Gear Review: Montbell Tachyon Anorak Windshell

Tachyon at Arches NP

I chill easily, I’m not sure why this is, but when the wind kicks up I find myself reaching for something to keep the chill off. In the past this has been my rain jacket or a thick fleece, not exactly conducive to keeping the wind off me while hiking without causing me to overheat. Now, when the wind kicks up, I find myself reaching for my Montbell Tachyon Anorak.


The Montbell Tachyon Anorak is a pull over wind jacket/shirt with a hood. Montbell really aimed for function only with the design of this anorak. The Tachyon is very minimalistic featuring a hood with stiffener in the brim, elasticized wrist bands, and front 1/4 zip. The hood and waist have a draw cord adjustment and a small Velcro tab on the back of the hood allowing for a more flexible fit. The Tachyon stuffs down to the size of my fist in a provided stuff sack and can be crammed into any little space in my pack. The nylon material is feather light with a sprayed on DWR finish. This anorak is really so minimalistic that there isn’t much to describe about it.

Tachyon while biking

While the Tachyon is available in a men’s only style, I opted to buy one anyways. The minimalistic features and the lightness of the anorak are what convinced me. The size medium weighs 2.3 oz (65 g) while the x-large size I bought weighs 2.8 oz (79 g) in the stuff sack. It would not be that hard to make a women’s version and I hope in the future Montbell comes out with one. I went up a size to account for my hips and the fit, while a little loose in the shoulder area, is pretty spot on for my hips. The Tachyon has good coverage in the arms and overall length. Some of this is likely due to it being made for a man, but the fit works well for me. I have plenty of room underneath for additional layers if needed.

Tachyon at Great Basin NP

The Tachyon Anorak has served me well on summits helping keep me warm from the wind. In one case, we summited Mount Wheeler on a day with at least 40 mph winds. The Tachyon was a life saver, otherwise I wouldn’t have been able to survive the chill wind. While feather light, the anorak actually helps trap in a layer of warm air while protecting me from the chill of the wind. Trapping this layer of warmth really works best for me when I have long sleeves on underneath the Tachyon.

Hiking in the Unitas

I have also been using the Tachyon Anorak as a light shirt in light wind. In cool weather and combined with a t-shirt underneath, I find that the Tachyon provides just enough protection from a light breeze without my overheating. For the most part, light to medium wind are nothing for the Tachyon. Strong wind does plaster the anorak to my body and I can feel myself slowly getting chilled depending on my layers. I have also used the anorak around camp or when taking a break just to stay warm on slightly cooler days. Even with no wind, the Tachyon helps keep me warm.

Hiking in the Wasatch Mountains

On another trip out, and with the nip of fall in the air, I wore the Tachyon most of the time during our four day backpacking trip in the Uinta Mountains. Not only did the Tachyon keep me from chilling in the early morning and later afternoon wind, but the Tachyon also worked effectively as a sun shirt for me. In the evening, I would wear a lightweight down layer underneath. There was enough room under the Tachyon to comfortably add this extra down layer. The wind protection of the Tachyon helped extend the warmth of my lightweight down layer in the light evening breeze.

Hiking at Arches

I also took the Tachyon down to Arches National Park and again the wind on the last day in the park was absolutely horrendous. The Tachyon was a real saver. In high winds such as I experienced both at Arches and at Wheeler, I find that the Tachyon does sound noisy in the winds. I also find that the hood if not secured to my head really flaps around with the wind and will wrap to the side of my head. I can stop this is I wear the hood or if I tuck the hood down the back of the anorak.

While the fit isn’t perfect for me, I have still been quite pleased with the Tachyon. It is exactly what I need to keep the wind from chilling me. The Tachyon works very well as a lightweight wind shirt and the fit is loose enough for extra layers as needed.

Manufacturer	Montbell
Sizes	Small through Extra Large
Price (MSRP)	$89
Weight	2.3 oz (65 g) for a medium 2.8 oz (79 g) for an extra large with stuff sack

This story was originally posted March 4, 2011.