The first thing I have to say about this jacket is that it's light – really light! The size medium that I have been testing weighs in at only 370g. The fabric is a mixture of Cordura and Lycra on the high wear areas of the shoulders and sleeves, and a very stretchy mix of rip-stop nylon and spandex on the hood and body. Despite being initially sceptical of how such featherweight material would offer any worthwhile protection against the Great British weather, so far I have been impressed.

Performance

The first chance I had to test out the Ferrosi was on a days Mountain Biking around Malham with a chilly breeze blowing. Despite only having a thin baselayer on underneath, I felt more than comfortable all day. The close fit around the neck, waist and cuffs helps to keep out any unwanted drafts at these points. Occasionally the wind could be felt penetrating the material, but this would seem to be a price worth paying in exchange for the Ferrosi’s excellent breathability. On the steep road climb up past Malham Cove I only had to unzip the front a little to stay cool and sweat-free. Although I should probably have been scientific here and gone up the hill again wearing a membrane jacket to be sure, I’m pretty sure that the Ferrosi would have won in the comfort stakes.

The Author enjoying a fine day atop Tower Ridge

Although the Ferrosi probably wouldn’t be the first garment I’d reach for if heading out into a Lakeland deluge the Durable Water Repellent Coating has done a good job of keeping off the odd light shower.

The hood is close fitting and won’t fit over most climbing helmets, and certainly not a bike helmet, however when the hood is worn underneath a helmet the lightweight material and lack of drawcords, toggles or flappy Velcro bits make it very comfortable to wear. The stretchy material means that you maintain a full range of movement in your neck – I hate not being able to look up or down properly due to over-restrictive hoods, so top marks to OR on this one. Obviously it’s not as convenient to wear a hood underneath your helmet as over, but a massive all encasing hood would have been out-of keeping with the Ferrosi’s minimalist design, so I’ll let them off on that one.

The off-centre zip is a neat touch, although I can’t say I’ve noticed any real practical advantage of such a feature. At least there’s no temptation to chew on the zip-pull whilst belaying!

The Ferrosi’s second proper outing was on a trip to Ben Nevis this weekend. Again, as I have now come to expect, the jacket breathed extremely well on the steep path up to the dam from the car park. Once more the winning combination of the Ferrosi and a lightweight long sleeved baselayer worked well to keep me at a comfortable temperature through a wide range of conditions. On the final stretch up to the CIC hut we encountered drizzle, followed by sleet, and then snow – a fine test for my new jacket I thought! With the hood up I felt really comfortable, the heat generated from walking uphill kept out all of the dampness from outside. For the climb I changed into a warmer jacket and stashed the Ferrosi in the lid of my rucksack. For its minimal weight it had served me well. Once at the top of our climb I stuck the Ferrosi back on for the walk down. The close fit of the hood around the head and neck was really noticed on the plateau. The fabric may not be the most windproof but the excellent fit and design really helps it to punch above its weight.

Obviously having only had this jacket for 6 weeks it’s difficult to draw too may conclusions about its durability. That said there’s no sign at all of any abrasion on the cuffs or over the shoulders, despite having worn the jacket whilst carrying heavy rucksacks and bouldering mats. Having also used many other items made out of the excellent Cordura fabric previously I’d be very surprised if the Ferrosi doesn’t stand the test of time.

The styling is typical of OR gear, being understated with muted colours and with only one small logo on the breast pocket. Followers of the Italian school of climbing fashion may be disappointed by this subtlety of design however!

Fit

In my opinion the cut of this jacket is its finest feature. The sleeves are really generous in length, and even for me with a 6’4” span the sleeves don’t retract up my arms when making a big reach whilst climbing. The stretchy material allows the jacket to be close fitting without being restrictive, especially around the torso – there’s no spare material to flap around in the wind here. If I had one slight gripe with the fit it would be that the Ferrosi could be a little longer in the body, especially considering the length of the sleeves. That said it was still long enough to cover the base of my back whilst cycling which where some jackets are let down.

Summary

The Ferrosi is a really versatile piece of kit that has clearly been designed with active sports in mind. Despite being the owner of no fewer than 7 softshell jackets this is definitely one that I will be reaching for on a regular basis, and I’m sure that when the weather allows this jacket will be being clipped to the back of my harness for many a multi-pitch climbing adventure.