An excellent piece of Soft Shell from a reputable brand, it's light (355g) but not cheap (£100). Made from their own FlexAble (4-way stretch fabric) which is a beautiful woven stretchy with a rough interior that wicks moisture very effectively. You can wear this as a next-to-skin layer, but also as a mid-layer. It works very effectively in drawing water through the fabric (hydrophillic), it has no membrane but relies on the close weave of the fabric to provide its wind-resistancy, therefore cannot be as breathable as say a GTX softshell in my book. Recently a Haglofs rep. tried to convince me that this was the 'next generation' of Soft Shell born from the Rab's Vapour-Rise Stretch (£80 385g), but I wouldn't put them in the same sentence together...but not because they're of different standards but they perform pretty differently. The 4-way stretch of the Lizard has to be kept pretty tight-fitting to work (less so than the Vapour), but also it is designed for active use but those looking for a pure lightweight wind-shirt. However it does not provide much warmth, unlike the Vapour-rise which is very warm when used as an active layer, and is more windproof. The plus points for the Lizard top has to be that it is far more durable than the Pertex used on the Vapour-Rise, but the inner stitching seams are irritating when you sweat (even though the sleeve/ shoulder seams are off-set). This is an ideal piece for climbers wanting a lightweight pure stretchy softshell, but wanting something more substantial than say Rab's Cirrus Pull-on (75g). If you want to have the best of all three worlds (weight, windproof, wicking) and money is no object, go for Mammut's Brisk Jacket, the lightest Windstopper on the market, at 360g £160. In between the Lizard and the Brisk alternative has to be ArcTeryx's Gamma Lt Jacket, which performs similarly to the Lizard, but is a little more substantial and has the added bonus of high-pockets (464g, £125). With the Lizard however I do think Haglofs have filled a niche gap in the market, I've sold a couple recently to fell-runners go up to Skye so wanting that durability. All in all a good piece of kit.
SPEC:
Technical versatile stretch pullover with remarkable comfort
Excellent breathability and stretch thanks to the non-membrane FlexAble™ Soft Shell fabric
Underarm panels provide extra breathability and increased body movement
4-way stretch fabric with good wind resistance
Offset shoulder and sleeve seams for increased comfort
Articulated sleeves
Laminated secure chest pocket
Single-hand cord adjustable hem Shaped snug fitting cuffs in a lighter fabric
Weight: 355 g (Size L)
No comments:
Post a Comment
If you would like to leave a comment please also leave brief details of your profile, website etc. No spam, thanks!