I was introduced to this new specialist clothing line at Outdoor Retailer Summer Market by Graham of Cilo Gear. The NW Alpine Military Mountaineering Collection weighs in at just 102 oz, consisting of five pieces, a hardshell jacket, salopette, baselayer salopette, insulated pants and an insulated jacket. Made in the USA at their factory in Newberg, Oregon, all pieces are Berry Compliant.
Dyneema® Jacket
Based on their award-winning Eyebright Jacket climbing shell, this is a waterproof MultiCam Dyneema® Jacket.
Crafted from ultralight Dyneema® Composite Fabrics, featuring fibers that are fifteen times stronger than steel, this full-zip shell takes durability to a new level. Its small size, weighing in at approximately 8 ounces, packs down into a fist-size bundle, allowing you to carry more of what you need.
While many waterproof jackets kill breathability, the MultiCam Dyneema® features a highly breathable, proprietary construction and ePTFE eVent membrane that tests at over 50,000 g/m2. In other words, with this jacket, overheating on hours-long training runs is a thing of the past. Each jacket is individually laser-cut, sewn and seamtaped by hand.
The Jacket in these photos is a Large. It is cut for layering.
Salopette
For those of you unfamiliar with the term ‘Salopette’ it’s a generic term for climbing pants. They can range from a high waisted pant, to a traditional bib-style, to a one-piece which resembles a sleeveless coverall. Salopettes are worn by climbers as they cover more of the lower back, and help avoid cold spots when jackets ride up. Likewise, these are an evolution of NW Alpine’s one-piece salopette bib for alpinists. They use a waterpfoof/breathable softshell fabric, with the durability and abrasion-resistance of Tweave Durastretch® fabric in a comfortable fleece-lined package. A through-the-crotch zipper with three pulls allows easy access to the facilities while wearing a harness. It’s finished with zippered chest pockets, dual thigh pockets, Dyneema® scuff guards and knee pad pockets.
Baselayer Salopette
Designed to work in tandem with their Salopette shell, this 270 gsm fleece baselayer features three pulls along the through-the-crotch zipper to make using the facilities a breeze.
Belay Jacket
Featuring 133 gram Primaloft insulation, this durable jacket provides the perfect balance of warmth, weight and packability. The shell fabric is a Nanosphere coated 1.55oz ripstop nylon with a light 20D nylon taffeta for the liner. Features include an adjustable, helmet compatible hood, adjustable hem, zippered hand warmer pockets, chest pocket and internal stretch pockets to store gloves and other accessories.
The jacket in these photos is a Medium.
Alpha Pant
They use Polartec® Alpha insulation for this pant because of it’s superior breathability. The shell features Tweave Durastretch® panels along the sides of the legs and wrapping behind the knees as well as Dyneema® scuff guards, in addition to waterproof and breathable Dyneema® fabric in the seat. Three quarter zips up the side make on/off easy, even when wearing boots.
While versions of this system have been in the field for some time with select customers, NW Alpine introduced the production system in time for End of Year spending.
The collection is available until September 30th, 2017 at an introductory price of $3,500, with free shipping in the USA.
www.nwalpine.com/pages/military
