Product review - Haglofs Endo GoreTex Jacket

The rain on the SDW100 hammered it down within 3 miles and I got wet. I purchased an OMM Kamelika 2 years ago and the coating that was so very impressive and waterproof then, sadly after some very wet ultras and marathons and even more wet winter training runs on the mean streets of South London finally gave up the ghost. I got seriously wet.

Then came wedding and honeymoon and I forgot about getting wet to the core until my run from Crystal Palace, up and along the Thames Path, round the Dome/02/North Greenwich Arena (delete as appropriate) and back through Greenwich park and along the Waterlink Way. It wasn't a long run (15 miles) and it wasn't winter....but it got me thinking......I need something better (btw, I was in a vest and shorts)

So, I took the plunge and invested in some good quality Gore-tex. This jacket from Haglofs retails at £230 so was not an impulse purchase.

The OMM Kamelika was £130 so hunting around on the web, I found the only size L (40 chest) in the marvelous Ellis Bingham shop (winter and extreme sports) and it arrived this morning (£172.00 in the sale). They even sent a txt stating it would arrive between 8.31 and 9.31am. Luckily I am school holidays!

So, the road test was a wait for the rain. This afternoon a downpour ensued so I cut off the tags and went out in the rain. Apologies for the crap pics from my phone!

The positives..........So the Haglofs Endo was a good fit. Not as long as the OMM jacket but a snug fit with lots of stretch in the arms and in the torso when turning around. It felt good to wear and after 30 mins of running was dissipating any internal moisture faster than anything I have worn before. The noticeable benefit was the sleeves. The OMM would gather condensation from the arms and the velcro fastenings would gather pools of moisture. This gathered no moisture and also did not pool. The mass of the jacket is 300g so is no heavier than your average winter thermal layer and stows into the size of an apple. Excellent.

Whilst on the arms........

There are thumb loops which offer protection from the wet/wind/snow etc which will no doubt keep the handies warm

Onthe underside, something a little more grippy but this may be discussed in the negatives......

The front is good with an easy access pocket which stayed dry, not only in the rain but in my shower test.....see later. I think this also looks pretty good too.

The hood is really close fitting and breathable. My barnet was dry, from rain and from perspiration. There are 2 drawstrings, around the hood face and around the back which pulls close to your head. This for me was counter intuitive as with the OMM, I had a billowing sail that would rival something off the Round the World Yacht race spinnaker, but I could hear and see. With this I could see and hear and didn't billow or buffet.

The negatives......

probably a crap pic but the drawstring round the base was not a great deal of use as for me with a 6ft 2 frame, the jacket came up perhaps a little short. I want to make sure that the crown jewels are kept in a non-soaked way so that after hours of cold wet rain, they still work.If the jacket was  longer would be great. The next size up would have been too big on the chest though.

Finally, lets get back to those hand grips. Great when it's cold, but an issue here is that to check the Garmin 310XT, is an effort. Unless you have the beeps on, getting a view of the watch is a bit of work and I hope over time does not stretch the fabric and compromise its waterproofness.

So many more positives than negatives and in the rain, this will be in my running kit for the Winter marathons and Ultras.

Finally, the "grey T-Shirt test"

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=qiyeKVbDw1s

I stood in the shower with this on with a grey t-shirt underneath for about 15 mins.....putting the shower on at  a number of different settings and angles. VERY IMPRESSIVE.

I think I have the upper body kit for quite a few Winter Rounds now. Gore tex appears to be better. Fingers crossed.