What do offshore mooring ropes and your new favorite lightweight jacket have in common?
Dyneema, the outdoor industry’s hi-tech — and justifiably hyped-up — fabric du jour.
The Shell — the first jacket from Hyperlite Mountain Gear — makes use of it in a more compelling way than previously seen by combining the Dyneema’s resilience (15 times stronger than steel, 40% stronger than Kevlar) with the breathability and waterproofing of a laminate from eVent fabric.
The result is a piece of gear that’s incredibly rain, wind and wilderness ready at an ideal 6 oz.
Technically, the jacket ranges from 5.16 – 6.20 oz. depending on the size you order (XS-XL). And while lightweight has always been the name of the outdoor-gear game, the crux is whether one can afford to lose technical aspects that come with a heftier layer.
Hyperlite wants to ease that decision. The Shell features velcro cuffs, a helmet-compatible hood, Polartec Power-Dry chin guard, a waterproof rating of 10,000 mm, a breathability rating of 32,000 gm²/24hr and a stuff size of only 4” x 6”.
So hikers can break it out for precipitation, climbers for high winds and skiers for both (just layer underneath, this isn’t a replacement for down). And when the sun comes out, just pack it into itself and stow it or clip it onto your pack with minimal loss of space and almost indiscernible weight gain.
As can be expected, even though it’s a shell, the top-of-the-line tech will set you back more than a few bones at $450.
Head on over the Hyperlite’s site for more incredibly lightweight adventure gear.
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