- Easily fits in a bum bag, 0.5l volume
- Tog 4.8 or more (click here for a comparison)
- Double the warmth to weight of down
- Insulates in the wet
- Waterproof, including sleeves (should comply with fell race rules as a waterproof jacket - so you could run in a windproof)
- Highly recommended for fell runners!
This isn't one to wear to the pub...unless it's a sci-fi night. However, if you happen to break your ankle on a late afternoon descent, in the middle of winter, this might just save your life.
I'd been looking for something like this for a while, after discussing with some other mountain rescuers how vulnerable we were, running along Kinders western edges one winters night in steady rain, wearing our usual windproofs etc. My Blizzard Jacket now lives in my bum bag and I've worn and slept in the other products on a number of occasions, including a couple of OMM mountain marathons where their low weight and excellent water resistant insulation makes them a great choice. It is amazing how effective they are and how little condensation there is inside (expect more if you are breathing into it).
The short silver blizzard jacket is 1.2m long - enough for most people to tuck their legs up inside, using a rucksack to protect the feet. Arms can also be withdrawn inside against your body. The plastic sleeves seal the hole and velcro seals the face to prevent draughts from stripping heat from the torso. They also reduce evaporative heat loss if you are already wet.
Blizzard Reflexcell products have been independantly tested by Leeds University, proving that they have more than twice the insulation per gram of down! Yet they are waterproof and work when wet!
The technology traps air and reflects heat radiation, which is a massive source of heat loss (proportional to the fourth power of the difference in temperatures between the inside and outside). Radiation is not dealt with effectively by conventional insulation.
This kit is tough enough to be used repeatedly but isn't a replacement for a belay jacket. Please be warned, it repacks to about double its original size, unless you use Blizzard's re-sealing process or your vacuum cleaner to suck the air out.
In my opinion Blizzard deserve an award for innovation for this kit!
Weight: 250g (better than a typical 500g down jacket)
Volume: 0.5l (its compact size belies its performance)
Trail Magazine Review
Account of hypothermia on a Fell Run
Earn a discount for honest feedback!