I've had the Montane North Star jacket for almost a year now so I thought I'd finally review it. I bought it in the sales in January for a bargain price but personally now I've used it a fair bit I'd be happy to pay the full £200 RRP.
Even though I bought this down jacket in January it had been sat in my wardrobe virtually unused until a couple of months ago. Mainly due to the weird weather we've had this year. When I bought it I was wearing a t-shirt comfortably walking about Manchester in what must have genuinely been 15C roughly! Hell, I even got sun burnt in February walking on Kinder Scout! It was that warm I didn't even bother bringing it as a "just in case" layer, bringing my ultralight primaloft Outdoor Research hoody instead!
Now the weather has become a little more "British" and it's remembered which hemisphere we're in so as to align the seasons accordingly it's started to become chilly. Which means for me it's time for all the lovely winter gear to come out.
Over the last couple of months this has been my go to jacket for when it's even been remotely nippy. I admit, it's been a little bit of a guilty pleasure of mine and has been pretty close to hand most the time. The first thing you notice as soon as you pick it up is how soft and luxurious the down feels. Montane don't cut any corners with the filling and you notice this immediately with the 200g (M) of 93/7 goose down at 800+ fill. One feature I like is that the hood has the same amount of filling as the body so your getting a full protective bubble from the elements.
So, when would you use this? I've used it in about -7C with a t-shirt and felt comfortable but also at about 8C with a hoody underneath around town and felt just as comfy. It isn't thick enough to cook you when it gets a little warm, yet you still feel comfortable when its properly cold...then stick a couple of layers underneath and I doubt you'd ever need anything warmer, not in this country at least. This is one of my favourite characteristics of down, it always feels just right within quite a large temperature range. This gives it the edge over a lot of my other jackets like pile/pertex and heavy weight fleeces which become furnaces pretty quick. While they have there uses (and I love mine) they don't offer the versatility that down does and the North Star does not disappoint in the aspect. The longer than average, athletic cut works great. While many will cry "but it isn't harness compatible" I will happily point out that the vast majority of us don't wear harnesses very often, if at all. Even if you do wear a harness the North Star will happily shimmy up and still fit great thanks to the elasticated drawstring. One little detail I love is that the hem is stuffed full of down too so nowhere escapes insulation! To customise the fit further there is another drawstring accessible from the pockets to tighten up around the lower chest region.
Ok, so we've sussed out the fit is super adjustable and it's great to wear all the time but it needs to do the business too! I've used it myself as an insulating layer in most conditions. To be honest I run really warm but as soon as I summit I chuck this on to hang onto all that hard earned warmth and it works a treat as expected! When the weather isn't so favourable the FREEFLOW Ultralite does a fantastic job of keeping out the wind and to some extent the rain. The jacket has a hydrostatic head of 800mm which while it isn't by any means waterproof it'll certainly hold its own in anything other than full on rain.
You can really tell this is a proper premium product. There is no part of this jacket which doesn't have any nifty features. I've already covered the ultralite fabric and the luxurious down it holds. The zippers are all tough ykk zips which are on the cavernous pockets too. At the top and bottom there are poppers to keep the zip in place at the top and in the zipper garage and off your beard/chin. At the bottom it means your can unzip to add or remove layers without having to fully take off the jacket and put on the ground.
In this image you can also see the stitch through construction. I've not noticed any cold spots and for its 600 gram weight I doubt you'll find anything warmer, as mentioned before in the UK I doubt you'd ever need warmer, especially when combined with a fleece. A point I feel worth mentioning regarding the weight us that you have to remember that this jacket is longer than average. Only by around 2 to 3 inches I'd guess but an extra 10% length would mean a similar increase in weight (just under 10% I'd estimate, taking sleeves and the hood into consideration). Something to bear in mind if your balancing grammes against warmth.
The hood is a real deal maker on the North Star. Montane are reknown for the awesome hood they make and this is no exception. It has a wired peak to get the front just right and is fully adjustable. On top of the front adjustment you can see in the image there is also a velcro strip on the back to adjust the volume to get it just right. Great if you have to wear a helmet and super easy to shrink down when you need to keep the weather out. The collar is fleece lined too and feels comfy against skin.
So what else could there possibly be to mention? Well, Montane supply the North Star with a 5litre waterproof stuff sack to keep the jacket dry and safe when not in use, plus it makes it super convenient to stuff into the bottom of your rucksack with no worries.
To conclude I don't think you can go wrong with this jacket. It's most likely all the down you'll ever need. It's super packable and looks awesome no matter what colour you go for. It's length works great for the average user wanting a winter camping or walking jacket. This for me will be its primary role (plus for those gnarly trips out walking the dog 10 minutes down the road...hey, guilty pleasure jacket remember). It's well priced against it's competitors and has some of the best quality down available, anywhere. Overall...just get one, you know you want to!
