Review: HG MASTER V Gore-Tex Pro Shell suit

6 months on

What the Heine Gericke site says:

WINNER OF MCN PRODUCT OF THE YEAR 2008

Master the elements with the ultimate high performace suit.

Function: 3 hand warmer pockets, 1 back pocket, 2 inner pockets. Detachable thermal lining and storm collar. Wide waist belt around kidney area for extra support. Width-adjustment on sleeves. 3M Scotchlite reflective strips. Crotch strap to prevent the jacket from riding up. Long connection zipper. 5-year GORE-TEX® quality guarantee.

Protection: SaS-Tec® CE-Protectors at shoulder and elbow. SaS-Tec® CE-Back protector. SAFE® safety seam-construction for ultimate durability.

Construction:

Composition:

Combination: HG MASTER V GORE-TEX PRO SHELL PANTS BLACK.

Review

6-months of ownership.

This is not a cheap option but with 22,000 miles in the saddle last year and a projected 30,000 this year what price a ride without a wet crouch? The Behring Tempest suit was not living up to its name and it was a nightmare wondering if I should or should not zip in the waterproof liner judged by the Met Office's latest guess.

On first wear of the HG Master V I was a little perturbed by its stiffness, which I was assured would wear off: and has - or I'm better used to it. It's solidly waterproof - not a drip gets through although I'm not sure the way Shadowfax's seat collects a bucket of water under my bum is a fair test and although when I check I'm dry (relief) it gets to feeling wet while I'm sitting. Any Gortex will seep if submerged so I guess its performing very well.

The Thinsulate liners aren't quite up to the winter they claim. I reckon they were okay to -2C but needed a jumper and long Johns to achieve the -9C (7th in the ST-Owners Coldest Ride Competition) and even then on the 1hr 20-min+ winter commute this was pushing my stamina somewhat.

The neck warmer they provide is brilliant and lovely and snug BUT it interferes with the movement of the helmet so is useless. It's too thick to go under the strap and so can't pull over the nose as most sales peeps will demonstrate. The zip-on waistlet braces are okay but got warm in the warmer 18C climate of late Spring. Not being fleece lined they did nothing for warmth in the winter. As for the under bottom strap - um...who'd wear that? Sure, its to stop the jacket riding up your back in a long slide but will it really work? It stays in its pocket.

On pockets - wow - they're all waterproof! Excellent. Although I agree the strides could do with a more useful pocket there's no lacking for stowage space, what with that bum pocket that's large enough for a OS map. However, with all the inner chest pockets (3 over-lapping) things can get crowded mightily quickly. Personally I don't like carrying too much around my chest for fear a spill but suffice to say - there's lots of stowage.

The pads are good value, I guess but they're not something I really want to test. I would criticise the thigh / hip pads though for being too frugal and wrongly positioned imagining my hips to be at risk. The trousers were difficult to get a pair to fit. HG gear seems made for the Arian Germanic slender blonde 6' crowd: not short fat blokes. It leaves a good fit at the waist but no adjustment for length and more importantly at the knee protection, which Behring provide for less that a third of the price. This, to my mind, compromises safety and at these prices that's not really on. Bad HG! I put up with it because spending 3hrs a day commuting needs this gear - and if honest, it's fitting well enough.

I did have an issue with the cuffs where I used to wear my water proof gloves under the Behring doing this with the Master V sucks water up the sleeve and makes for dampness that runs back down and into the gauntlet. Wearing the gauntlet over the cuff seems to have done the trick except under heavy showers at a halt where water again entered the gloves after pouring down the sleeve. It's only happened twice so I put that down as a "live with".

The liners zip out easily but the jacket liner suffers that same old same old problem of its not meeting at its front leaving a potential for tummy freeze. They wash easily though so there's a full on bonus. As mentioned, they're not Arctic wear.

The Gore-tex is fully wind proof but I note it sucks air in at the neck. This is great now its summer but a disadvantage in the throws of winter. I found my wind-proof Antifreeze neck buff needed a further buff around it to create a seal.

The reflective strips are a great nod in the direction of safety but, frankly, I still wear my retro-reflective fluorescent vest day and night.

In the warmer heat of early summer I'm worried the jacket is too warm above 20C - but okay while riding. It's at the halt things get sweaty. I have mesh trousers for the tacky weather but without added ventilation I fear the jacket will become a soggy sweaty wet burden.

My overall impression is that this has been the best purchase after Shadowfax and as with him, everybody should have one. I don't really bother if it rains; so what - its raining. When I get to work or to my home I hang the gear up for 15-min and it's all dry (bar the neck lining, which seems a poorer design. That takes a couple of hours to dry out :)

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