Outdoor Discoveries

A new jacket from a January sale

One thing that perplexes me about down-filled duvet jackets is that they’re incompatible with rain. It was something that dawned on me over the Christmas and I was mulling over the idea of acquiring one with a water-resistant coating. However, this winter has turned out largely mild away from Scotland and the cost of such things caused a rethink. In fact, a look at the January sales has resulted in a different outcome: the acquisition of a Páramo Cascada jacket.

Some may complain that they are too warm for them, but the combination of warmth and waterproofing sounds appealing to me. What really has surprised me after years of using jackets fashioned from eVent and Gore-Tex is the softness of the fabric used in the Cascada. The length is generous too and a far cry from alternatives using drop tails instead, not that I have used any of these; the mere mention tends to deter me for one reason or another. For some though, the extra length may be too long and I certainly would not consider using it for cycling and the extra warmth would work against that too. The hood does have a wired peak though it did seem a little on the floppy side to me at first; handily, it can be folded away too, though some frown on such things. Of course, it’s in making plenty of use of the Páramo that I’ll get the measure of it. Only then can more considered opinions be shared.