Down and Insulated Jackets

Fjällräven Vidda Pro Wool Padded Jacket | Review

An extremely warm and cosy jacket made with some impressive eco-friendly materials

Why We Chose It: Lots of great, eco-friendly materials, very warm
Price: £415
Weight: 1.40g

A new item in Fjällräven’s Singi range that comprises heavier duty trekking garments, the Vidda Pro Wool Padded Jacket is one serious bit of kit that you could imagine would be right at home in the wild depths of a Swedish winter. It’s a jacket that’s really impressed us here at Outdoors Magic, not just because of its performance but because of the range of eco-friendly materials that have Fjällräven have use for it.

What’s The Vidda Pro Wool Padded Jacket Best Suited To?

At 1400g, this isn’t a jacket that you’re going to want to carry in a backpack. Instead, it’s the kind of thing for those extremely cold days when you know you’re going to want constant warmth all day. I can see it being well-suited to any winter day hikes where I know the wind is going to be ferociously cold and there might be a threat of showers as well. Considering its robustness and practicality, I can also see it being useful for bushcraft as well.

The Eco Credentials

Out of the 30 items selected for our Green Gear Guide this year, this is perhaps one of the most qualified products. You’ve got the shell that’s made from G-1000 Lite Eco, a mix of recycled polyester and organic cotton that’s treated with Greenland Wax for eco-friendly water resistance Then there’s the insulating fill which is made from a blend of Fjällräven’s Recovered Wool (wool from the meat industry that had been headed for landfill) and a bioplastic made from corn starch. Perhaps best of all though, you’ve got that incredibly snug hood that’s lined with a flannel made from recycled wool.

You’ve also got to look at the ethos of the brand itself. Like most Scandinavian brands, it’s fair to say that Fjällräven have pretty much had the environment at the heart of what they do right from the get-go.

Performance

To give you an idea of how warm this is, we had about seven insulated jackets with us on the photoshoot for this year’s Green Gear Guide and it was this one that I kept pulling on when things got chilly. It’s seriously cosy and excellent at keeping the wind off you. I like the fact that you can cinch it in at the hem to lock in extra warmth and the adjustable, generously padded hood was particularly snug.

I’ve worn this right through some heavy showers and found the Greenland Wax impregnation has done the job well though I can see myself needing to top this up at some point down the line. The wool and synthetic insulation make this a pretty handy insulator for wet conditions as it manages to hold up well through situations where down fill would probably fall short.

Along with that warmth there’s also an impressive level of durability. I could genuinely see this lasting a lifetime – good thing it’s got that timeless look to it as well then.

With the range of pockets this has (8 in total!) you could feasibly head out on a hike and carry everything you need in the coat instead of in a backpack. I particularly like the wool-lined handwarmers and the little mesh pocket on the chest for keeping stuff like your house keys safe. The layout is actually almost identical to the Vidda Pro Jacket, which is essentially a lightweight version of this without the insulation (that’s another great jacket).

I’m 5 foot 10 with an average build and I found the cut of the medium to be perfect, giving me room to move my arms without restriction. Lengthwise, it comes down below your waist and trousers pockets but not as far as most parka jackets do.

The only real downside here is that it comes in at a somewhat eye-watering price. You kind of expect that however, given the quality of materials it’s made from, and at least, as I mentioned before, you can expect this to potentially last a lifetime.

More info: fjallraven.com