This Christmas my parents wanted to buy me a new jacket to update my Millet Hardshell that I’ve had since I was 18. When thinking of which jacket I wanted the first think that sprung to mind was “Mountain Equipment”. I am in no doubt that Mountain Equipment is one of the (if not THE) best company out there at the moment. I own a number of mountain equipment products, all of which have stood the test of time, and been damn good in the process. But any hardshell I bought would have to be as good as my Millet one (no easy task!). My Millet jacket has been my faithful companion in sub zero temperatures in the depths of Scottish winter, at 18,500ft above sea level in the Himalayas, in dust storms in Iceland glacial plateaus, through my ML training and ML assessment, and through countless crap days in Stoke! So in replacing it I needed a jacket that would fill that gap. I had already tried on the ME Kongur and had liked it. At £280 the Kongur was not cheap. I was also aware of the Kongur MRT a beefed up stronger version of the Kongur. The Kongur itself came highly recommended, it had won Trail’s ultimate waterproof test twice and had ringing endorsements from numerous reviewers. The MRT version was £40 more than the Kongur. However on reading about it I figured I might as well get that one.
The Kongur came on Christmas day and good lord is it good! The jacket uses Gore’s latest Gortex fibre – proshell. It feels very crinkly, I don’t know whether this is just because it is a new jacket! The toughened fibres on the shoulders, arms, and back feel very substantial, almost feels like a canvas material in a way. All the zips are waterproof including the pit zips (for added ventilation), and the cut of the jacket is perfect. What I would also say about the jacket is unlike a number of mountain equipments other jackets, the sizing is slightly larger on this. The XL fits me with plenty of room for extra layers underneath. The mood is the usual level of high quality I’ve come to expect from Mountain Equipment, plenty big enough for a helmet underneath – my salamander has quite lower clearance, however I have tried it with an Elios and Ecrin underneath and they fit just as well. The other added perk to the new Kongur is the reflective stripping added to increase visibility in bad conditions.

All in all the extra £40 is definitely worth it! The toughened fibres are brilliant! The Kongur MRT is on offer on theoutdoorshop.com at £240 at the moment which is a fantastic offer for a fantastic piece of kit.

When i started my university course last year, i needed a hard shell jacket. I had the money at the time, so i bought the best i could get at the time, in my opinion. I found the MRT for 275 in a sale. So i got this amazing jacket for an absolute bargain!

Me and my brother (review below) had both been looking at this jacket and admired its awesomeness. We are both fans of Mountain Equipment due to its superior build quality and performance.

This jacket has been to the Alps, Atlas and has performed in Scottish Winter, as well as numerous trips to the lakes and North Wales. It has never let me down in waterproof'ness and comfortability. Its an XL so i can fit loads underneath and still be able to move. I can get a base, mid and insulated jacket underneath. So it is ideal as a hardshell on those horrendously cold and lonely Winter Belays.

I did have a shock last year when i ripped it on a rock spike, but luckily Tundra Repairs was able to provide a quality service and now my jacket has unique paneling design which does look ace.

20/10 - i love this jacket

The only drawback is that you do look a little silly when you walk past a mountain rescue team on the hill and you end up looking like a wannabe...but i can deal with that.

This jacket is burly. REALLY burly. The main fabric is tough enough, but it's backed up with thick Lofoten reinforcements in high-wear areas - the shoulders, top of the hood, down the outside of the arms and along the hem where a harness will rub (or you sit down!). Between the red base fabric, black reinforced areas and 3M reflective detailing, you WILL look like a member of your local MRT, though!

The cut of the jacket is pure 'British mountaineering'. It's very long in the torso, giving good protection and good overlap with pants or salopettes. The arms are long, giving good reach without them riding up. The cut is roomy, allowing for a LOT of layering underneath and good freedom of movement. I bought a Medium, as with most jackets, but I could easily get into a Small (and even that was much roomier than my Asgard Smock!).

Despite being large the jacket never feels too big. Hem adjustments (split to prevent snagging) pull it in and stop stuff from blowing up into the bottom and a waist cord cinches it in around the midriff. Cuff adjusters are big, beefy rubber tabs which allow you to cinch them right down to seal out the elements, or open them up to let out all that moisture. Cuffs are wide enough to roll up, too. The hood is a superb helmet-compatible affair which features a superb peak. It fits well both with and without a helmet. Adjustment is easy and the front cord-locks are hidden inside the collar material. When not in use, the hood zips up to form a lovely high collar.

The design is pretty full-on. There are 4 torso pockets - two huge ones with entry on the sides (these will easily take an OS map plus much more) and two slightly smaller ones with zippers near the main zip. The left chest pocket features a whistle on sewn-in cord, which is neat. All of these pockets feature 'waterproof' zips with a storm flap on the outside for redundancy. The jacket also features long, waterproof pit zips - much needed for a jacket with so much overlapping material. The main zipper is bombproof - a non-waterproof design for easy use, but with both internal and external storm flaps held down with poppers AND velcro.

In use I can't really fault it. It's not light, it's not small, but you pull it on and you immediately feel protected. It's really comforting. The hood is excellent and the jacket really climbs well considering the generous cut. Waterproofing is great and it's holding up flawlessly despite being dragged up a variety of abrasive rock types. Breathability is acceptable but this isn't an ultralight garment anyway!

Go and grab the nearest dictionary and look up the word 'bomber'. If it doesn't have a photo of the Kongur MRT, I suggest you write to the publisher and let them know the error of their ways. If you are looking for a jacket that will take absolutely everything and anything you can throw at it, then look no further. If you are looking for something for light and fast climbing in the Alps then maybe this isn't the jacket for you..