All the below was taken to Norway on the recent jaunt with Torjus and other members on the forum. I've tried to keep the * rating very severe. Only three items got 5* and one item got 1 star! Both 5* items have been supplied with a link so you get the correct item!
This is just my opinion - yours probably will vary.
Base Layers:
Merino Wool Long-johns and long sleeved top: 4*
Pros: Excellent – never left my skin for the whole week (eww!) 200 gm/m2 was sufficient. Does what it says on the tin
Cons: Top wasn’t as long as an ulfrotte’ top and so created a gap for cold air to attack relentlessly. This fact was lorded over me at every opportunity – scum.
Synthetic (Hot chillis) base-layers: 2*
Pros: They offered a smell-free alternative
Cons: It felt like I was about to go cycling in lycra. Very low cut neck-line. Wool base-layers were better.
Trousers:
Craghoppers Kiwi Winter lined: 4*
Pros: Cheap – I got them for £12. Does what it says on the tin
Cons: Not water resistant. When kneeling in snow/ice the wet knees gets rather annoying pretty quickly, so even if it isn’t raining I found that the lack of water resistance in a cold climate was cheesing me off.
Paramo Cascada Trousers: 4*
Pros: Excellent wind and water resilience. Long and seemed to be great at keeping the snow out, even without gaiters. Can be taken off in the evening without removing boots (see below for why!)
Cons: Heavy (not a problem if worn, but only if packed for the baggage allowance). Not fire resistant, so had to remove each evening. Small number of pockets (two with zips). Zips can snag on themselves and require un-mittening to resolve.
Thermal layers (tops):
ARC'TERYX Wool top: 4*
Pros: Great little top which didn’t show the dirt in grey. Warm enough to be worn in the evening, whilst cool enough to prevent sweating. Made a fantastic combo with the Alta II and base-layer for all-day use. Deep pockets. High neck. Good build quality
Cons: The most expensive thing known to man. Purchased in Norway for about £110, as I didn’t have a wool top before I left.
Norwegian sweater from the “Norwegian Sweater” in Bergen (tourist trap): 3*
Pros: Cheap – about £7. Very warm (almost too warm). Pure wool.
Cons: Looks like my gran knitted it.
Jackets:
Paramo Alta II: 5*
Pros: Excellent thermal adaption – it’s fantastic at keeping you at a consistent temperature despite a changing activity level or environment. It’s totally wind and waterproof. It’s just “dandy”. Bottomless pockets and very good quality construction (it’s three years old already!)
Cons: It isn’t fire retardant; many an evening was spent quickly hiding it from the scary fire daemons. Velcro top pocket seems a little stupid when compared to the superior zip pocket on the other side.
Mountain equipment Omega (down jacket): 3*
(mine is green)
Pros: When worn by a Norwegian it was described as a “very good jacket” during a blizzard. Brilliant thermal insulation. Very light. Waterproof during test. Close fitted, but very comfortable despite athletic build – few air gaps! Excellent zips – they never jammed.
Cons: Slightly short. Despite going down to -25 degrees, it rarely left its stuff-sack and duties as a pillow; my other thermal layers were sufficient. This isn’t a bad reflection on this jacket, more that my primary jacket was used in more situations.
Extremeties:
Thorlo Mtn. Climbing socks: 4.5*
Pros: Really warm, excellent construction, very comfortable.
Cons: The dirt doesn’t really wash out.
Bridgedale Expedition Summit: 3.5*
Pros: Warm, ish
Cons: Not as good as the Thorlo ones.
Ortovox Antarctic Mitt: 5* (http://www.facewest.co.uk/Ortovox-Antarctic-Mitt.html)
Pros: Excellent construction. Three layer system. Totally waterproof and windproof. Durable. Great mix of what’s good about modern (waterproof, durability) and traditional (wool for warmth and fire-proof.
Cons: Expensive, but have still used the layers in the UK (not all three though)
Accessories:
Typhoon Buff: 3*
Pros: Warm, windproof, comfortable, close fitting.
