Haglöfs Kaza Pullover Tested

Haglofs Kaza Pullover - Tested

Like the lightweight Oz Pullover, the Kaza is part of Haglofs Intense Series of lightweight kit aimed at active fast movers - runners, bikers, climbers, in fact anyone who wants their kit light, functional and packable.

It's made from a fabric that Haglofs says is 'highly wind and water resistant' but as far as we can see it's actually windproof.

The Kaza isn't particularly radical, but in classic Haglofs fashion, the technical details have all been done very well. The polyester fabric is treated with what Halfofs call 'super DWR' for added water repellancy. The nice thing about this is that it should be relatively easy to renew as Polyester takes water repellant treatments very well.

Otherwise neat touches include underarm mesh panels to air your pits and a soft-lined collar plus thumb loops which you'll either like or not. They all make the Kaza slightly heavier, but in use you do appreciate them.

There are lighter windproofs out there, but not by that much and at a genuine 135 grammes on our digital scale, the Kaza isn't going to dislocate your shoulder when packed into its single chest pocket come stuff sack. Pack size is in the ballpark of a large apple, so no worries there either.

What we liked about the Kaza is that it doesn't feel filmy and minimalist - the fabric has a nice soft handle to it and the classy microfleece-lined half collar is soft and comfy against the skin. Cut, as with most of the Intense kit, is quite slim. That means it's best worn over a baselayer rather than a fleece and some users of, erm, less athletic build will defiitely find it too close fitting.

The pay-off for the snug cut is less flapping and billowing in blustery conditions and, of course, a slight reduction in weight and bulk.

Performance during our test was excellent. The polyester fabric is effectively windproof, feels comfortable and is very breathable. The only condensation issues we had working quite hard, were under a pack, but that's the case with any shell clothing in our experience.

Out of the box the 'super DWR' is quite effective and shrugs off light showers, though in heavier rain you can expect a soaking. With use rubbing and abrasion reduces effectiveness around pack straps and belts for example, but polyester generally takes aftermarket treatments well, so should be easy to restore.

We didn't really use the thumb loops, but they don't affect the wrist closure anyway and we could still easily roll the sleeves up to the elbow to expose our forearms which, in combination with the half-zip and mesh arm-pit areas allowed decent enough venting in warmer conditions

Add in faultless performance in windy and showery conditions and excellent breathability plus the small pack size plus slick looks and we think Haglofs is onto another winner.

Our one proviso is that a close cut means that if you're a little on the bulky side, you should try before you buy.

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