Haglofs Weasel Hood

            The Weasel Hood Jacket is a hybrid softshell from Haglöfs which they describe as a ‘do it all jacket'. It is constructed from a blend of Gore Windstopper on the arms, front and hood, and Flexable® fabric on the back and sides of the jacket. Its design maximises protection via the use of Windstopper whilst maintaining good breathability through the flexible fabric on key upper body areas. Breathability proved to be very effective despite the large amount of Windstopper material, large pit-zips and mesh backed napoleon pockets allowed effective extra ventilation. There are also two handwarmer pockets which share the same opening as the pit-zips. This feature worked well keeping bulk down but still giving you somewhere to warm your fingers

The Haglofs Weasel Hood being put through its paces on Eagle Ridge VI,6, Lochnagar. Image -  Luke Porter.

I tried to wear this jacket in as great a range of activities and weathers as possible during testing, but the first thing that sprang to mind was "wow, this is feels light". At 540 grams for a size large it is no lighter than other similar softshells but once you put it on you'll forget you are wearing it. For myself (the tall and thin build) I think this is possibly one of the best, if not the best, fitting jacket I've tried; rarely when I put on a jacket that is advertised as not raising up when you lift your arms do I actually agree, but in this case it really applies. Whilst climbing the light feel was perfect, being no more cumbersome than a nice tight fleece, and giving totally unrestricted movement which was even good enough for bouldering.

The hood was big enough to fit over a helmet, however I would have preferred it a little bigger, and the 3-way adjustable system was not quite as effective as other Haglöfs jackets I have tried in the past. Another minor gripe was that the zip did not come up high enough around the chin so hiding from the Scottish weather during long cold belays was quite tricky.

The Haglofs Weasel Hood - Eagle Ridge VI,6, Lochnagar. Image - Luke Porter.

   In heavy rain, the side exposed to the wind did get wet, nevertheless the DWR worked well until this point and in lighter rain. Critically the use of the Flexable® fabric enabled me to dry out faster, once out of the rain, than purely Windstopper jackets. It also provided much greater breathability than a Jacket made entirely from Windstopper. Essentially you get a lot of weather protection in a light, supple and breathable package. As has begun to be expected from Haglöfs, the construction is also flawless. It has seemed very durable showing no signs of wear, even after a certain amount of ungainly winter thrutching.

 As Haglöfs say this jacket is a great all rounder. It's perfect for multi activity use in most conditions; its main plus being its great fit and brilliantly light feel which are essential for a jacket designed to be worn all day.