Cons: In this situation a skiing buff makes you look like a goon-berry with a rave fetish. Windproof also meant that you cannot breath through the thing when it gets really cold, so you have to use it as a hat – and not a nose/ear protector.
Mountain Equipment Alpine Gaiters: 1*
Pros: Waterproof. Certainly kept the snow out – and the blood too!
Cons: Too small, despite largest size available to go over mountain boots or two trousers. REALLY poor construction quality – logo threads were coming off by the end of day one, both straps seem to be made of a fibre impregnated rubber which started to separate very quickly. I cannot stress how annoying the stupidly close fit really was.
Ulfrotte’ balaclava (400gm): 4*
Pros: Excellent – use as a scarf/hat/balaclava – all depending on conditions
Cons: SAS wannabe look-alike when reviewing photos. Cold nose.
Mountain Equipment Snowline Sleeping Bag: 5* (http://www.facewest.co.uk/pp/me/snowline.htm)
Pros: Lightweight, tiny, comfortable and most importantly WARM. Waterproof – so much so when the shelter melted my feet got wet as the drips of water went down the sleeping bag and collected in a big puddle in the bottom of the bag. Exceeded the comfort rating(-20) by about 5 degrees in a home-made snow shelter and still got 8 hours sleep. Great baffle system – only my nose was visible at times!
Cons: Price – lightweight, waterproof down bags which have a comfort rating of -20 don’t come cheap. But I didn’t pay quite as much as on the website given.
Sorel Caribou Mens Boot: 4.5*
Pros: Superb warmth, including removable liners which could be worn inside the sleeping bag. Cheap (~£35). Waterproof. Large tread – although this doesn’t sound important, the size of my tread and my more measly weight allowed me to “walk” over much of the snow, instead of sinking in *all* of the time. Jealousy – they won’t admit it, but these boots made everyone else jealous.
Cons: Large to take over/store. Use when back in the UK – none.
Scott Ski Goggles: 2*
Pros: Great to keep the snow out
Cons: You look like a tw*t when you wear them. Thanks for telling me guys...
Knives/Axes/Saws not reviewed, you know what blades you like. All I would say is ensure they can be used with your mittens on; taking them off is a pain in the posterior.
This is just my opinion - yours probably will vary.
Base Layers:
Merino Wool Long-johns and long sleeved top: 4*
Pros: Excellent – never left my skin for the whole week (eww!) 200 gm/m2 was sufficient. Does what it says on the tin
Cons: Top wasn’t as long as an ulfrotte’ top and so created a gap for cold air to attack relentlessly. This fact was lorded over me at every opportunity – scum.
Synthetic (Hot chillis) base-layers: 2*
Pros: They offered a smell-free alternative
Cons: It felt like I was about to go cycling in lycra. Very low cut neck-line. Wool base-layers were better.
Trousers:
Craghoppers Kiwi Winter lined: 4*
Pros: Cheap – I got them for £12. Does what it says on the tin
Cons: Not water resistant. When kneeling in snow/ice the wet knees gets rather annoying pretty quickly, so even if it isn’t raining I found that the lack of water resistance in a cold climate was cheesing me off.
Paramo Cascada Trousers: 4*
Pros: Excellent wind and water resilience. Long and seemed to be great at keeping the snow out, even without gaiters. Can be taken off in the evening without removing boots (see below for why!)
Cons: Heavy (not a problem if worn, but only if packed for the baggage allowance). Not fire resistant, so had to remove each evening. Small number of pockets (two with zips). Zips can snag on themselves and require un-mittening to resolve.
Thermal layers (tops):
ARC'TERYX Wool top: 4*
Pros: Great little top which didn’t show the dirt in grey. Warm enough to be worn in the evening, whilst cool enough to prevent sweating. Made a fantastic combo with the Alta II and base-layer for all-day use. Deep pockets. High neck. Good build quality
Cons: The most expensive thing known to man. Purchased in Norway for about £110, as I didn’t have a wool top before I left.
Norwegian sweater from the “Norwegian Sweater” in Bergen (tourist trap): 3*
Pros: Cheap – about £7. Very warm (almost too warm). Pure wool.
