Highly weather resistant soft shell jacket with built-in insulation tested.
Haglöfs Massif
Jacket -
Quick Test
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Price:
£150
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Weight: 573
grammes (medium)
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Features:
Soft shell jacket using two different varieties of Gore-Tex Windstopper
Soft Shell fabric, reinforced areas in durable woven soft shell, snow
and water resistant face fabric, microfleece inner with grid backer,
offset side and shoulder seams, articulated elbows, pit-zips,
full-length front zip with inner wind flap, two zipped handwarmer
pockets, one zipped chest pocket, adjustabe collar, single-handed
adjustable hem cord, Velcro-adjustable cuffs, DWR treatment.
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What's It
For?
'A highy versatile and technical jacket' says Haglofs. The highly
weather-resistant Windstopper Soft Shell fabric with a microfleece
backer marks it out as a warmish winter softshell, that should be able
to take the place of a waterproof in snowy conditions or as long as
rain remains light.
The Techy
Bits
Gore's Windstopper Soft Shell fabric is effectively waterproof, but
because the seams aren't taped, in heavy rain it willl eventually leak.
The bonus is that the membrane used is more breathable than the one in
Gore's waterproof fabrics, so comfort when working hard is increased
over a Gore-Tex waterproof.
Haglos has used two different types of Windstopper Soft Shell for the
Massif. Shoulders, hips and outer arms use a tough woven
polyamide-faced Windstopper for increased abrasion resistance. It also
has a straight microfleece inner where the rest of the fabric, which
has some stretch to it, has a microgrid one and softer but less robust
polyester face.
Other neat features include off-set shoulder seams to reduce the danger
of rubbing and discomfort from pack straps and good, long double-ended
pit-zips for additional venting if needed.
How It
Performed
The idea of the Massif is to combine light insulation with windproof
and highly water resistant capabilities in a single garment, something
it pulls off pretty well. Windstopper is completely windproof and nigh
on waterproof as well, only the seams will leak and it shrugs off light
rain and snow easily.
The thin microfleece backer adds some extra insulation which is very
welcome on cooler days and means you can usually get away without and
additional mid-layer top.
The downside of the fabric, if you run hot anyway, is that it's not the
most breathable out there, so it's great that Haglofs has included long
pit-zips for additional venting. In our experience it's enough to make
the difference between reasonable comfort and over-heating when using
Windstopper. You can also roll the sleeves up easily for a bit more
cooling if needed.
Cut is classic Haglofs, which is to say neat, but not restrictive and
hem, collar and cuff adjusters are all neat and easy to use. Pack users
and climbers will appreciate the heavier duty, Polyamide-faced fabric
in high wear areas as well, which the main body of the jacket has a
nice, soft, silky feel to it.
There are a couple of quirks to be aware of. The first is that while
the big handwarmer pockets are great for, erm, handwarming and will
also take an OS map with ease, they're also fouled by a hip-belt or
harness, so if you habitually stow lots of stuff in pockets, you might
want to look elsewhere.
The other 'flaw' is the lack of a hood, which in our view restricts the
jacket's useability slightly, Then again, if you're a habitual hat
wearer, that may be a non-issue.
Warm and highly protective fabric make for great cold and snowy weather
performance and pit-zips and rollable sleeves allow for enough
ventilation to off-set any breathability issues for the hot of
metabolism.
The cut is good, features are generally neat with good hem, cuff and
collar adjustment, plus the off-set seams and durable reinforcement
make it pack friendly. Unfortunately pack belts do interfere with the
low-slung pockets, so if you're a fill 'em up and pile 'em high
merchant, you might want to look elsewhere. The chest pocket won't take
a map if that worries you.
Also missing is a hood but again, that's a matter of personal
preference and some users won't see that as an issue.
Buy if you
want a protective soft shell jacket with some added insulation from the
microfleece liner and good ventilation options and you don't
particularly use pockets or feel the need for a hood.
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Warm and very protective - gives weather proofing, venting
insulation in one package.
 Main pockets lie
under pack-belts and harness. Lacks hood.
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Know more or want to?
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experiences of this
product check out our user review system and post your opinions to
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