Montane Air Jacket

Readers will know the story - the jacket leaked, at the pocket zips and front zip in my view. However
Montane tested it and could not find any fault so the retailer refused a refund asking that
photographic evidence be provided so that they could take up the case with Montane.

Needless to say we had a very dry, cold and beautiful first week in Braemar at the beginning of this month followed by only a little intermittent rain until the middle of the second. At the Muir of Dinnet Nature Reserve I wore the jacket on an easy stroll and it rained for about 10-15 minutes - steady but not heavy and with no wind. Small areas on the inside mesh at the pockets became wet and the inside baffle very wet. Back at the motorcaravan I took pics and emailed them to Swaledale Outdoors from whom I'd bought the jacket

They felt the evidence was clear and the money has been refunded. My thanks to Richard.

All a bit of a hassle and a pity because I did like the Air Jacket in every other respect - quite light, a nice fit, packable etc.

I won't, however, be buying anything made by Montane in future and will revert to my usual trusted
brand - Mountain Equipment. I don't expect to stay 'dry' in prolonged rain no matter what kind of waterproof I'm wearing but I know what's acceptable, and the Air Jacket was not.

Wearing the Air Jacket on a cold and very windy October day on Cairn of Claise

 

Octavius Flexipants

More from the Deeside Knitwits

Sunday 9 October - on a cold and frosty morning

We woke to the most beautiful morning, the grasses white with frost, light mist drifting over Morrone's lower slopes, the stags noisy. It was a day for a top.

So, it was up by the Baddoch Burn in an hour and a half, a stop for tea and then the stony ridge and summit of An Socach. We met a few walkers but not as many as expected given the hill's Munro status and the fine weather.








In the cold clear air, views of the surrounding hills were sharp and only as we left the summit did the sky cloud over. Unlike on previous visits, when we've returned via the east top to Sgor Mor and so down to Baddoch, we retraced our steps and soon were enjoying the late afternoon sun by the Baddoch Burn.

There is no shooting on a Sunday - on a weekday we'd have been on the ridge mentioned above - but a stalker with binoculars was studying the deer on the western slopes of Carn Chrionaidh, no doubt in preparation for the morrow. We've heard rifle shots a few times on this holiday.

It's been a lovely week with lots of sunshine by day and starry skies by night, but as a result I've not been able to use my Montane Air Jacket and photograph the water ingress, thus demonstrating that the jacket is faulty. There's some rain forecast for tomorrow so hopefully my point will be proved.


Sent from my iPhone

All things fishy

Some photos of the usual delightful display provided by the Deeside Knitwits.

Hares

It was a beautiful October day with sunshine from the off but a strong, bitterly cold wind met us on the summit of Carn an Tuirc and had full play on the exposed walk to Cairn of Claise. The cairn here is now half its previous height, cause not obvious.

One of the great pleasures of walking these hills is seeing the mountain hares but none were to be seen today. Why? Because they've been slaughtered by landowners. Massacred for sport, no matter what the landowners say. Hundreds and hundreds have been shot - including apparently on the Balmoral estate. Sadness was mixed with fury at this carnage. Just Google "cull of mountain hares in Scotland" and be disgusted (I hope).

Sent from my iPhone

A quick getaway

A good weather forecast, a quick stocking of the motorcaravan and we were off back to Braemar. 

The Glen Shee ski park was a very windy place today but down in the village it was a perfect autumn day, the surrounding hills looking as fine as I can remember. Tomorrow we'll be on them. 

When we were here in September I reported my 'leaky' new Montane Air Jacket. It was returned to Swaledale Outdoors who in turn sent it back to Montane for testing. Their lab tests showed no fault, so no refund. In fairness, Swaledale have offered to 'work with me ' to resolve the issue i.e. go out in the wet and photograph the water ingress. Go out in the Cairngorms in the rain with a jacket I know doesn't work? Er, no thanks. 

For the moment I'll leave you to draw your own conclusions. 




