Mountain Equipment Matrix Jacket

This is Mountain Equipment's attempt to build a top quality sub-500 gram jacket suitable for alpine use. The shell of the Matrix utilises two materials: Paclite in the areas that see little wear and in the high-wear hotspots, the hardwearing XCR material is used.

Site	Price	Postage	Total
	£149.99	FREE	£149.99
	£160.00	£1.95	£161.95
	£200.00	£2.90	£202.9

   User Reviews

General comments: Over the years I have had a number of good jackets, but I can honestly say that the Matrix is without doubt the best I've ever owned. The concept of blending hard wearing XCR with the lightweight and breathable Paclite is a great innovation from Mountain Equipment. The general concensus is that Goretex is simply not as breathable as other brands like E-vent, but to be honest I've never had a problem with Goretex and especially Paclite in terms of breathability. You're always going to get a build up of sweat inside any jacket and the Matrix is no different, in my opinion that is inevitable and you're never ever going to get a fully breathable jacket. I feel that the main advantage with the Matrix is that it is lightweight and can be easily stuffed into the top of a rucksack and forgotten about until needed. That is basically all that is required of a shell jacket in my opinion. The Matrix is an all round performer and I have used it in the middle of winter in Scotland and also for short walks in the Peak District. It really does excel in every discipline.

Pros: Build quality is excellent and I especially like the waterproof zips that have become a standard feature on all ME jackets. The hood is also excellent and is one of the few around that can be placed over a helmet and moves with the head. A good advantage for me is also the size of the breast pocket. You can easily store a map in there or a pair of gloves. The sizing of the Matrix is really good too, combining a good active cut with ample amounts of arm and shoulder room. The price is also a winner in my eyes.

Cons: The Paclite is very thin and mine carries a few puncture wounds as a result. Perhaps if you were climbing on slate quite often or getting a hard season in up Scotland then maybe it would be better going for something completely XCR just for robustness. Another minor gripe is the lack of a fleecey chin guard, however, that is very minor indeed.

General comments: I bought this jacket christmas 2005 from facewest.co.uk, it cost £100 at the time though i think it may have been the 2004 version. Overall i was very pleased with the jacket, especially the price as it was the cheapest i could find anywhere on the internet! i bought the jacket as i didn't have a decent waterproof and i was also going to do a winter skills in scotalnd. As the jacket is a combination of both light-weight paclite and heavier duty xcr goretex in high wear areas i though it was appropriate for my need for an all round jacket. The jacket performed really well in some pretty harsh scottish winter conditions, there were no marks on the jacket after body belaying or practicing ice axe arrests. I have since used it walking and climbing (particularly gritstone) and it is still showing no signs of wear.

Pros: The price i paid, and the build quality is very good. Waterproof zips all round and pockets which are big enough and well out of the way of your climbing harness. The hood is exellent with or without a helmet on your head.

Cons: The main zip is sometimes difficult to fasten initially. I have seen people with the same jacket since however and the zip looks to have been changed.

General comments: I bought the Mountain Equipment Matrix in September 2005 to wear for walking the 200 mile Coast to Coast walk. I chose this jacket because it got an excellent review in Trail magazine who rated it the best lightweight waterproof you could buy. I'm very serious about being lightweight, so the Matrix only weighing in at 470 grams, together with its stylish looks and the excellent reputation of Mountain Equipment led me to purchase this jacket. I have now owned the Matrix for just over two years and worn it on not only on the Coast to Coast Walk, but also on the West Highland Way in early May 2006 and on multi-day hikes in the Lake District at all times of year. During the past 25 months I have really had a good chance to test this jacket to the limits in a range of weather conditions and terrain.

Pros: The 'Stealth' hood is probably the best feature of this jacket, an excellent design. Very lightweight (470 gms) due to use of goretex paclite. Takes up little room in backpack. The jacket fit me very well and can be adjusted with the concealed drawstrings. It also gave me great freedom of movement.

Cons: During periods of extended, heavy rain the zips in the front of the jacket would leak and the pockets would fill with water. Compared to the great fit of the rest of the jacket, the sleeves were loose and baggy and condensation always built up there, which could be cold and uncomfortable at times. In the last 6 months, the interior of the jacket started delaminating. Two small panels at the hips have fallen off due to wear and the sleeves have also just started to delaminate. The goretex paclite areas of the jacket like the sleeves are not very robust and are easiy damaged by encounters with barbed wire, sharp stones, etc.

General comments: this is only the second waterproof jacket i have ever bought but for the build quality of the matrix is excellent. Like everyone knows there is no coat out there were the wearer will not suffer with condensation build up, this coat is no exception if anything it is on the bad side of the scales because it is so thin and has no pit zips but hay thats why you get paclite to reduce the material and weight. but i found all that out before i bought it i have had it for three years now and it is still going strong but it could do with a wash

Pros: smallish in the pack. nice fit as well the hood has got 2 seperate draw cords whitch helps with the fit and has a map pocket

Cons: the build up of condensation and no pit zips

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