Ventile Parka review Pt1

[I Simonius]

Just got back from my first outing with the new jacket. Went to take some photos of the seals on the coast (Horsey Gap & Waxham, Norfolk) and some landscapes, so I was carrying a tripod and Camera bag. I was colder than expected and a lot draftier. Too drafty even for the tripod as it turned out.

The first thing I noticed was that I was cold. I had forgotten just how cold it gets on the coast compared to inland at this time of year. I had a T-shirt, shirt, and woolly jumper on under the jacket but was still cold, I should have had at least an additional fleece. (So I'll be looking through the range - any recommendations?)

That was before I got to onto the beach proper. I think I saw the weather report give the possibility of 70mph winds. Well it was certainly drafty enough that the sand relentlessly blown was hitting us so hard in the face that we just could not walk into the wind forwards, it was too painful even with both hands shielding the face turned sideways.Had to be done backwards. I was the only one with a hood so we got off the beach and walked on the dunes where the marron grass kept the blown sand to a minimum.

Needed to get the hood section up and tightened down in a hurry - with gloves on it was difficult to adjust the tighteners round the hood, also with gloves off and cold hands. The tighteners are too small and fiddly.

The same applies to the midriff tighteners, too small, also the midriff drawstring feels flimsy. Not saying it is for everyone, just that I wanted to draw it up tight and was worried about damaging it as it neded a lot of tightening to try to keep the heat in and the wind out (I'm lean). Talking of lean, I wish there was also a way to tighten round the neck or chin.

The plastic end came off one of the waisband tighteners on first use, another on second use so perhaps these could be put on more securely ( I imagine there's a way to put the one I still have back on but I can't see how at the moment). I don't know whether there is anything but a cosmetic purpose for these little plastic things that go on the end of the drawcords, but I now have two that have fallen off, (that's one a day on average).

We had sand in every nook and crannie when we got back, it had blown under the wrist tightening straps, down my neck... blast that was windy bor! (as we say round these parts)

The jacket certainly was windproof ( as far as I could tell) unfortunately the wind chill factor negated this benefit. I made the mistake of assuming that as I was hot inland I'd be at least warm at the coast. I rapidly became hot wearing it where there was no wind but I had reckoned without the really strong wind chill factor at the coast. I thought I'd be at least warm enough at the coast. ooops! I'm sure I'd have been fine with an extra layer though.

Bearing in mind that this Jacket is designed for inclement weather: I still have an issue with one or two of the front poppers, I can't do them up by pressing them with one hand, as one is inclined to do when wearing the jacket.

I know you have already replaced them for me but even though they are new, several of them are still difficult to do up, the female side doesn't locate onto the male side positively and/or comes off too easily. It requires two hands to do, and is hard with cold hands and/or with gloves on. Perhaps it's the make of popper?

Next time I'll take it out in the wet, which is where it should really do its stuff. Watch this space:)

[Stewart]

Thanks for the great review, always nice to here people out and about with our products.

The problem with your poppers I think may just be the fact they are so new, I would give them some time to adjust. When I first buy a webbing belt its almost impossible to undo but after a few uses becomes much easier to use.

Let us know how you get on, and don't be afraid to post pictures :)

[I Simonius]

actually several months later...

Been out in some good serious drenchings and the jacket has so far kept me dry, although my neck often felt so cold I thought there was water getting through, but I think it was the cooling effect of water in the wind making my neck cold .. so maybe I need a scarf if the weather's cool, even though it's not winter. I think that may be something that needs generally to be taken into consideration that because the jacket fabric retains water - albeit a tiny amount- combined with the wind it adds an extra cooling/chill factor.. so expect to need an extra layer in wet and windy weather.

Don't know yet whether it's water getting in or sweat just not getting out, but my forehead gets drenched when walking in a downpour - yes I did have the hood up!:D . Difficult to test the sweat evaporation fully as I tend to walk in 10-15 minutes bursts then be very still for as long or longer. As the weather warms up I may get a better chance to test this but as this jacket is very warm in the dry due to its wind blocking trait I am less likely to waer it in the summer - may have to get a single layer jacket for the summer!

Otherwise seems to be performing very well.

more ways to improve this Jacket:
the handwarmer pockets fill with water if you're out in a continuous downpour.. great if you need to wash your hands after eating your jam and peanut butter sarnies.. but not otherwise;) - this would be my only real complaint with the jacket, pockets sloshing with water doesn't do it for me.

could do with some method to tighten round the neck/chin area. In driving rain it gets down my neck at the front .. maybe a velcro adjustment/tightening strip might do the trick?

Pockets: funny one this I know - but I kept finding I wished the pocket openings were an inch or half an inch wider but I can see the need to set the width less tan the flap to keep the rain out.

Wish I had asked for internal pockets both sides.

Also wish I have asked for 'drop pockets' on the inside - what they call poacher pockets I think on the barbours, I can't remember exactly why now but several times I kept mentally reaching to put something in a left side drop pocket but had to do something else, I thin it might have been when I was at the shops with my jacket open and a soaked outside , wanting to just pop something temporarily somewhere dry - can't remember but it came up several times. FWIW, Just a refinement that would be nice

Drawstring ends - the plastic ends are to small, and come off too easily. IMO it would in fact be better to also have thicker drawstring itself, at least round the waist, when it really needs doing right up I find myself worrying that it will break, not immediately, but with in time with continued use,

Finally the poppers:the problem was never whether they would undo, only that they were hard to do up. After your repairs there is only one culprit now, and again the problem is that it won't do up easily. Not a biggie, but irritating not because it's slighly hard to do up but because it's almost b****y impossible!:D

[I Simonius]

Sadly I can no longer use this jacket as it leaks around the neck

In a downpour my neck gets wet within a few minutes, somewhere there is an ingress of water and it is not from standing in the rain for too long or wearing a hat underneath ( as suggested by yourselves)

You kindly checked the jacket out for me but concluded that all the seams were correctly made.Sadly this doesn't prevent the problem from recurring. However you didn't do a check with actual water.A water test shows this problem very quickly ( i.e. spray some water on it with a shower head - it leaks!)

I therefore have had to abandon a pretty expensive jacket. Shame.:(