Swedish company Haglofs make some of the nicest technical
clothing and equipment on the market, we've been impressed with all
of the Haglofs kit we've tested in the past, so we were keen to see
what's on the menu both for this autumn and early next year.
We weren't disppointed either, they've some really nice new kit
and some interesting developments in existing stuff. First, the
autumn / winter 2005 kit that'll be in the shops towards the
end of this summer.
Sharkfin Jacket
Last year's Haglofs Gore Windstopper soft shell technical top was
called the Shark. It was a nice jacket, but the fabric had a stiff,
slightly boardlike feel that improved with use, but was still tended
to take the 'soft' out of softshell.
For this winter, there are two major improvements in the
Sharkfin, which replaces the old Shark. First, the fabric is
much, much softer - a 'softer handle' to fabric jargon freaks - and
feels much more like a non-membrane fabric and hangs more nicely too.
Secondly, the company has introduced a hooded-version of the
jacket.
The shoulders are reinforced with a tougher Trango soft shell
fabric, but the rest of the jacket feels really nice and soft. You
also get vented chest pockets, a full-length water-resistant main
zip, a laminated stretch exterior chest pocket for awkward-shaped
choccy bars and the like and a wicking lining with fleece
backing.
Even better though is the Sharkfin Hood, which as you might
have guessed, has a hood. It's always struck us as a nonsense that a
top designed to replace a full-on technical shell should be hoodless
- you wouldn't make a hoodless waterproof, so why waste time with a
hoodless softshell.
Anyway, the hooded version looks seriously nice. Same fabric but
with a multi-adjustable technical hood on top. It also has a peak
which had been cunningly designed with a rear gutter to encourage
water to run off to the sides rather than down the front of your
face. Neat.
Also available will be the matching Sharkfin Pant, again it
uses Windstopper Softshell fabric, but there are also touches like
tough Keprotech anti-scuff crampon reinforcement patches in the
insides of the ankles, detachable braces, articulated knees and lots
more.
Flexable
Also new is Haglofs own-brand range of softshell. Whereas
Windstopper is a completely windproof PTFE membrane fabric, Flexane
uses something called Flexable, which is a woven fabric, so
should be wind and water resistant thanks to a decent DWR, but
significantly more breathable. So similar to some of the Schoeller
fabrics.
Flexable has a poluamide face, which should be good for wear and
abrasion resistance backed with a polyester lining for rapid wicking
and comfort. In the fabric flesh, it's lovely and soft and the
time-honoured blow test suggests that it's very wind resistant as
well as being stretchy for good fit and mobilitty.
Detailing is nice too with neat recessed zips, articulated
sleeves, single-handed collar adjustment and so on. We like the look
of the Lizard Jacket which has reinforced shoulders for
durability. Also, like all Haglofs garment, the Flexable stuff is
designed for pack use, with seams tucked out of harm's way in the
shoulder area for example.
Again, you won't be surprised to learn that there are two
different Flexable pants to match. The Ibex which is a
non-technical all-round pant and the more technical Omni Pant
below, which has braces and crampon patches along with cord
adjustable ankle closures and hip-to-knee side zips with
water-resistant zippers.
Baselayer
On the baselayer front, Hagloffs has a cunning plan. Their light
and mid-weight baselayers - 010 and 020 to you - go on as before, but
the new Actives 030 range uses two different fabric weights to
make sure you have insulation where you need it, but not where you
don't.
The fabrics are both Polartec Powerdry, but the heavier weight
feels close to Powerstretch and should be significantly warmer than
the normal weights of the fabric. The long john variants, for
example, use the heavier fabric at the crotch, seat, and knee area
for added warmth.
Spring / Summer 2006
We also whisked through the new Haglofs clothing coming our way
early next year and there's some nice stuff there for sure. More
about it later in the year though :-)
For more Haglofs informations see www.haglofs.se
