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Duncan
3731
Oct 15, 2017
Okay, this jacket actually looks amazing. I have a Fjallraven myself, but nothin' like this.
bradypatterson
0
Sep 26, 2019
DuncanI know this is an old thread but wanted to bring it up as I've had this jacket about two years and have put it through the ringer. There are some great things, and not so great. Lemme explain. I teach wilderness living skills and clothing is pretty critical for that. 1 - it is amazing in a wide range of dry climates, however, even with a lot of wax, it is not great in rainy areas. I live in the PNW and I would never use this here in the winter, but it does make a nice shoulder season jacket on dry days or days when it's just a light mist. In a dry climate, it excels in even the coldest weather and I have had mine out with a solid wool layer underneath in -40 temps. 2 - waxing a poly/cotton jacket doesn't make it waterproof, regardless of what you may have heard. In pouring rain, nothing beats a synthetic layer and I highly recommend Fjallraven's Eco-Shell line. It has kept me drying the most insane west coast rain. 3 - it is very durable. That said, I put a couple holes in it demonstrating a firesteel so while sparks from the fire it seems to repel, molten metal not so much which I think is the poly that is the issue here. To be fair, not too many pieces of clothing are built to withstand molten metal. 4 - the zippers on the sides suck. In principle it's a good idea, but if you want to use the cinch cord around the waist, be prepared to struggle with the zippers. I actually had my gear lady swap out the zippers for a more beefy version. 5 - the strap that goes between your legs for supposedly keeping the bottom down in bad windstorms is superfluous in my opinion. I have been in some wicked windstorms at high elevation and have never found it necessary and cut it off this spring. 6 - Some people complain about the kangaroo pocket because if you're wearing a pack, the belt restricts access to the two main pockets on the front but I actually think there is an advantage here. I open the pocket behind the kangaroo pouch and I run the belt through this pocket. That does a few things. First, in very cold conditions, it protects the buckle from breaking as most are plastic and this buffers the cold. Second, it keeps some extra material from bunching up under the belt as this is a big jacket and should fit loose for best performance. Third, this gives me full use of my kangaroo pocket while wearing a pack. 7 - the hood is amazing. I don't like anything on my head if I can avoid it, at least not if I'm doing a lot of activity. The hood gives me such a nice little space away from the wind even when it's pulled back and just my eyes and up are visible. The only thing I'm missing is a removeable fur ruff and to me, that would make this almost the perfect all season jacket in a dry climate. That was a lot of points, hope it helps future folks.
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