Haglofs enjoyed a good year on the development front last year when they won the only Gold Award at the outdoor trade show, for the Oz Pullover. This year they've followed up their success by adding some more lightweight bits of kit to their 'Less is More' series, along with a few other handy tricks across the range.
Less is more
First of all, the lightweight stuff …
Most of Haglofs' backpacks have been given a makeover for the 2008 spring/summer season and the LIM (Less Is More) packs are no exception. They come in three sizes - 35l, 45l and 55l - and they'll eat into your body weight (last night's beer and all) to the order of 1kg and upwards. New features include an expandable front pocket, to make things easier if you simply can't decide which bit of kit to leave behind, and new shoulder straps which are designed to do away with pressure points. All sounds good.
If you're looking to lose some grams from your clothing as well as your backpack, there's also a brand new LIM jacket in the pipeline, called the Ozone. It's a hard shell, available in both men's and women's versions, and the damage to the scales is 360g in a men's size large. Not only that but the colour is “graphite with yellow nuances”. Erm, is that Shakespeare?
Silver-salt odour control
The use of silver yarn in fabric to control odour is nothing new - a number of manufacturers use it - but the use of 'silver salt' technology is a claimed first for Haglofs. They've brought out a range of twelve new Climatic shirts to add to - guess which series of clothing? - yes, the Climatic range, all of which include silver salt.
Each shirt is made from polyester fabric treated with Polygiene - the silver salt application - which should last as long as the shirt itself. Haglofs reckon it's a less invasive way of reducing odour than adding silver yarn to the fabric. We'll let you know what we think once we've tried it.
Climatic range re-classified
Many of the new additions for 2008 belong to the Rugged end of the spectrum and feature denser fabrics and triple-stitched seams. If this is your bag, the Rugged Mountain Pant could be one to look out for, although there are updates to the lighter end of the range too if you don't fancy pushing the boat out too far.
Soft shell
There's a brand new Windstopper jacket on the cards for next spring, called the Sirocco, with an adjustable hood, Velcro-adjustable sleeves, mesh-lining, and two hand pockets. It's accompanied by the Aero Pant, also made in Windstopper shell fabric, so you get a good combination of wind and water resistance but with more breathability than a full hard shell.
At the slightly softer end of the soft shell-spectrum, Haglofs also have four new offerings in the Flexable range. These are the Viper and Phyton jackets and the Sauro and Iguana Pants. The Phyton and Iguana are the more rugged versions, with greater weather-resistance and the pay-off of greater weight, while the Viper and Sauro are slightly more lightweight at 450g for the jacket and 385g for the pant, compared to 535g and 500g for the Phyton and Iguana.
Either pair is supposed to be more breathable and to give greater freedom of movement than the Windstopper range.
New Ascent Backpack
Finally, climbers will be pleased to know that the Ascent pack as been given a full health and beauty treatment - manicured straps, pedicured pockets, massaged ice axe straps, styled hood … you get the idea.
The pack has an inbuilt aluminium frame and the straps are narrow, for maximum freedom of movement. New integrated pockets have sprung up in the hip belt for 2008, so you can get at your camera - or chocolate bar - more quickly, and the ice axe fasteners have been re-designed, which is almost the same thing as a massage. Ahem, anyway, the new look is completed with a bright blue and orange colour scheme, to give you the maximum chance of standing out from the rock face if it all goes pear-shaped.
Ascents come in a 28l, 38l or new 48l version and they weigh 1.6kg, 1.7kg or 1.8kg apiece.
That's it from the Haglofs stand at Friedrichshafen - and it will soon be all from Friedrichshafen full stop as we aren't planning to carry on previewing 2008 once it's already arrived.
None of the gear here will be in the shops before next spring, but that's no longer very far away. In the meantime, have a look at the Haglofs website for full details of their current range.
Gus Sandeman
