More new for 2010 outdoors kit previewed, this time it's new boots,
shoes and clothing from top Scandinavian brand
Haglofs.
We've been highly impressed with virtually all of the Haglofs kit we've
used over the last few years and the 2010 stuff looks set to continue
along the same path with some neat looking clothing and also an
award-winning boot in the form of the entertainingly-named
Grym.
One thing we loved at first sight was the new
Ratio jacket, a
light, stretchy alpine shell made from three-layer Gore-Tex Pro Shell
Stretch fabric along with normal Pro Shell and featuring all of the
brand's classic features like a drawcord running in a separate baffle
in the hood for a better fit on the head.
It's pretty damn light too at 420 grammes for a men's large and just
380 g in a women's medium. Not that we're shallow, but it also looks
lovely. Features include chest, Napoleon and sleeve pockets, laminated
zips, that helmet-comptible hood and micro-taped seams.
The catch? The Ratio is set to retail for a whopping
£475 so
you'll need deep, laminated pockets to wear one...
Shoft Shell Shorts
Also brand new is an interesting addition to the Haglofs
range of soft shell with the new
Lizard
Short. Made from Haglofs own Conformable fabric, they're
highly breathable and weather resistant, the fabric is 90% Nylon and
10% Spandex and we think they'll be ace for climbing, scrambling and
cooler summer days.
Also new on the soft shell front, is the related Lizard Top, a
Flexable, lightweight soft shell that comes in nice colours...
especially for women. Price is going to be £100 and it's on our wish list already...
New Footwear
The
Grym
won a show award at Friedrichshafen and while it may look at little
un-British, its vital statistics are impressive. A high-cut trekking
boot, it's made of Superfabric and Smartlite, which makes it gives a 25
per-cent weight reduction over previously used materials.
The Superfabric upper is more resistant to cuts than Aramide fibres and
the boot dries around twelve times faster than leather. There's also a
Gore-Tex liner, Sole mouldable footbed and a Vibram sole unit along
with EVA cushioning. Ankles are lined with memory foam for comfort and
support.
It feels mad light when you pick it up and weight is quoted at around
780 grammes for a pair of men's size 42 and 680 grammes per pair for
women's size 38.
Not quite as radical, but looking good is the X-hale, at least that's
what we think it's called, a trail shoe that combines a running
shoe-type upper with a proper walking shoe sole for a light but stable
and supportive running shoe. Nice colour too...
All the kit above is available from early 2010. For details of the
current Haglofs range see
www.haglofs.se
Andrew Sabisky
New for review, light but sturdy mountain walking boot with SuperFabric uppers.
