I've just got one of these, as a lighter cag than my Kokatat. This is certainly a beautifully made cag! The detailing is superb, even down to the draw cords for the hood having neat little retaining tags to keep them from slapping into your face in the wind. It has all the usual stuff like latex cuffs, adjustable over-cuffs, reflective piping and a couple of chest pockets and a front pocket. The material is soft and quiet, not Goretex but what seems to be a good alternative breathable fabric called XP70. It seems like super breathable hardwearing stuff.

There is a natty fleece lined handwarmer pocket which I like a lot - and you have the option of removing the fleece if you want to. If you have big hands, you might want to as I find the fleece tube is a little too tight for me.

I like it as a medium weight, breathable cag - the double waist seal works well (it has some form of super-grippy stuff instead of a draw cord) and it fits me well. (Size XXL is a good fit for me at 48in chest). The hood also folds away well, with a neat closure system to keep it out of the way.

What else? The neck zip opens nicely. The zip is baffled and should keep the water out in big seas when the hood is up, but there's no gusset when the zip is open. It would be better if it had a mandarin collar so you could seal the neck when necessary, without having to use the hood. Makes for good ventilation though. Other than that, a really nice cag.

It's readily available from the usual suspects for about £149 (Oct 04). See here for info from Palm's site.

Mike Buckley - October 2004