Sent from my iPhone

Test photos - no text

Thursday 15 September - Deeside Physiotherapists

This holiday and the July one in the Lake District have both been marred slightly by a nagging shoulder/back muscle problem. In the Lakes it got so bad I went to a GP in Keswick who was utterly useless. He could barely drag himself out of his chair to examine me - Co-codamol tablets was his solution.

Here in Braemar I decided to visit the excellent Dr Cruickshank, although I'd already decided that physiotherapy would likely be the best course of action. He agreed, so on Wednesday I saw Richard in Aboyne and ... On Thursday we visited two old favourites, Glas Maol and Creag Leacach. I didn't really expect any great improvement after one treatment but I was wrong and whereas prior to physiotherapy I would have been stopping every fifteen minutes or so to remove my sack and massage my shoulder, on today's walk I felt no pain at all.

Early morning sunshine didn't last and we shared the misty summit of Glas Maol with a couple out for the Munros. With that all behind us we felt no pressure to push on but eventually decided to go out to Creag Leacach. The sun shone.

On Friday we walked out to White Bridge and up Glen Dee - very little pain - and today another old favourite Carn a' Gheoidh. Perfect day. Shoulder likewise.

Thumbs up for Richard and Deeside Physiotherapists.

I don't suppose the photo will appear. Don't know who to blame Google or the site wi- fi.







Sent from my iPhone

Derry Lodge

Note: photos at end of post. What problems getting this post to go!

As we drove the beautiful six miles from Braemar to Linn of Dee we wondered if we'd made a mistake. All the signs of a cycling event were present suggesting that the car park might be full. 

Fortunately it wasn't and we found a slot for the 'van. The way through the dense Scots pines soon joined up with the familiar estate road to Derry Lodge, a road cycled countless times when out for the Munros, or tramped, foot-sore sometimes, returning from day trips. It always seemed to be hot and the shade offered by the pines near the Lodge was a relief; today we sheltered from the wind.  The boarded-up Lodge is now a sad sight but I'm in two minds as to whether the plan to turn it into a hostel for walkers is an improvement or not. I fear it will turn into a base for groups, pre-booked and of little use to lone stravaigers or couples looking for a bed.

We passed quietly by and came across Aberdeen MRT vehicles. Down by the temporary bridge over the Derry Burn the team, on a training weekend, had earlier established and were now dismantling a Tyrolean rope traverse between two Scots pines. The previous day they had been practising stretcher lowering on Stob Coire Etchachan. Grateful thanks to all MRTs. We spoke for a while with one of the team who told us that many of them joined having been involved in 'incidents' themselves or knew people who had. 

We had just settled under a Scots pine by the burn for a late snack when a lone backpacker arrived. At first glance, with beard and sandals, I thought it was Chris Townsend but no, he was a New Zealander who'd camped in Glen Derry overnight having come in from the Linn of Quoich the previous day. An interesting half hour was spent covering the Land Reform Act, walking in New Zealand, his love of art and the time he'd spent in Paris before flying to Scotland and our own exploits in the Cairngorms. We were also happy to offer some information on Glen Affric, his  next destination and, given this was his first visit to Scotland and the weather forecast was for a stormy night, we tentatively suggested he seek a sheltered camp rather than a high one, although I'm sure he was well able to look after himself in the hills. I'm always reluctant to offer unsolicited advice (as opposed to information) to people in the hills - it seems presumptuous and patronising to me, so I rarely do it. 

We watched him shrink in the vastness as he set off for the Lairig Ghru and Aviemore. I envied him his passage through the Lairig, particularly since a current shoulder and neck problem is making carrying a day sack difficult and painful for me so lugging one full of gear for a few overnight camps is impossible at present.  

Hopefully next year we can have some days like the one in the last two photographs. 

Photos:  Derry Lodge; looking towards Glen Derry; Aberdeen MRT by the Derry Burn; A backpacking trip from Linn of Dee in May 1982 - Lynne on Carn a' Mhaim and Loch Etchachan*

*The route was: Carn a' Mhaim, Ben Macdui, down to Loch Etchachan, on to Beinn Mheadhoin and camp near the Lairig an Laoigh. The following day we climbed our 100th Munro, Beinn a' Chaorainn and walked out. What happened to May weather like this?