2010 MontBell Tachyon Anorak- Initial out of the box impressions
- This topic is empty.
-
Slowly I'm eliminating garments that simply don't have a home in my pack or in my closet. Being blessed with fair weather in southern New Mexico I've found I can strip my clothing selection in the backcountry down to a simple BPL Merino Hoody next to skin and throw on a windshell over that and regulate my temperature comfortably down to the low 40's, 30's if I'm moving. Rain is fairly non-existent and inconsistent at best in the mountains of southern NM, particularly the Gila Wilderness, my preferred region to do trips. In most cases a simple windshell is all you need to thwart warmth sucking winds, most afternoon thunderstorms can be waited out under a shelter, as they should.
Problem was I didn't own a dedicated fully featured windshell. Currently I have a Marmot Mica, too heavy (6.8oz.), not very breathable and more shell than I need for dry windy trips, I'm not happy having a rain shell in my pack just in case most of the time as I've found it doesnt rain MOST OF THE TIME here. And I also own the Patagonia Nine Trails hoodless windshell (4.6oz.), this has been my windshell for trips and for trail runs as it has a 75-denier stretch woven poly/spandex backpanel and underarm for venting, no hood though.
What I was missing was a hooded windshell akin to the Patagonia Houdini (4.3oz). This was originally my first option since I've heard and read so many accolades from BPL members regarding it's function, simplicity and versatility. But the 2.4 oz. saved over my Mica and the $125 price tag on the Houdini just didn't seem justifiable.
Browsing the Montbell Website recently I stumbled upon the new Montbell Tachyon Anorak. This new item seemed to meet my needs and offered much of the same features as the Patagonia Houdini but weighed 2.1 oz. less! According to Montbell the Tachyon Anorak weighs in at a feathery 2.3 oz. including stuff sac with a price tag of $89. Not bad.
FEATURES: Sans a full length zipper, the Tachyon is fully featured with:
– adjustable hood with brim
– draw cord lock hem and collar adjustments
– 1/3 length zip at the neck for venting
– elastic cuffs
– 100 wash Deluge DWR
– stuff sac included.Here's some pics and comments/impressions:
Smaller than a compact cell phone stuffed up, bigger than a small box of matches. It falls nicely somewhere in between.
Some more perspective. FDA suggested serving size of meat.
Simple drawcord adjustments.
Ignore my ugly mug. You can see the lightweight static cord used in the brim of the hood. Nice touch.
Cinched up and zipped up.
Another shot of the lightweight hood and corded brim.
It's not what it looks like! Though I did feel like I was wearing a flesh condom at first. The 7-denier rip-stop Ballistic Airlight nylon Montbell uses is extremely soft at hand, it is comfortable next to skin. There is some trash bag effect after it is stuffed into the sac for storage, but the function and simplicity far outweighs the fashion statement.
Here is a shot of the elasticized cuffs. Montbell used 1/4" elastic band inside the cuff channel, they are very simple and should allow the user to pull the sleeves up to their elbows.
Nice touch, velcro hood adjustments in the back.
Initial response without testing:
Out of the package, the Montbell Tachyon Anorak appears to be a superb minimalist windshell. It has all the features I was looking for in a dedicated windshell. How well the Tachyon will breathe is a slight concern, I don't intend to hike in this piece with a pack on much, most likely it will be for camp use and breaks along the trail. The 7-denier nylon clearly isn't going to win awards for durability, though it wasn't intended to be worn as a bushwhacking piece so typical UL gear care and consideration should be sufficient. I'll treat this shell as I would my down inner, with some degree of gentleness. Hopefully I can get out with the Tachyon Anorak in the next few weeks on a trip and get back with some feedback. Cheers.
- You must be logged in to reply to this topic.
