Early Verdict
The Outline is a practical jacket to wear, its two large, zipped pockets sitting comfortably above a rucksack hip belt, while reflective detailing on the sleeves provides a welcome extra safety feature for low-light adventures. And when it’s not in use it folds up into a brilliantly small parcel for carrying in a pack – ideal for mixed summer and autumn weather.
Pros
- +
Light
- +
Easily packable
- +
Good stretch
Cons
- -
Shorter cut, so less protection than some rivals
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First thoughts
The Salomon Outline, by bonding the fabric, waterproof membrane and protective backer into a single fabric, has cut its weight without sacrificing its rain, wind and snow-protection qualities.
The result is a jacket that’s light to wear and that folds up into a brilliantly small parcel for carrying in a pack. The fabric itself has decent stretch, providing freedom of movement when Nordic walking with poles or scrambling. The elasticated cuffs, hem and hood helps to keep the jacket in place when Mother Nature bares her teeth, although other jackets offer more adjustment in these areas.
Two large, zipped pockets sit comfortably above a backpack hip belt, while reflective detailing on the sleeves is a welcome extra safety feature for low-light adventures.
- Take a look at the best waterproof jackets in our buying guide
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- Find out how to stay dry while hiking with our expert advice
On the trails
From violent squalls to a week of Storm Francis drenching the UK and ruining holidays, the Salomon Outline has been called into active service far more frequently than most summers would demand.
In these testing conditions, the jacket has proved faultlessly waterproof and surprisingly breathable, given the humidity and warm temperatures it has encountered on a series of long walks. The sealed seams stop rain seeping in, the hood is deep enough to shelter from overhead downpours, and the fabric has proved reliably waterproof.
The fabric itself deserves a special mention in dispatches for its soft feel – far more akin to a lightweight softshell than a typical stiff, rustly waterproof jacket. It’s so supple that it has even been called into duty for recovery runs on rainy days, when its decent level of stretch provides very good freedom of movement.
Salomon has cut weight from the Outline by bonding the face fabric, waterproof membrane and protective backer into a single material, and they have also deployed a 2.5-layer solution for the torso and 3 layers across the shoulders and upper arms to provide more abrasion protection from rucksack straps.
I have noticed that the shoulders maintained their DWR finish, with raindrops beading on the surface, for longer than the torso, where the colour swiftly started to darken when wet.
