Article by Matt Kolat
Montane Men's Sirocco Lite Hooded Insulated Jacket & Men's Genoa Lite Pants
Introduction
Montane is a brand that most UK outdoor enthusiasts will be familiar with as it sponsors many events in the UK but most famously the Spine Race. It's one of the most difficult outdoor pursuits in the world, only for those of us truly made of steel. One thing that always differentiated Montane in my mind, from other UK based outdoor brands was the fit it offers. I would call it a ‘Nordic’ fit. Almost all of their clothing is tapered / slim fitted and slightly longer. I have tried many of their items before and I cannot remember any of them being ‘boxy’. If you find that other brands don’t fit you well because they are always ‘too loose’ Montane might just be the brand you are looking for.
As a part of their 2025 shoulder season collection Montane sent me two items to review on my hiking adventures in Scotland. Please find them reviewed below.
Montane Men's Sirocco Lite Hooded Insulated Jacket (£160.00/ $199)
Features
Sirocco Lite is a feature-rich midlayer. Let’s have a closer look at each of the most important features
The hood is the most important feature I judge most jackets on. Most importantly if the hood stays put in high winds. I live and hike in Scotland where the weather can become very windy, all of a sudden and the last thing you want is your hood to be constantly blown off.
There are two ways a hood can pass my test. Either through smart synching or a natural shape and size. In the case of the Sirocco it is the latter. There are no synching cables but the fit is quite form fitting and at 40 mph winds the hood was going nowhere and keeping me warm.
Second feature I would like to highlight are the materials the Sirocco is made of. The back and front of the torso are made of FeatherLite Air which is a form of very thin insulation with the side panels, hood and sleeves made of stretchy material called Thermo Stretch. What is more, the Thermo Stretch in the side panels, on the inside, is lined with ultra soft fleece for extra comfort and warmth.
The torso part of the jacket is classified as 20 denier which makes it much more resistant to tears and scratches than similar jackets in itsweight category. With regards to weight, it weighs 297g or 10.4oz in my size Large - that’s very light.
There are two secure pockets on the sides but they are not lined with fleece and therefore should not be considered as hand-warmers but rather storage, easily fitting my iPhone Pro Max 16.
Fit
9.9 times out of 10 I am a size Large in all my tops, shirts, t-shirts and jackets. Knowing that Montane offers a tapered fit I was a bit worried that the Sirocco jacket might not fit me very well and I might have to size up. I took a punt however and stuck to my size.
Sirocco fits me very well however it is a tapered fit. Most layers I could fit under it would be a short sleeve and a long sleeve t-shirt but such is the nature of a good shoulder season jacket. It should mainly fit as a mid layer. If you are however looking for a loose fit - I would advise to size up.
Conclusion and Applications
I have to say straight away that I loved this jacket. I was a bit worried about the fit. Some of you who read my reviews regularly know that I have been through a massive weight loss journey in the past, having lost 50kg/8 stone/110lbs.
In the past I could not find the right fit in Montane, it was simply too trim for me. It was a very good feeling being able to make use of this amazing, UK based brand.
I’ve tested Sirocco during the shoulder season in Scotland where despite very good levels of sunshine the temperatures were still quite low (5 - 10 C) but adjusted for wind chill, closer to 0-5 C. Where I found the Siroco most applicable was high output efforts, pushing uphill, I could regulate my body’s temperature very well using the full zip and hood.
It’s a great standalone piece in the shoulder season. If you are a colder person it could also be a good alternative to a fleece layer in the winter. It protected me from 40mph winds very well during high output uphill activities. However, on flat terrain or ridge traverses, I had to supplement it with a hard shell jacket to stay warm in the wind. Given how light it is, I will also carry Sirocco in my backpack this summer as emergency insulation.
I would not recommend Montane to change much about this jacket, it is very good as it is. That said however if I could have one wish, it would be for one of the hand pockets to have a dual zip and be used to compress the jacket even further reducing its size when packed away.
And of course Siroco Lite works very well when you’re posing for cool photos like below ;).
Features
The description of the Genoa trousers on the Montane website really hits the spot - 5-pocket jeans re-imagined for a life outside. I could not put it better.
They are lightweight, stretchy, very comfortable and include 5 pockets, just like jeans, none of which are secure. They are definitely one of those outdoor items where comfort and fit take precedence over fancy features..
The material used is called Granite Stretch which is: " Recycled Plain Weave with 4 way stretch allows for freedom of movement and durable fast drying comfort. 93% Nylon (recycled) 7% Elastane with PFC free DWR coating."
And its most important features are low weight, my size 36 weighs only 348g or 12.2oz. Against the skin, it feels like cotton and in terms of comfort there is really not much more to ask. The Genoas are very stretchy and despite being a form of re-imagined jeans they performed really well during scrambles where you sometimes are required to take a longer step and really need that stretch to perform. Finally they are coated with light DWR protecting you from light rain.
Fit
In most trousers I am either a size large or a 36 inch waist. I’ve ordered a 36 and can say that the Genoa trousers run slightly large. I would recommend sizing down a size, I could have easily pulled off a 34. With regards to length they are slightly longer than jeans which is what I would expect. The fit of the bottom of the leg I would describe as ‘straight’ which is perfect since it’s loose enough to rest comfortably on a boot but not too loose to get in the way during more technical sections of your adventure.
Conclusion and Applications
The most important feature I judge hiking trousers on is how quickly they dry out after a soaking. I religiously avoid waterproof trousers as they always tend to run too warm for me, if the downpour gets particularly bad I tend to put on waterproof ‘overtrousers’.
Luck had it that in all of the adventures I tested the Genoas it did not rain once. Once! And we are talking about Scotland. I almost had given up hope of testing this feature, when on the final descent of the final test I slipped and landed on my butt bang in the middle of a bog (mire). Suffice to say that I was soaked from waist down and very happy when I realised that I will be able to put the Genoas through my favourite test. Happy to report that by the time we got back to the car I was bone dry and warm. Test was passed!
In terms of applications, I would say that as long as you’re not looking for a fully technical trousers, with secure pockets, aunty abrasion reinforcements or a two way zip, then the Genoas have a broad application from Hiking, Trekking, Climbing, Light Scrambling to potentially even Bouldering due to the stretch needed for those massive bouldering steps. I would not recommend any changes in the Genoas, they do what they do very well. If you start changing them they will become another product and that never works out. If you are after a more technical model - check out Montane’s Tenacity - they are an industry standard.
Shop for the Sirocco Jacket and Genoa Pants and all of Montane
Maciej 'Matt' Kolat- 38 years old, hailing from Poland but pounding Scottish pavements and trails on the run and hiking since 2007. Mainly runs shorter distances on pavement 5-10 km and reserves longer runs and hikes for beautiful Scottish Glens. Matt’s opinion sometimes may differ from other RTR testers as he is the slowest of the bunch (5k at 25:38). Matt also uses running as a way to stay healthy having shed 100 lbs so far (and counting).
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