Friday, 02 May 2014 14:21

Bergans Sauda Reviewed

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A strange combination of lots of 750FP down in a sewn through construction rather than the more efficient box wall construction but it works. The warmest and most comfortable jacket in our recent group test the Sauda slips on like a cross between a glove and a duvet, yet thanks to pitzips has the flexibility to cope with warmer temperatures where you'd normally expect to overheat with this quantity of insulation. We usually detest thumb loops, but on the Sauda the hands slide naturally into place in the combined wrist warmer/thumb loops in such a way as they feel natural; they also provide a perefct seal against wind and snow entering the cuffs. The luxury of down both on the inside and outside of the handwarmer pockets makes a real difference while the same level of attention means a well filled neck baffle and fully adjustable hood.

Like any insulated jacket it's best suited to a certain set of conditions, in this case well below zero, but the pit zips do manage to extend the usable range slightly upwards. The inside baffle is also quite thin compared to some but with a very wind resistant outer fabric this hasn't proved to be a problem area. While the Sauda would see only a few optimum conditions in an avergae UK year it's definitely one for trekking in the greater ranges where prolonged periods of sitting around is commonplace
The Bergans Sauda is undeniably a heavy jacket, weighing in at 3 times that of the Berghaus Ilam, but with the sheer attention to detail and packed feature list this is a jacket designed to take the worst of the weather in its stride. Surprisingly flexible for such a bulky jacket the Sauda, with reinforced elbows and a truly helmet compatible hood, could prove a popular choice for a Scottish winter where the "breathable microporous waterproof coating" of the Pertex Shield combined with a DWR coating to promote beading should be able to handle even a prolonged shower.

 

Price: £230

Weight: 1000g

Colour: Red/Solid Dark Grey, Black/Red, Amazon Green/Black, Dark Royal Blue/Alaskan Blue, Navy/Lime Zest, Pale Olive/Solid Dark Grey, Navy/Red, Solid Grey/Alaskan Blue, Navy, Black, Navy/Cafe, Cobalt Blue/Neon Green

Features

• Thick jacket made from windproof and water-repellent fabric
• It has extended back and fixed hood customized for helmet
• Compression pocket, front pockets, chest pockets, sleeve pocket and eyelet for headphones (MP3 player)
• Underarm Zip vents, elastic cuffs with thumb holes (wrist warmers) and reinforced elbow sections

 

Pros: Loads of top end 750FP down. Lots of pockets with insulation on both sides of handwarmer pockets. Soft, fleece, lining around collar/chin. Helmet compatible, easily adjustable hood. Pitzips for ventilation. Wrist warmers. Reinforced elbows

Cons: Heavy. Sewn through construction on main torso. Narrow internal main zip baffle



Note: This article was restored from the archives. It's published creation date is inaccurate.

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