Haglöfs Shark Pro Jacket Tested

Haglöfs Shark Pro Softshell Jacket Tested

Price: £200

Weight: 680 grammes (men's medium)

Features: Windstopper 430 and 431 two-way stretch Softshell fabric, full-length water-resistant front zip with chin guard, Velcro-adjustable elasticated cuff,no shoulder seams, one-handed adjustable elasticated hem cord, two zippered front pockets with water-resistant zips, pitzips, reinforced shouldersouiter sleever and side of torso made with abrasion -resistant WS 431 fabric, adjustable collar, offset inner sleeve seam to avoid chafing. Men's cut only, women's option available in standard Shark version.

Great build quality, very weather resistant. Not as breathable as some rivals in UK conditions, no hood.

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The Concept Like other softshells, Haglöfs's Shark Pro - a more technical development based on the original Shark - is designed to provide weather protection in all conditions down to an outright deluge for mountain and climbing use. The extra features over the standard Shark are intended to make the Pro even more effective in use.

It uses Gore's Windstopper-based softshell fabrics for complete windproofing and a high level of water resistance along with a helping of thermal efficiency thanks to the light fleece inner lining. Plus a two-way stretch to the fabric should mean a neat, efficient fit.

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Features The standard Shark is pretty well featured already, but Haglofs have taken the basic jacket and added in some extras. You get neat touches like seam-free shoulders - worth having as the seams are quite bullky - pit-zips and, most importantly for those wary of the durability of softshell fabrics in heavy use, substantial reinforcement panels made from the tough and durable Gore Windstopper 431 fabric in high wear areas, like the shoulders, inner sleeves and cuff and the outside of the torso.

The rest of the jacket is well up to Haglöfs' high standards too, with water-resistant zips throughout and a microfleece lined collar with adjuster twisted inner sleeve seams to minimise chafing when walking.

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In Action The Swedish company always seems to come up with fantastic build quality right across their range and the Shark Pro is no exception - what do you expect from the nation that brought you Saab, Volvo and Abba? It has a really solid, durable feel thanks partly to the substantial WS431 fabric reinforcing panels.

That's important because it make the jacket feel reassuringly protective compared to some of its, erm, 'softer' rivals, particularly if you're used to a more substantial feeling conventional shell jacket. And the gut feeling isn't wrong. The Windstopper Softshell fabric is totally windproof and, aside from the seams which aren't taped, very water resistant in anything up to heavy rain. The water-repellant factory treatment works well too, with lots of beading of water. A lightweight fleece backing adds a little thermal efficiency as well making it more than just a glorified windproof.

So far so good, but if you run on the hot side, it's quite easy to overwhelm Windstopper's breathability and boil over, even with the pit-zips open. That's not so much of a problem in high, dry, cold mountain environments like the Alps which aid breathability, but in the UK's cold but damp winter condtions, the fabric's not as effective and we think there are other, better options.

The cut is 'medium close', not as tapered as the softshells from Arc'teryx or Macpac, but on a par with the likes of Berghaus, making it an option for anyone who isn't quite in the tapered mega-athlete mould. The two-way stretch in the fabric isn't massive by the way, but overall design is nice with the pockets sitting above a harness or pack belt and adjusters at cuffs, hem and neck all working well. It's unrestrictive too, or at least on the OM test bod it is.

One thing we missed was an integral hood. Some people prefer a simple, unhooded jacket design, but for our money a simple rollaway windproof hood, as used on Macpac's Stealth jacket, ups the versatility of the jacket when the going gets iffy. No mountain hardshell would be sold without a hood, so why softshells?

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Verdict

Unless you run on the cool side, we reckon the Shark Pro is best suited to cold, dry, high mountain terrain where the conditions help it to breathe, if you run hot, you may well find the fabric too sweaty in UK conditions except on rare very cold, dry winter days. We'd also add a hood, though that's personal preference.

Beyond those observations, this is another very well made, well designed technical mountain jacket from Haglöfs. We found the substantial robust feel of the jacket psychologically reassuring, the reinforcing fabric seems to work well and weather protection from wind and rain is good, though in heavy downpours you'll still need a lightweight waterproof to stop water leaking through the seams.

The cut is fine for technical use with well-thought out features, though we'd prefer to see some sort of hood option - that's very miuch personal preference though. Good alpine or waterfall ice climbing jacket and well made but at a price.

Performance
Value

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Haglofs web site

Pushed for time: Very protective softshell jacket with great build quality . substantial feel and good features and design. Breathability works best in high mountain conditions and can be too sweaty for some in the relatively damp UK. Some users will miss an integrated hood. Not cheap.

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