Cons: Looks like my gran knitted it.
Jackets:
Paramo Alta II: 5*
Pros: Excellent thermal adaption – it’s fantastic at keeping you at a consistent temperature despite a changing activity level or environment. It’s totally wind and waterproof. It’s just “dandy”. Bottomless pockets and very good quality construction (it’s three years old already!)
Cons: It isn’t fire retardant; many an evening was spent quickly hiding it from the scary fire daemons. Velcro top pocket seems a little stupid when compared to the superior zip pocket on the other side.
Mountain equipment Omega (down jacket): 3*
Pros: When worn by a Norwegian it was described as a “very good jacket” during a blizzard. Brilliant thermal insulation. Very light. Waterproof during test. Close fitted, but very comfortable despite athletic build – few air gaps! Excellent zips – they never jammed.
Cons: Slightly short. Despite going down to -25 degrees, it rarely left its stuff-sack and duties as a pillow; my other thermal layers were sufficient. This isn’t a bad reflection on this jacket, more that my primary jacket was used in more situations.
Extremeties:
Thorlo Mtn. Climbing socks: 4.5*
Pros: Really warm, excellent construction, very comfortable.
Cons: The dirt doesn’t really wash out.
Bridgedale Expedition Summit: 3.5*
Pros: Warm, ish
Cons: Not as good as the Thorlo ones.
Ortovox Antarctic Mitt: 5* (http://www.facewest.co.uk/Ortovox-Antarctic-Mitt.html)
Pros: Excellent construction. Three layer system. Totally waterproof and windproof. Durable. Great mix of what’s good about modern (waterproof, durability) and traditional (wool for warmth and fire-proof.
Cons: Expensive, but have still used the layers in the UK (not all three though)
Accessories:
Typhoon Buff: 3*
Pros: Warm, windproof, comfortable, close fitting.
Cons: In this situation a skiing buff makes you look like a goon-berry with a rave fetish. Windproof also meant that you cannot breath through the thing when it gets really cold, so you have to use it as a hat – and not a nose/ear protector.
Mountain Equipment Alpine Gaiters: 1*
Pros: Waterproof. Certainly kept the snow out – and the blood too!
Cons: Too small, despite largest size available to go over mountain boots or two trousers. REALLY poor construction quality – logo threads were coming off by the end of day one, both straps seem to be made of a fibre impregnated rubber which started to separate very quickly. I cannot stress how annoying the stupidly close fit really was.
Ulfrotte’ balaclava (400gm): 4*
Pros: Excellent – use as a scarf/hat/balaclava – all depending on conditions
Cons: SAS wannabe look-alike when reviewing photos. Cold nose.
Mountain Equipment Snowline Sleeping Bag: 5* (http://www.facewest.co.uk/pp/me/snowline.htm)
Pros: Lightweight, tiny, comfortable and most importantly WARM. Waterproof – so much so when the shelter melted my feet got wet as the drips of water went down the sleeping bag and collected in a big puddle in the bottom of the bag. Exceeded the comfort rating(-20) by about 5 degrees in a home-made snow shelter and still got 8 hours sleep. Great baffle system – only my nose was visible at times!
Cons: Price – lightweight, waterproof down bags which have a comfort rating of -20 don’t come cheap. But I didn’t pay quite as much as on the website given.
Sorel Caribou Mens Boot: 4.5*
Pros: Superb warmth, including removable liners which could be worn inside the sleeping bag. Cheap (~£35). Waterproof. Large tread – although this doesn’t sound important, the size of my tread and my more measly weight allowed me to “walk” over much of the snow, instead of sinking in *all* of the time. Jealousy – they won’t admit it, but these boots made everyone else jealous.
Cons: Large to take over/store. Use when back in the UK – none.
Scott Ski Goggles: 2*
Pros: Great to keep the snow out
Cons: You look like a tw*t when you wear them. Thanks for telling me guys...
Knives/Axes/Saws not reviewed, you know what blades you like. All I would say is ensure they can be used with your mittens on; taking them off is a pain in the posterior.
