Posted by Brydon Thomason on Thursday 26th April 2012 | Reviews

The Páramo Velez Adventure Light Smock truly is a versatile piece of kit. Over the past 12 months this has been my favourite and pretty much every day item of clothing when out and about in the isles. I’m often asked if I had to take just one jacket/outer-layer on a trip, which would it be, well this is the baby!

I have always had something of a preference for a smock in any case so that was an immediate attraction and advantage for review. Overall it is a very comfortable and easy wearing all round jacket, (which is how I wear it most of the time) but also as an under layer (with the Halcon for example).

As a personal preference and balance of comfort, functionality and practicality I find that this really is a superb all-rounder. Only on the wildest of Shetland winter days do I need to opt for a ‘heavier’ outer layer. With a good base and under layer I find it very light, cosy and windproof. It is more than up to the job in wet weather too. By layering up under the smock I certainly get good use out of it and possibly trust too much in it, but that’s simply because it’s up to the mark. The only issues I have found in wearing it in the wilder weathers is that it lacks the external pocket for a bit of hand warming (although by opening side vents you can access inside pockets) and also perhaps most notable is that as a consequence of its wonderfully light material it is quite prone to catching the wind and thus quite noisy.

But these can hardly be used against it nor seen as a disadvantage as essentially it‘s not designed for these conditions. If anything the very fact I often wear it in such conditions is a testament to its versatility in itself.

In milder summer and warmer weather (conditions which are unfortunately all too often rare here in Shetland!), this is the perfect piece for me and potentially where it comes into its own. A single base layer or T shirt with the smock is pretty much all I find I need to wear during the summer months. In the warmer days I never feel sweaty or clammy in it and find that with the side vents open its ideal for all day wear.

Yes indeed, this is my favourite Paramo piece to date, although there are more items on their way…

We are proud members of the Páramo Nature Pro scheme.