Until now, Planks has been known for baggy streetwear with snappy slogans and outerwear with a focus on the park. With the Yeti Hunter Series, the company from Val d'Isere with British roots delivers for the first time a technical outerwear combo with the usual casual cut and city-suitable style. We tested how the combo performs away from the park and pub for you in New Zealand in summer 2015.
First impression
The jacket and pants make a solid impression. The fabric meets the expectations of a technical 3-layer jacket; the zips, snow guard, zippers and seams make a clean impression. You notice the difference to other 3-layer combos when you try the jacket on for the first time. The cut is significantly different: the jacket is noticeably longer overall without making the jacket look too big. Previously, if you wanted a longer technical jacket with a wider cut, you actually had to choose a jacket that was too big. These were often too big everywhere and simply didn't fit properly. The Yeti Hunter Jacket is different: it fits well and is also pleasantly long. This not only has the advantage of looking good, it also prevents the end of the jacket from slipping right under the waist belt of the backpack. The hood is adjustable and helmet-compatible, the jacket is equipped with a lift pass pocket and a smartphone pocket and has two large pockets on the chest, each with space for a coat.
Compared to the jacket, the trousers look a little less elaborate, almost minimalist compared to other bib pants. There are adjustment options for the shoulder straps and waist circumference, but these are quite simple Velcro fasteners. While the Yeti Hunter Jacket in size M still fits well and is slightly baggy for a body height of 182 cm, the pants in M are too short.
In addition to two side zips along the entire length, you will find the usual basic features of technical bib pants, such as cut protection on the legs, snow guard as leg cuffs and a pocket on the bib. The jacket and pants can be connected to each other via the jacket's snow skirt using press studs.
Test
Both pieces are from the 2014/15 season and were tested for around 4 weeks on 15 days of skiing in New Zealand in summer 2015. In addition to very cold and good powder days, there were also rainy days with 80 km/h winds. Tests were carried out on days in the ski resort as well as on day and multi-day tours. As a Planks team rider was also involved, we were also able to take a quick look at the 2015/16 models.
In the test, the jacket and trousers provide good protection against wind and weather. Freedom of movement is not restricted when freeriding and nothing disturbs you when touring or hiking. The features of the jacket work as you would expect them to. The fleece chin guard is a very positive feature that contributes to a comfortable fit. It never gets in the way and the fleece prevents the chin from rubbing against the collar or zipper. This is actually what you would expect from a chin guard, but unfortunately it often doesn't work as well on competitor products as it does on the Yeti Hunter Jacket. In practice, there is room for improvement with the Bib Pants: The shoulder straps are not crossed out or connected at the back, which means they often slip off the shoulder (this problem has already been rectified on the 2015/16 model). Unfortunately, the adjustment option at the hips using Velcro strips does not work in practice either, as the plastic eyelets on which the Velcro strap is attached constantly give way to the pull and turn to the side (see photo below). When touring short runs, the large pockets at the front prove to be very practical, especially because skins can easily be stored in them and you don't necessarily have to take off the backpack to stow the skins during the descent.
In the test, the combo also had to withstand pouring rain and squalls on a day in the Clubfields: After a few hours in the heavy rain, even the 3 layers were exhausted and started to soak up some water. The combo was still quite waterproof, but the fabric reached its limits under these extreme conditions. This is not the end of the world, but after drying the fabric was no longer as smooth as before, which experience has shown can also be the case with other materials after use in heavy rain. Overall, the fabric proved to be quite resistant over the test period, without material fatigue. The Yeti Hunter jacket will quickly become a loyal companion, whether off-road, on hikes or in the city. While you often feel out of place with many other 3-layer jackets in the typical brightly colored functional clothing style, the Planks jacket with its casual design and cut cuts a good figure even off the mountains.
Conclusion
Planks delivers a solid 3-layer combo with a convincing jacket in the first year of the Yeti Hunter series. The cut, features and functionality in the practical test are just as impressive as the extremely attractive price/performance ratio. The 2014/15 version of the Bib Pant still has a few teething problems to contend with, some of which Planks has already addressed in the 2015/16 model. Overall, the Yeti Hunter Series is an interesting alternative to combo pants from established manufacturers of technical outerwear. Especially when the focus is less on high-end functionality for ski mountaineering and more on a balanced mix of style and functionality on downhill-oriented days in the backcountry.
Advantages & disadvantages
Jacket:
+ Cut
+ Price/performance
+ Large front pockets
+ Chin guard
- No inner goggle pocket
Pants:
- Pockets not climbing harness compatible
- Shoulder straps fall down, no elasticated part
- No pocket on the thigh
- Plastisk loops on the hip adjustment twist.
Information
Jacket:
- Water column 20,000mm Breathability: 15,000g/m2
- Fully taped seams
- iPod pocket
- Quick release toggles
- Lift pass pocket
- Helmet-compatible hood
- Detachable snow guard
- Cuffs on the arms
Pants:
- Water column 20,000mm Breathability: 15,000g/m2
- Pocket on the bib
- Cut protection at the leg ends
- Compatible with the snow skirt of the Yeti Hunter jacket
Outlook innovations 15\16:
- Pocket on the thigh for maps or similar
-Pocket on the thigh for maps or similar
-Shoulder straps are pulled together and fitted with an elasticated section
