OMM Winter 2010 Exclusive First Look
After a quiet year on the gear front, OMM is coming back with a bunch of new lightweight kit.
The pack range will stay much the same until 2011, and the brilliant new-style Kamleika models also remain, but there will be more clothing options now to make OMM a proper multi-use one-stop brand for lightweight outdoor pursuits.
Above is the new Radian Top, a mix of Polartec 100 microfleece with a lightweight stretch softshell running around the sides, the underarms arms and making up the cuffs as well. The is gives it a close fit and maintains free movement. The main zip is long for venting, there’s a single chest pocket and thumbloops which create semi-mitts for good hand coverage. The weight is 300g.
Below Iain of ARK, the new owners of OMM, is holding up another colour option and a wummins-fit version in the pale blue. The zips on the his and hers versions will be orange on the black production versions.
Below are the new blue versions of the Kamleika Smock (260g) and Jacket (300g). It’s not a cobalt blue, it’s got a bit of paler ice blue mixed in there which I like as it’s a little different. The blue water resistant zips are very subtle too if the back with orange zip versions are little to punk for you.
These current Kamleika models are fantastic, the new fabric is much better than the original and the looks are much easier on the eye. I’ve been using a smock for months and I’ll have an update coming up.
That dummy was taller than me even though he didn’t have a head. That’s disconcerting.
The big news is that there will be two eVent shells coming later in the year, the Cypher Jacket (280g) and Smock (240g) as seen below.
The Smock is very minimal, single pocket, lycra cuffs with thumbloops, fully adjustable hood and water resistant zips. There’s very few seams in here, and couple that with the eVent fabric and it’s about as breathable as a membrane shell is going to get. The arm and body length are good too.
The jacket had velcro adjustable cuffs, two front pockets (which will slide upwards onto the chest for the production model), and both models will come in the yellow pictured or black with orange trim.
The detailing is also good, zip garages, soft-feel face adjustment, and reflective logos and printing feature on both.
The Finch down vest will be back and improved, with 800 fill, sizes from XS to XL, elasticated arm holes and Pertex Quantum shell inside and out. Weight will be around 260g. The colours will be black, yellow or bright green. Photie below of the orange and black version just in by Pony Express!
We’ve also got the Rotor Smock, a Pertex Quantum shelled, 40g Primaloft One pullover. It has a zipped-tunnel front pocket, velcro adjustable cuffs (a rarity on similar tops), weight will be around 280g for a size large and it’ll be black with orange zips.
Most of us know how good a piece like this is to carry and use, this along with a down vest and you’re king of camp comfort all year round.
Below is Iain again, now wearing a different Rotor Smock sample, this has the right coloured zips but has an extra chest pocket that won’t be on the production version. He’s also wearing the stretch fleece Radian Beanie which I didn’t see or I’d be sitting wearing it right now.
The weights above are all provisional, but are looking good, and there’s a bunch of other stuff in the works across the range which we should see emerge next year, new packs, updates to old favourites too.
It might be a new start of sorts for the brand, but it’s a strong one. I’ll be testing some of the kit and let you know how it performs in its natural habitat: oot there.
Liking the Rotor smock too, direct competition for the Fireball and Zephyrus, no?
The Rotor is good, nice long arms. Like you say, it’s right up against the other models for a proper fight.
The prices are all pretty similar as well I think.
Chewy, just to muddy the waters even more, the smock feels more like an Oz than a Demand when you wear it…
:0) Lol, I can’t wait for Metric Kate to see that line!!
A finch smock with full sleeves would be welcome here, seeing as I put a hole in the cuff of my PHD ultra and I still have the ultra vest.
Coops, the Pertex will be the newer less shiny version for the production model. I like the Fonz leather look though :o)
The hood on the smock was pretty good, laminated peak with face and volume adjustment.
There’ll be more tweaks though, so I’ll udate on it when I get a tester in later on.
The fleece should be good, it’s a nice use of fabrics. Stretch always makes me happy!
BBF, there might be a Finch jacket later on, the vest looks properly fat doesn’t it?
I’ve got a Yeti down wear preview coming up as well though just to add to the confusion.
The fabric is so light that a proper wire on the peak wouldn’t work, it would catch the wind more than repel it unless you made the peak quite small.
The Rab Demand has a wired peak bit it’s quite short, it’s also not using the lightest eVent.
I’m finding out more all the time about the reasons for things!
But, as long as the peak is stiff enough, lamination should be fine. The Oz peak was just too soft.
I remember talking about some of the kit above with Mike and the rest of the ARK and OMM folks a year or more ago when they were felt pen drawings on a flip-pad, so I think there’s still a tangible thread running through the range right now.
We’ll just have to wait and see what direction it all goes in the future I suppose.
Interestingly, I’ve been playing with a couple of current Karrimor packs that came in for test, and although there’s some stuff that’s annoying, in some ways they’re the best packs to wear the name since Mike’s day’s ended in the 90′s.
But I shall pay closer attention to that in the future and take note.
Busy? Aye, it’s kit armageddon here just now!
Kit above looks good. And see if you are gonna do black stuff then the wee touches of orange zips here and there or the blue / green on the Haglofs are what make them stand out. (I’m coming at this from a colour/design eye again as techy things go over my head, for now at least).
:o)
The black with orange zips look magic, I love it.
I have the usual extensive coverage of Montane’s wummins gear coming soon also.
Oh the colours…
Don’t mention milk though, all I’ve had is water and a couple sips of lucozade ( the chemist lady gave my mum pepto bismal which will NOT be going near my lips-yucky! Looks like those bottles of peniccillin). I am craving a big cold drink of Irn Bru but that would be suicide in this condition, I shall wait a few hours!
Yes, Montane wummins wear, can’t wait! is it spring/summer? I’ll look out for that post.
:o)
All will be well by the weekend, you wait and see.
Now, do you think it would be bad to have 3 sick days off in a row? (tomorrow being the 3rd day). This causes me great anguish…
Piece on sausage, oh yes.
I’ve been look at the Haglofs LIM down vest and the PHD Ultra vest for this years Saunders MM, I might have to wait until the finch vest hits the shops.
Bit of a wait!