What is the North Star Lite jacket?
Everything about the North Star is centred around its warmth to weight ratio. The insulation used is about the highest quality available, the fabrics used are all super lightweight yet durable enough for mountainous use and all unnecessary bells and whistles have been removed to decrease the pack size and weight even further.
What is it made of?
Insulation: The largest contributing factor to the North Star's incredible pack size and weight is the quality of the insulation. Montane use 800+ fill power water resistant HyperDry goose down to provide high amounts of warmth without the weight penalty. The down is coated in a fluorocarbon-free hydrophobic treatment to improve the down's performance in damp conditions; this means it will dry faster, won't absorb as much water and will loft better if it does happen to get a little soggy. This does not make the jacket waterproof, and we would still not recommend using this in heavy rain without the use of a shell. All of the down used by Montane is also RDS (Responsible Down Standard) certified, meaning the birds have lived a happy and free-range existence before the down was collected. For more information on RDS, click here.
Another aspect of the insulation which deserves an honorable mention is the way it's distributed through the baffles. Larger, more voluminous baffles with greater quanties of down are used where we require the most warmth (i.e. around our vital organs and areas with less natural fat), while smaller baffles with lower quantities of down are used in naturally warmer areas such as the underarms. This reduces the weight, pack size and regulates warmth better.
Outer fabric: Montane use the ever-reliable and high performing Pertex Quantum to hold all this lovely down in place. Pertex Quantum is light, weather resistant and extremely packable, making it ideal for high mountain adventures where you'll be layering and de-layering more frequently and will need to pack the jacket away. This fabric is coated in a DWR (durable water repellent) to allow rain to bead and roll off the surface. The combination of the high quality down and the lightweight Pertex outer fabric means the jacket weighs just 508g and packs down to... well, have a look at the second picture above.
What are the features?
As we mentioned earlier, the North Star has had all unnecessary features removed to reduce the pack size, however you still do get some creature comforts. You get a fully insulated and elasticated hood that will comfortably squeeze over a helmet. This hood can also be rolled away when not in use. Other features include two hand-warmer pockets, which are placed high enough so they aren't stuck behind a climbing harness or rucksack hipbelt, an internal zipped pocket for a phone or GPS, and lastly a waterproof stuffsack.
How does the North Star fit?
The North Star features a relatively long, slim fit with a tapered shape in the centre to reduce the amount of dead space between you and the jacket. For reference, Montane's model is 6ft, has a 40" chest and wears a size medium (3rd picture above). There is enough space to fit layers underneath if needs be, and the articulated arms and shoulders means you're never left feeling restricted.
Where does this fit in the layering system?
The North Star is primarily going to be used as an outer layer, however thanks to the slim fit and lightweight outer fabric, you're able to slip a shell over the top without an issue if the weather turns. It can also be used as an over-layer when stopping to belay, have lunch, coffee etc.
Summary
The North Star is the ideal jacket for those who require a high level of warmth without the bulky packsize and cumbersome weight. Use it for a range of different mountainous activities to provide bucket loads of warmth when stationary or when moving quickly in freezing alpine conditions.
-
800+ fill power down
-
Hydrophobically treated
-
Lightweight Pertex Quantum fabric
-
Two hand pocket
-
One internal pocket
-
Hood can be rolled away
-
Built-in elastication in hood
-
Articulated arms
-
Included waterproof stuffsack
-
One way zip