REVIEW
PASSENGER TRAILSCAPE LIGHT
Words: Alex Foxfield
The Trailscape is a great waterproof jacket for everyday adventures, from taking the dog out to days spent hiking in the hills. It's wonderfully lightweight, provides excellent freedom of movement and stows away into a handy stuff sack – great for keeping your pack organised. It's not as protective as some and it lacks features like pit zips and adjustable cuffs, but these are minor gripes.
I've been fortunate enough to test a few pices of Passenger kit over the last few years, as the New Forest-based brand's presence has grown. It's fair to say Passenger is better known for its casual outdoor wear than serious mountain kit, though it's Hike & Trail range contains some interesting pieces.
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Having been previously impressed by its Ashland Down Recycled Jacket, which I reviewed for advnture.com, I was keen to try out more from the brand's hiking range. Enter the Trailscape Light Waterproof Jacket, a lightweight outer shell crafted from recycled nylon.
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Specs
Weight: 270g (plus 23g carry sack)
Waterproofing: Nicca® PFC free with DWR coating
Hydrostatic head rating: 15mm
Fabric: Nylon
Colours: Black and Deep Ocean
Best for: Everyday adventures
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Mountain Lines Reviews
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Features
The Trailscape Light prioritises keeping the gram count low over all the bells and whistles seen in some waterproof jackets. This means no pit zips, no adjustability in the cuffs and no internal security pocket. This is totally fine in my view – this is a jacket for quickly throwing on when popping out to the shops or taking the dog for a walk, or as a great lightweight option for day hiking or when you need an emergency layer on long runs in the hills. It's not a jacket I'd use if I was heading up into the Alps or taking on a long-distance trail – more fully featured and protective jackets do these kinds of jobs much better.
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The hood is excellent, one of the best I've had the pleasure of testing. An elasticated cord runs from the adjustment point at the back to twin toggles at the front. It effectively hugs your head tight when cinched from the adjustment point at the back. This means it's held in place wonderfully, even in high winds. The peak is a little bit shallow and runoff did drip onto my nose in really wet conditions. However, this aside, a really strong hood.
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You get two front zippered pockets that are large enough to take a topo map each. They're backed by a breathable mesh, so opening them up also provides at least some ventilation on sweaty ascents in the absence of pit zips. The hem contains the same kind of elasticated cord as the hood and tightens easily will a pull on the two adjustment points on either side – all very intuitive and straightforward.
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As mentioned, the cuffs aren't adjustable, though they are partly elasticated for ease when it comes to checking your watch and the like. However, the gap left is something of a weak spot on really driech days.
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Fabrics
The Trailscape Light uses an unnamed 2.5 layer nylon waterproof membrane to keep the drink out, rather than something like a Gore-Tex membrane. The nylon is stated as being recycled, though what proportion of the total is unclear.
There's the usual protective DWR layer applied on top of the fabric. It's this layer that causes water to bead on the surface, a satisfying sight that outdoor photographer's seemingly can't get enough of. In this case, the DWR is provided by Nicca® and is PFC-free, as you'd expect. Additional reinforcements are present in the form of Bemis® taped seams.
Performance
There's no getting away from the fact that this is a very lightweight waterproof and in terms of overall protection from the elements it's not going to compete against more premium mountaineering products when faced with seriously minging conditions. However, it fends off showers and drizzle with ease and dries quickly afterwards. Once the DWR wore off and the face fabric started to wet out, I simply reproofed the jacket using Nikwax's Tech Wash and TX Direct after-care products. Problem solved.
Packability
Weighing just 270g, the Trailscape's lightweight qualities are one of its main selling points. This is a jacket you can wear for fastpacking missions and mountain runs. You also get a 27g stuff sack that even has a cute little branded carabiner to provide external storage solutions. I like the fact the jacket packs down into a stuff sack as I'm someone who sorts all my gear into dry bags for internal backpack storage anyway. Having this little bundle towards the top of my pack makes it easy to locate and grab when the weather turns.
Fit
Passenger has clearly considered layering in the design of the Trailscape Light. it's neither loose and baggy or overly tight and there's plenty of space for mid layers. The way the hem can be tightened provides what feels like a relatively snug fit. Freedom of movement is excellent, which makes it a good shout for more dynamic activities like running or scrambling. I like that I feel totally unrestricted when wearing the Trailscape Light.
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In terms of length, I'd say it could do with being slightly longer at the back to provide full coverage. I found that the hem sits around the middle of my bottom – I'd prefer it if wrapped right the way down, providing a bit more protection.
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