Haglöfs Spring '07 Kit Scoop

We've been quietly impressed by pretty much everything we've tried from Swedish brand Haglöfs over the last couple of years. It's really well-made kit that works and looks great at the same time, so we thought you might appreciate a quick preview of what's new from the company, both for spring/ summer 07, due in the shops next month and for later in the year.

Note that pretty much everything in the Haglöfs range comes in both men's and women's versions - the women's specific one has a 'Q' added to the name.

The Award-Winning Oz Pullover

The new Oz Pullover has just landed a Gold Award from the European Outdoor Group, which is a rare accolade awarded only to really outstanding kit, so it should be good.

It's an ultralightweight Gore-Tex Paclite smock weighing in at just 175 grammes, which is bonkers light and undercuts even the likes of TNF's Diad. Despite the light weight, you're getting a fully-adjustable hood, a watertight half-zip, laminated front pocket and adjustable cuffs with thumb loops.

The design is fiendishly clever using just two panels of fabric to create the body and sleeves of the jacket which cuts down on seams and therefore reduces weight along the way. And those sleeves are still articulated too.

All that technology doesn't come cheap, you're looking at a retail price of £170 but it looks lovely and despite being really light, the Paclite fabric has a really nice, soft feel and, because it uses a tough polyamide face material, should be stronger than you'd expect.

Roca Jacket

Also new for this spring is the Roca a very cute-looking Gore-Tex Windstopper softshell but with new taped seams. Windstopper's always been a bif of a weird one: the actual fabric is effectively waterproof, but because seams haven't been sealed, the garments have always been dubbed 'water-resistant' and, in time, they will leak.

The Roca - above - should perform much better in wet conditions both because the seams are taped and because, like the Oz, it uses just two pieces of fabric on the main body, which minimises the number of seams.

It has a nice soft face feel to it plus all the trimmings like an adjustable collar, articulated sleeves, full pit-zips and laminated shoulder patches. Those patches are neat too - Haglöfs has perforated them to retain breathability and the perforations are in a neat 'H'-shaped Haglöfs logo. Nice.

The fabric's lined with a smooth flanel fleece for a bit of added warmth and comfort. Just about the only thing it's missing is a hood. Price will be £200.

Roca Pant

We've always thought softshell fabrics work well for legwear, so it's nice to see a matching Roca Pant using the same soft-feel fabrics and techniques. We're thinking it should totally do away with the need for overtrousers thanks to the taped seams and strategic seam placement.

They come complete with braces, reinforced seat and knee areas, stretch hip inserts for better fit and built-in but small snow gaiters. We really like the fit on Haglöfs legwear, so we're expecting these to be a great winter pant.

We're also loving the idea of the 3/4 length double-ended water-resistant zipped vents / openings, which should allow for massive ventilation if you do get a tad warm during that glacier slog...

The full-on fabric and features are reflected in the price tag, which is the same as the jacket at £200.

A Lovely Bunch Of Coconut Fibres

For this spring, Haglöfs is big into coconut husk fibres. They use the Bounty Bar derivatives in a fabric called Traptek in some of their latest baselayers. The Traptek sits on the inside of the polyester fabric and traps the nasties that cause clothing odour. When you wash the 40% Traptek 60% polyester fabric, the nasties are washed away ready for re-use while the polyester should give good wicking performance.

It all explains why coconuts don't suffer from BO... this shy and retiring fella is the Tsar Zip Top as worn by dispossessed Russian royalty...

You can see the dark, carbon-based Traptek on the inside at the bottom. The looks grew on us, also features thumb loops and a low bulk underarm panel. We reckon that laminated pocket could get a bit sweaty though. To you, £45.

More Windstopper...

This is the Zephyr and it's a simple windproof made from Gore-Tex Windstopper fabric. That means it'll breathe better than a waterproof Gore-Tex jacket and also be a lot more water resistant than, say, a Pertex shell because the fabric itself is pretty much waterproof.

It also includes neat neck to arm-pit diagonal venting zippers - it's designed for packless use - and a laminated pocket. It would make a great damp weather running windproof, but at £120 it's pricey, around twice the price of a Pertex equivalent...

Thor Flex Pant

Last but not least, as mentioned above, we really like the cut of Haglöfs legwear, so it's good to see a new summer pant called the Thor Flex. It's a hybrid pant with stretch panels built in to the thighs, knees and seat plus wind-resistant fabric elsewhere, pockets front and back and articulated knees. It's designed so there are no seams to rub on knees and ankles too.

Should be good for summer walking, scrambling and climbing. Priced at £65 which is the same as the excellent Rabot Fjell Pant we've been using - test coming soon.

A quick look at the new stuff for later in the year shortly, in the mean time, you can see the current Haglöfs range at www.haglofs.se