A furry fleece that gives 300-weight warmth, but weighs less than a standard 200-weight fleece? Is that possible...
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Sprayway Frostfire 485 Jacket
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Price:
£90.00
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Weight: 480g (men's
Large)
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Features:Polartec
Thermal Pro Special Edition fleece fabric, twin zipped OS
map sized pockets, one internal mesh zipped pocket, drop
tail, Powerstretch inserts under arms and at wrists, double
zip on main zip, microfleece-lined collar, shock cord at
hem.
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Phenomenally warm for weight and pack size, awesome shaggy
looks
You pay a high price and the garment's wind resistance
is minimal
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As far as we're aware, there are only two jackets available in
Polartec's Thermal Pro Special Edition fleece, this and the MHW
Monkey Man and, let's be honest, you pay for the privilege - 90 quid
for a functionally basic fleece jacket isn't cheap.
What you're getting though is pretty special. The shaggy award-winning
Special Edition fleece looks great, but its main claim to fame is
fantastic warmth to weight and pack-size ratio. Think R2 Regulator on
steroids.
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Hi, I'm fluffy - wear
me...
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The Frostfire weighs just 480 grammes in a men's large (despite a
claimed 375g in the catalogue) and almost crams its way into a
Paclite jacket's stuff sack, which is pretty small. Pull it on
though, and it's anything but light weight. Subjectively we reckon
the instant cosy warmth is equivalent to a Polartec 300 jacket that
would weigh around twice as much and that's an impressive advance in
fleece capability.
Or to put it another weigh, it's around 30g heavier than an R2
jacket yet considerably warmer. It shares many of R2's other
qualities as well, wicking excellently, but with minimal wind
resistance, which means you need a shell in anything other than
totally still conditions.
Not that you'll be using the Frostfire on the move much, it's
simply too warm. That hasn't stopped Sprayway 'teching it up' with a
mild drop tail, three pockets, slimmish cut and stretch panels under
the arms for higher arm lift, but realistically we think this would
be an excellent trekking jacket - light to carry but cosy warm for
rest stops and in the evenings.
Anything else, yeah, it looks great. The fleece has a shaggy,
furry feel and look that'll either make you drool or drop it, which
means, we reckon, as many will go for fashion as for function.
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Verdict: Phenomenal warmth to
weight ration, it feels like Polartec 300 at a fraction of
the weight and pack size. It also wicks brilliantly and
looks great. The technical features are mildly misleading
since it's more likely to be used for cold evenings in the
tent or trekking lodge. Weaknesses? Minimal resistance to
wind and that £90 price tag, but if you're after the
unique combination of warmth and weight that Thermal Pro
Special Edition offers, it's one of only two options on the
market.
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Performance
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Value
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Pushed for time:
Incredible warmth to weight ratio from the shaggy
Special Edition fleece fabric and packs small too. Also
wicks well, though there's minimal wind resistance. Would
make a great trekking fleece, but too warm for most active
use. Cut is good with lots of pockets and cool looks too.
Price high, but unique performance.
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