You might not be familiar with the Craghoppers brand, but it’s not because they are a newcomer to the outdoor adventure gear arena. For fifty years, they have been creating apparel to stand up to the elements, and at Outdoor Retailer Winter Market, Craghoppers was ready to welcome the chill of winter. These are a few key items that will be ready to take a beating in 2017:
VOYAGER HYBRID JACKET
This little number is sort of the flagship piece of the new cold weather collection from Craghoppers. The Voyager is a take on the classic puffy jacket, but slimmed down and finished with a true technical fit. GORE Windstopper fabric is integrated on the arms and body, ensuring your will trap your valuable body heat on chilly adventures. ThermoElite insulation is used in place of down, the reason being that it is a great windstopper and makes the Voyager Hybrid Jacket highly compressible and pack-friendly. RFID security pocket and four additional pockets allow for maximum snack storage. I really liked the look and cut of this piece, and can see it being worthy of numerous adventures: spring/fall hiking and peak bagging; in winter as a middleweight layering piece, and for summer backpacking trips after the sun goes down.
VENTA LITE II JACKET
ThermoElite Hybrid insulation in used in this piece, for what Craghoppers claims is an amazing warmth to weight ration. At 345 grams, it’s hard to argue that claim. A DWR finish gives this jacket some versatility when it comes to inclimate weather, and like the Voyager Hybrid, it is highly packable. It even folds up tidily into its own pocket. Elasticated hem and cuffs keep the warmth inside, and help make this an ideal layering piece.
NAT GEO COMPRESSLITE II JACKET
This jacket has been in Craghoppers’ lineup before, but gets a makeover with new colors. Personally, I was not familiar with the jacket, so it was all new to me. I have to say I really like it; ClimaPlus insulation is a synthetic fill that won’t lose loft like down jackets are prone to do. There are now enlarged zipper pulls to make the jacket more glove-friendly, and the piece comes with its own stuff sack for when it needs to get jammed into your pack. The exterior has a quilted look, and overall the piece has a very technical fit. For me, the price was what pushed this jacket over the top: at $85 it’s hard to find a more versatile outdoor exterior/midlayer.