5

Lightweight, breathable, and very water resistant. What's not to like? This is my favorite and most versatile piece of clothing. I've used it for almost 3 years now. I wear it any number of ways: on my bare skin, over short sleeve and long sleeve baselayers, or over a lightweight fleece to imitate some of the original softshell offerings. I think the DWR coating lasted in earnest for over 6 or 7 weekend outings. Being 6'3" and having been warned about the sizing, I opted for an X-Large. If I weren't absurdly thin, I would probably be better off with an XX-Large.

It protects me from sun, bugs, the occasional shower, and flash-off. It breathes superbly well. It has also stood up to time and abuse with aplomb: there are some spots showing wear, but it's still in once piece. The seams are well-constructed and do not irritate me even when worn next to skin. It will certainly last me through another hiking season.

I've been out of the loop for a while, so there may be better offerings right now. However, I can tell you that I would have gladly paid twice the price for this wind shirt given the performance it has delivered. I use it for 3 season hiking when the lows are expected to stay above freezing. Otherwise, I opt for my beefier Cloudveil Prospector Pullover given that I try to make it up by skimping on my insulation pieces.

Rating: 4 / 5

I just picked one of these shirts up and there is a lot to like.

Likes: Very lightweight, excellent wind resistance, nicely breathable and surprisingly good water resistance. I prefer windshirts to not attempt to be hardshells but nonetheless the fabric exceeds my expectations in the water repelling arena. I've used mine while it is snowing or freezing rain and it has worked great. I have yet to get rained on as it is still winter at 8000+ ft.

Dislikes: The zipper snags unless I guide it with my free hand (minor problem) and the bottom hem is huge. I will ask my GF to hem and taper it.

Misc: It seems Montane has adjusted their sizing as I ordered 1 size up from my normal XL and I would have been fine with an XL.

My other windshirt is a Mont-bell stretch and the fit and zipper of the Mont-bell is better for me but I will modify and keep the Montane.

Rating: 5 / 5

I have a story to tell, and this is why I'll never get rid of this "Wind"shirt.

I guess it's been almost 2 years now, Hurricane Rita was passing through. You know, the one that came through immediately after Katrina?

I was driving home when the weather was getting really bad and was right behind a terrible head on collision. Needless to say, all I had on was a t-shirt, my cotton shorts, and the Montane Featherlite.

1 hour later, after helping people in both cars and standing in the rain waiting for the ambulance and giving a police report, I was simply amazed when i got back into the car and my t-shirt was still dry.

AMAZING for a piece of clothing that isn't considered waterproof and only rated at "Spray Level 4"...whatever that is.

Rating: 4 / 5

I have two of the Montane Featherlite shirts one of which I have owned now for about two years.

These things pack up so small I always have one with me when I go out, whether its stuffed in a pocket or hydration pack for day hikes or in my pack for longer excursions.

I took this shirt on a weeks hike through some pretty miserable wet and windy weather. In the wind it is superb and adds considerably to making you feel warmer. As has been said it also feels good to skin and is surprisingly pretty robust having been stuffed in and out of my pack numerous times.

In light rain it faired well but gradually after an hour or so I found a dampness starting to soak through to my midlayer. (The rain had got progressively worse but I hadn't really noticed the dampness because in the inital light rain the shirt had faired so well). I then had to put on something more waterproof. None the less I was reasonable impressed with it. I now treat the shirt with water repelent treatments that you can buy and this naturally improves this products performance.

In short for windy, (light / brief) rain this product is great and gives you a real sense of freedom whilst wearing it but you'll need a more substantial piece of weather protection to change to when it realy starts to take a turn for the worse.

Its great when wearing no additional clothing is too little and full blown rain protection is too much.

This will be staying in my pack for a while.

Rating: 5 / 5

I replaced a worn out, hydrophilic, early 1970s vintage Puma windbreaker with a Montane Featherlite Marathon jacket and, with one caveat, I couldn't be happier. The Montane is made out of Pertex Microlight mini-ripstop (my medium is 4 ounces, the mesh stuff sack adds another ounce. I'm 6'3" and weigh between 160 and 170 depending on how much time I spend weightlifting.), trimmed with a strip of 3M Scotchlite down the front zipper, two more under the arms, and one on each of the cuffs.

There's a one-way, full length front zipper (puller on the left), a shockcord drawstring waist with a spring lock operable only on the right side, and elastic cuffs. The zipper is backed with a nylon tape (printed with the Montane logo) which will block wind but will quickly absorb moisture. Clearly a choice had to be made between durability and weather resistance, and durability was chosen because of the risk of snagging the zipper in any backing material.

Most of the body (two front panels, one back panel, two sleeve panels) is Pertex Microlight, treated with DWR to repel moisture. The exception is a pair of side vents about sternum level, which are backed with the same lightweight mesh as used for the stuff sack. Think of them as horizontal pit zips but without the zip.

The Mandarin collar is lined with something, which makes it the heaviest part of the jacket. At first I thought there might be a hood tucked away here, but no. I opened one of the seams and looked inside: there's some kind of dense black fabric (not water resistant, but quick-drying) stay stitched in. I had thought to remove this and refinish the seam, creating a "pocket" to replace the stuff sack, but that seems to mean taking the entire collar assembly apart and is more trouble to me than it's worth. Anyway, the collar's about two inches tall and has a Scotchlite Montane logo on the back center.

So that's the design and construction. But how does it work?

It works very well for running and walking, just like I'd expected. Light precipitation is a non-issue thanks to the Pertex/DWR fabric. Breathability is fair, though I run hot and am grateful for the full-length zipper when venting is necessary. The cut is athletic and slim, but I've had no problems wearing it over an R2 fleece and under an 18 pound load.

I've used the stuff sack on day hikes because it has a velcro loop which makes it easy to attach to my pack, but when backpacking I've laid it out over my gear in the pack as a top layer of water resistance. Happily, because the stuff sack is made of the same mesh (on the sides) and a double layer of Pertex, I plan to cannibalize it for patching material when the need arises. The shock cord lock is slightly larger than the one on the jacket's waist, but it can also work as a replacement.

My caveat is the weight of the lined collar, which could as easily be open on the inside, eliminating the need for a stuff sack but necessitating duct tape repairs. Not bad enough for me to knock a point off the rating.

That aside, however, I'm very happy with the jacket's performance and I expect a long service life.

Edited by jasonpraxis on 06/16/2010 20:45:05 MDT.