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Haglöfs LIM Ultimate
Jacket
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Price:
£210.00
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Weight: 316 grammes (men's
L)
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Features: Gore-Tex
Paclite 2 fabric, one chest pocket with drain hole,
articulated arms, cuffs with thumb grips, adjustable hood
with stiffened peak, shock-corded hem, drop tail,
water-resistant main zip with flap
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Stupidly light by current standards
Quite short.
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If
we hadn't had a sneak preview of next year's Haglöfs LIM
Ultimate we'd be even more impressed by the current 316 gramme
incarnation of their ultralight, Paclite shell jacket., as it is
we're just very impressed. This is the sort of application that
Paclite was designed for - it's a 'fast mover's' piece of kit with a
drop tail for butt protection when running or biking and a minimum of
gimmicks. LIM, by the way, stands for 'Less Is More'.
There are some features despite the minimalism including a full
main water-resistant zip, backed with a protective flap, a single
pocket complete with drain hole and like all Haglöfs hooded
jackets, an adjustable hood that's large enough to accommodate a
climbing helmet.
The other feature which you'll either love or simply disregard as
an irrelevance are thumb holes in the cuffs. They're there to be
slipped on under gloves and keep your sleeves from riding up. Of
course in the UK that'll mean water running down inside your gloves
unless you're prepared to keep them pointing skywards at all times,
but it makes more sense in cold, dry, high mountain environments.
Fit is good, albeit cut short to save weight and avoid restricting
leg movement, so walkers may prefer a longer style or to team the
jacket with a pair of lightweight LIM pants for greater comfort. We
also liked the hood and its ability to cover a climbing helmet which
makes it an option for clipping to a harness or pack for long
mountain routes.
The Paclite 2 fabric used is distinguishable from the original
Paclite by dint of its more discreet grey background. It's
effectively a highly breathable two-and-a-half layer fabric, with
small, polymer dots protecting the membrane from abrasion on the
inside.
It's one of the most breathable conventional waterproof fabrics on
the market today and despite its lightness, still feels reasonably
tough, though we wouldn't recommend extended heavy pack use with the
un-reinforced shoulders, though the build quality feels first
rate.
The breathability has limits and you'll still get hot and humid
when things get really strenuous, but it's appreciably better than
other lightweight waterproof fabrics we've tried. One point to bear
in mind is that in cooler conditions, the inside of the jacket can
feel a little slick and the slight stickiness of the polymer dots
mean that Paclite doesn't slide over some underlayers as easily as
some shells and feels a little odd if you wear it directly against
the skin.
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Verdict: Very, very light, quite
minimal and acceptably breathable - if you want a
fast-moving Paclite jacket and you want it today then the
LIM Ultimate is somewhere near the top of the list. The
helmet-sized hood is a bonus, but it still works okay
snugged down to normal head dimensions using the one-pull
adjuster. Limitations are that it has only one pocket,
there's no venting and we've seen next year's version and
it's even better. The fabric's good by any standards, but
again, we know that the 2003 version is even more
breathable. If you want a jacket today though, this is the
lightest of its type we've found, it's beautifully made and
while we wouldn't want to use it for extended pack hauling
or rub it against abrasive rock, it doesn't feel flimsy
either.
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Performance
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Value
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Pushed for time:
Very light, quite short, market-leading fabric for this
year and the hood fits over a helmet. The only thing that
would put us off this jacket for speedy bombing around is
knowing that next year's version - out early 2003 - is even
better. But if you need it now, this is quality.
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Know more or want to?
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Richard Gear or try a posting to our gear
forum.
Alex Ford
