I bought the Atomic Jacket just before a two week summer holiday to the west coast of Scotland as I intended to spend as much time as possible in the mountains. The summer in Scotland isn’t what I called reliable so a good waterproof jacket is essential but I didn’t want to carry excess weight or bulk. This seemed to fit the bill. It is surprising how light the jacket it considering the features: Big hood with a stiffened peak, 2 huge hand pockets, great arm lift, and a double storm flap normally found on much heavier jackets designed for winter use. To be honest the jacket only really got tested on one day but at nearly 1000m above sea level descending the rocky crest off Sgurr Mhor, brilliantly named Na Rathanan (the Horns of Alligin). We could see the thick band of rain heading our way off the sea. My girlfriend had her much more expensive Gore-Tex Pro Shell jacket and pants on before it hit and I donned my latest purchase along with my waterproof pants. The rain was incredibly heavy and the wind that brought it our way made climbing down rocky ground difficult. I was half expecting to get wet as the Atomic is more than half the price of my 3-layer shell but I was presently surprised and we battled for 3hrs back to the car. It is always nice to finally get to use something in anger and for it to exceed your expectations. I have since seen plenty of people on a 2-day mountain-marathon using these, probably due to their low weight and high performance. The overnight camp seemed to be a Montane convention.

I bought these 3 years ago as they are simply the lightest of their kind on the market (200g size L including stuffsac). They are ideal when you are looking to move fast and have very little room to pack. I have been back-packing on the GR20 in Corsica, ran 2-day mountain marathons, and frequently get out on my XC mountain bike, these have proven an indispensable piece of kit every time. Worn over technical pants, Lycra tights, or even shorts, they keep the wind out whilst being incredibly breathable. The lower legs have Velcro adjustment so they can go from normal fitting pants to slim fitting ideal for running or biking. The legs are also slightly articulated with knee darts. The DWR finish extends their performance into light rain showers and unless the forecast is predicting heavy rain these will always be packed instead of full waterproof pants. As long as the activity is high paced then the rain without the wind is not enough to cool you down. The stuffsac is the size of a small apple.