I have to say, at first, I was not that impressed by my first purchase, the Cascada waterproof trousers, as I found them unbearably warm. After a while though, I realised I didn't need to wear thermals underneath in cold conditions, and that the full length ventilation zips do really work well - if you remember to use them! Once you've adjusted to the warmth, you soon realise that these are excellent - hard-wearing, very waterproof, articulated, breathable (provided you use the zips) and priced competitively with similar products. Not the most stylish bit of gear, but bear in mind if you shop online with Naturally Paramo, they sometimes offer different colour-ways than are available through Paramo dealers.
A year on, and these have been joined by a Halcon jacket. These are expensive, and a little heavier than, say, a Goretex jacket, but once you factor in Paramo's reputation for longevity, and the fact you don't need to wear as much underneath, it doesn't look so bad. Get your under-garments right and you have a great waterproof that won't leave you soaked with sweat. The Halcon is Paramo's top-of-the-line jacket, and offers a fantastic range of pockets for filters, lens caps, shutter releases and even lenses.
Underneath the Halcon, I have a Mountain Vent shirt. This is made from a reversible fabric, meant to be worn next to the skin, and is cut a little closer than a normal fleece. Worn with the fleece-like surface inwards, it offers warmth, but reverse it and the smooth face against the skin helps to keep you cool. There are also zips for ventilation at the front of the armpits, which correspond with those in the Halcon and some other Paramo jackets.
The fourth and final element is a Torres gilet, worn over the Mountain vent shirt when conditions are colder. It's quite thin and light, but seems to offer good insulation without bulk (it even packs down into one of it's own pockets). If you prefer, you could order your gilet in a larger size and choose to wear it over your waterproof jacket.
For me, just these four garments seem to cope well with most UK conditions. I would still choose a down jacket for winter sunrises, but for just about everything else the Paramo system really seems to work, with the right layers underneath.
Here's a couple of buying tips: first off the RSPB often have good members offers in their magazine (my Torres gilet was free when I ordered my Halcon jacket); second Paramo have their own outlet store, Paramo Extras, on ebay. I bought my Mountain Vent shirt through the latter at about a third off the retail price (accepting that it was an obsolete colour and made from a very slightly heavier fabric than the current garment). Oh, and as mentioned above if you buy direct from Naturally Paramo, you may get more colour choices.
