Montane Minimus

The Minimus manages to pack enough features into its stripped-down alpine jacket form that it’s hard to want for more. I fortunately had it with me the day that summer gave way to winter, bypassing autumn all together, and decided to rain on me for three hours straight. By the end of the ride, I was cold, but perfectly dry. I’m personally in favour of a hood during the deepest parts of winter. The Minimus hood was designed with mountaineers in mind and is best fitted under, not over, bike helmets.

On faster evening rides the Minimus has kept wind off while remaining surprisingly breathable for a fully taped jacket. I’m generally a fairly heavy sweater (ha ha), but with a bit of venting this was not much of a problem. Like many new-school breathable fabrics, the large panel size and cut gives the material a better chance to breath; fewer seams equals less tape and a more breathable jacket. A huge OS map-swallowing pocket on the left side also acts as a vent, but my only gripe is with this pocket. You can reverse the jacket into the pocket and close it, but the lack of a dual-sided zip meant it can be a faff with cold hands. Yes, it comes with a nice little mesh stow bag, but I lost that within ten minutes and it struck me as being a waste of material anyway.

However, this one gripe is far outweighed by the cut of the jacket. Long enough arms give plenty of room to move. The wrist closures go small enough for my little wrists. The length of the jacket kept my backside dry enough.

Overall: A perfect complement to the British winter. Fully waterproof, packable and lightweight. The masters of the mountains do it again.

Greg May.