Good weather for trying out warm jackets
Published on 2nd February 2009 
Estimated Reading Time: 2 minutesThe snow has found its way across to Cheshire within the last 24 hours. Buses weren't stopped up like in London, though things did feel a little too slippery on the way home. That was enough for me to press an old pair of Salomon boots into service for negotiating the snow-covered streets of Macclesfield, a job that they did well. This kind of weather needs that kind of footwear; some may use wellington boots, but they are not as versatile or as warm.
Another item has that came in for a lot of use in the last few days has been a Mountain Equipment Lightline down jacket that I managed to find in the January sales for a third off the original price. I haven't had it long, but it came in time for the current burst of cold weather. My initial impressions were that it wasn't as warm as my TNF Nuptse, but there have been times when I overheated in that jacket and the Lightline did keep out that cutting south-easterly that visited us over the weekend. That easily suffices for most of my purposes.
In fact, I now think that the generosity of the fit might have swayed my assessment. The pernickety might criticise a certain lack of finesse in the finish department, but it's good enough for me. The zip isn't the smoothest of operators and has potential to be the greater irritant, but I can overlook that given how well it works otherwise.
Otherwise, there's a lot to like: generous pockets and an outer shell that keeps the down dry in most conditions are those that I find most useful. Given the amount of rain we get in Cheshire, that is a major plus point. A detachable hood comes too, as does a stuff-sack. I can't say that I have used either, with my detaching the hood reflecting my preference for hats over hoods in all but driving rain. All in all, it does the job for which I bought it, while the Nupste can be saved for much colder days.
