 I am a big fan of Montaigne gear. I have these Montaigne prism waterproof gloves. I also use these Montaigne waterproof trousers and more often than not you'll find me in the Montaigne fleece here. I use it in training, I use it for races, I also put it in my backpack as a spare layer. But more often than not I am just simply wearing it during the day because it's so warm, light and comfortable. Affiliate links to all of these products are in the description below. However, despite my reliance on Montaigne for much of my running apparel, my waterproof jacket of choice for the last six years has been the OMM Kamlaika. I've had two iterations of the Kamlaika jacket and it's served me very well, but there has always been a slight question mark about its breathability, particularly when running at higher speeds. See, the faster you run the more you sweat, and if it's raining then it can be quite difficult to work out whether the moisture inside your jacket is sweat that can't get out, or rain that's managed to get in. With a big year of 100 mile races coming up in 2023, I'm hoping to do the Centurion Grand Slam and also the full UTMB race in Chamonix this year, I've been looking to spend a little bit more money on a slightly higher end waterproof jacket, and it just so happens that my search has coincided with the release of the Montaigne Phase Nano waterproof jacket. So I decided to go for it. And here it is. It's certainly not cheap. The Montaigne list price for this jacket is £300, although at the time of recording I think you can get it on Amazon for around $250. It's also not the most expensive jacket you'll find. I think that price goes to the Arcterix hoodie, which retails in the US for around $400. I've been wearing the Phase Nano for a few weeks now, so I wanted to give you my impressions in this short review. So let's look at the overall features first. Montaigne market this jacket as their lightest and most breathable to date. It weighs in at 233 grams or so, which is a smidge lighter than my OMM Kamlaika jacket. One of the reasons they've been able to reduce the weight so much is by using this 13 denier Gore-Tex active shell. You won't find many pairs of tights thinner than that. Now obviously for a waterproof jacket it does have fully taped seams, and the Aquaguard zip has an internal storm flap for that extra bit of protection. Both pockets use the Aquaguard zip as well. The peak cap is stiffened and the hood is fully adjustable so it doesn't blow off in the wind. Moving on to the things I love about this jacket, and first and foremost it has to be the breathability. It is so much better than my Kamlaika, allowing my body to breathe, especially when running at faster speeds. With my Kamlaika jacket often I would find that sweat would pool in the elbows when I was running, and when I strained my arm it would all pour out onto the floor. So far nothing like that has happened with the FaZe Nano, although to be fair maybe I haven't quite pushed the FaZe Nano to its limits just yet, but it certainly feels a lot less clammy. I also love the hood. It fits my head much better and stays on in the wind. I always felt like my Kamlaika was about to blow off in anything other than a mild breeze unless I pulled the elastic really tight. With the FaZe Nano there's a really good balance between protection from the elements but also feeling like you're not constrained or overly covered up. Finally of course it does seem to keep the rain out. I actually had the jacket for quite a long time before I was able to run in some actual rain. It's always difficult where clothing is concerned because there are huge holes in the garments which could potentially allow rain to get in, and manufacturers are constantly having to manage the expectations of customers who are saying your garment isn't 100% waterproof. It can't possibly be 100% waterproof with these huge holes, but that aside the FaZe Nano is excellent at keeping the elements out. Wind protection feels great too. The three layered Gore-Tex does a remarkable job of letting my body breathe out but preventing the wind or rain from getting in. By the way if you're finding this video useful or interesting then please do click the like button and consider subscribing to the channel for more of these kinds of videos. It is free and it does help us to grow the channel and bring you more useful content. There are one or two things I don't like or which are slightly irksome about the FaZe Nano jacket. Firstly thumb holes. On the Camlaker jacket there were thumb holes on the wrist which I could pull down over my gloves and over my hand and provided a bit more of a lockdown against cold weather against the elements. The FaZe Nano doesn't have thumb holes and it doesn't even have adjustable elastic on the wrists so it doesn't feel as protected, it doesn't feel as locked down as my Camlaker jacket. Secondly and this is nitpicking I guess really, but the Aquaguard zip is rather stiff and fiddly. I understand there's a compromise with the added water and rain protection but it might have helped if the zip puller was a bit bigger, a bit easier to grab. In all it just feels a little bit clunky, a bit stiff and a bit awkward. Finally on dislikes well it's got to be the price hasn't it. A lot of you I know are already saying there is no way I am spending £250 to £300 on a waterproof jacket and I hear you, I do. But here's the thing, if you are going to run 100 miles in the mountains, in the Alps, the Pyrenees or even in Scotland or the Lake District here in the UK, you need to have the right equipment for the job. You need something which is going to protect you against the elements but at the same time you are running a race and you want to be as light as possible to move as quickly as possible through that terrain. So you have some choices and there are going to be some compromises you will have to make. The choices are weight, cost and quality. Now you don't really want to compromise too much on quality because you want good gear to do the job so you're left with price and weight. In general the less you spend the heavier your gear is going to be. So if you have a heavy running jacket, heavy waterproof trousers, a heavy backpack, a heavy head torch, heavy trail shoes, all that combined is going to mean you're carrying a significant amount of extra weight and that is undoubtedly going to affect your performance. Now I'm not suggesting you go out tomorrow and spend thousands of pounds on the best running apparel money can buy. However as you become more experienced as a runner and as you run in more challenging terrain you may start to view running performance gear as an investment in your safety rather than just something to comply with mandatory kit or something to get the job done as easily and cheaply as possible. Quite often spending that little bit extra money not only gets you the lightest gear on the market in terms of weight but also the best performing. One final thing on how you prioritize your spending on running apparel. Whatever you do the worst thing you can do is to say what is the minimum I can get away with to pass a mandatory kit check. That is not why mandatory kit lists were created. Always try to consider what is the best piece of kit that I need to keep me moving in this race and what is the best piece of kit that will keep me safe if I can no longer keep moving in a race. That's what you need to consider when thinking about buying your running apparel and then you need to think well what is the compromise that I'm prepared to make between that kit and what I am able to or willing to spend. So all that said if you are willing to spend £250 to £300 on a running waterproof jacket then a link to the Montaigne phase nano is in the description below go check it out now. It is without question one of the best wind and waterproof running jackets on the market today for trail and mountain ultra runners and if you are going to be climbing mountains or doing ultra distance trail running then you might want to check out this review of the Salomon pace running belt which is great for holding your running poles or keeping your phone or your snacks handy. And with all that thank you very much for watching please don't forget to subscribe if you found the content useful or interesting and we'll see you on the start line next time. Take care.