Haglofs Demon Jacket Tested
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Price:
£120
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Weight: 500 grammes (men's
medium)
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Features:
Softshell jacket using Flexable 443 with 444 reinforced
shoulders, double-action water repellance/wicking treatment,
singlepiece underarm panels, reinforced laminated shoulder
panel, full-length front zip, two zippered, laminated hand
pockets, one laminated, angled chest pocket, soft-lined
collar with drawstring, single-handed adjustable hem cord,
Velcro-adjustable cuffs with die-cut Haglofs straps. Also
available in women's-specific version the Demon
Q.
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What's It For? The Demon is what we tend to refer to as a
Schoeller-type softshell, mainly because Schoeller were the first
company to produce the stretchy, woven type, wind-resistant sort of
material the Demon uses.
What's it for? Now there's a can of worms. The theory is that
softshells can be used in anything other than serious rain. In this
case the fabric is claimed to be water-resistant, wind-resistant and
high-wicking, so think all-round mountain use where protection and
breathability both matter. It's a shell garment rather than an
insulation one by the way, so don't expect warmth.
The Techy Bits Most of the tech is in the Swedish brand's
'Flexable' fabric. It's wind resistant and treated with a DWR - water
resistant treatment - that's also claimed to aid wicking. Haglofs
says the fabric is backed with polyester for comfort and wicking
while the outer face is made from Spandex and Polyamide for
toughness.
Most of the jacket is Flexable 443, but the shoulder panels use
444, a tougher Cordura-based fabric with a hydrophylic laminate
making it more water and wind resistant than the rest of the jacket,
though we'd guess, less breathable.
How It Performs We like the way Haglofs cuts its kit. The
Demon jacket is a really neat, slim, tapered, close but not tight fit
for an averagely athletic user, which means better performance with
more fabric in contact with your body. The four-way stretch in the
fabric helps here too and means it's not restrictive if you're, say,
using it for climbing or scrambling.
Wind resistance is pretty good - it's not in the same class of
windproofness as a laminate like Windstopper or eVENT softshell, but
it's above average for this sort of fabric and if you run warm and
move at a decent lick, it'll chip in with about the right level of
wind protection. The pay-off is very good breathability and wicking
performance plus you can roll the sleeves up to elbow height for
additional forearm cooling.
All in all, things have to get pretty nasty before you have to
resort to a waterproof, though you'll still need one when it really
rains properly despite a very effective DWR from new. Which makes it
a shame that the jacket is hoodless - we really can't see the point
of a garment that will protect everything bar your head when things
are gnarly. If you do want a Haglofs sofshell with a hood, there's
always the Sharkfin Hood, though that uses Windstopper rather than
Flexable.
We have a few other quibbles with the Demon: the handpockets are a
little low for harness or pack use, the lining, though it wicks well,
is a little rough against bare skin and the wrist cuff Velcro is a
little short when the sleeves are rolled up, threatening to come
unstuck and blow around.
First, the Demon is well made, well cut and a good example of
its kind. It can tough it out in fairly nasty conditions and offers a
good balance between breathability and protection. We missed a hood
though and don't really see the point of a 'shell' that leaves your
head unprotected, though as we said above, it's not an issue that's
unique to this jacket - in fact it's very hard to find a hooded
Schoeller-type softshell anywhere, though TNF has one due out this
autumn.
We think the fabric would be excellent for leg protection though
with the combination of mobility, protection and breathability
meaning you could do without overtrousers most of the time. And there
is a Demon Pant in the line-up. It's a little more technical than the
jacket featuring Schoeller Keprotec crampon protection patches and
Cordura-reinforced knees and seat.
Good fabric then, but limited by the design - stick a hood on it
and it would make a lot more sense.
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Nice cut, decent fabric.
Lack of hood and low pockets.
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Performance
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Value
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