IF there’s one good thing that’s come out of the La Niña double whammy, it’s been the perfect opportunity to test waterproofs. And since most of us have been using our rainwear all summer, there are bound to be a few jackets out there that need replacing. Therefore, Great Walks presents an overview of some of the current hard shells on offer in Australia.
The North Face West Basin
Aside from their FUTURELIGHT range, the West Basin is TNF’s top hiking shell, and its most edible. Say, what? Well, the polyurethane in the DryVent three-layer membrane is 28 per cent plant based. It may not taste great, in fact you can guarantee it doesn’t, but every drop less oil used is a step towards a cleaner future. Much of the rest of the fabric is sourced from recycled polyester and nylon as well, by the way, but enough of the preaching – let’s get down to brass tacks.
Decked out in two-tone Banff Blue/Goblin Blue (I always thought goblins were green, but skin colour prejudice has no room in Great Walks), at 310g the West Basin is the lightest jacket on test. Now that superlative is only impressive if it does its job, and it does. [N.B. the thing about really thin shells (say, up to 20-denier), ignoring any obvious durability issues, is that even if the membrane is truly waterproof, breathable, and uncompromised, you’ll still get wet in hours of solid, hard downpour. Water will gradually just get in – through the sleeves, the neck, wicking up your other layers etc.] I was not ‘lucky’ enough to wear the West Basin (30D hood and shoulders, 20D body), in hours of solid, hard downpour, but in regular precipitation, it did fine.
