REVIEW:

Before the hike I made at Käsivarsi Wilderness Area in September 2021 I was re-thinking some of my gear. On the top of my mind was the heavy and clumsy rain cloak I had. It feels frustrating to have a jacket with you and still having to carry a separate rain cloak, which I have to say is also very impractical. I you have ever worn a poncho type rain cloak with a hiking backpack on your back, you know how infuriating it is. Also rain cloaks don’t breath at all. Against this background it’s needless to say that I was thrilled when Varusteleka sent me their Särmä Hardshell jacket, which just might solve my problems. But did it?

Varusteleka is an army and outdoor store from Finland. They have their own quality brands and Särmä is one of them. I’ll add an introduction video of the company at the end of this review.

Materials

The outer surface of the jacket is made out of 88% polyamide and 12% elasthane. Elasthane is good news for mobility and for its abrasion values, but it doesn’t still take you on the level of softshell. The inner surface is 100% polyester. The seams of this jacket made out of 3-layer bonded material are taped and laminated. The jacket is somewhat waterproof (waterpillar value being over 5000 mm) and fairly breathable (over 5 000 g/m2/24 h). To improve the water resistance the jacket has gotten a PFC free Bionic-Finish Eco treatment, which makes it also dirt repelling. The shell fabric is also highly wind resistant. The jacket has high quality YKK zippers. All of the materials used feel like high quality stuff, although I know some of you sneer at the fact that it was made in China. But like Varusteleka has stated theirselves, you can find quality from China when you don’t pick the cheapest manufacturer as your partner.

Features

Let’s start upstairs. The jacket has a stormhood, which means that the hood and collar are combined. The hood has quick 3D-adjustments and lightly reinforced ”visor”. On the left upper arm you can find a small zippered pocket and a surface to attach patches with velcro on them. There are two big zippered pockets on the front of the jacket. The left one has an inlet for things like headphone or powerbank cables. For ventilation and heat management they added 2-way zippers on the arm pits. Velcro straps are used to adjust the cuffs. Hidden in the hem, on the both sides, you can find adjustments chords, which I haven’t used so far. You can order the jacket with a regular or long length hem. I have the normal. There’s a loop on the outer surface (which is a funny place for it) for hanging up the jacket.

Functionality

According to Varusteleka the Särmä Hardshell Jacket is a nonchalant foul weather coat – and I agree totally. It’s simple and it simply works. So far I’ve used the jacket on hikes during rain, sleet, snowfall and even when it has been below freezing. With the right kind of layers I was able to use it in -10 celsius (14 fahrenheit) temperature and stay comfortable while hiking. The jacket has proved to be very resistant against water, but waterpillar value of over 5000 mm doesn’t guarantee that it will perform as well in constant heavy rain. Varusteleka staff gave me a tip that by adding wax to the seams you could improve the water resistance, but so far I haven’t felt the need to do that. I think they settled with this waterpillar value to keep the material even somewhat breathable and being a hiker that comes highly appreciated. For warmer days and temperatures you of course have your 2-way arm pit zippers that you can use to regulate the ventilation and heat. I have found these excellent!

The frontside pockets have been positioned so that they are accessible even when you have your backpack belt strapped. The pockets are so big that you could easily fit a 0.5 litre softdrink bottle in each one. The zippers have extended handles which makes operating the otherwise stiff zippers easier. The stiffness can be a nuisance when you’re trying to operate them one handed, but that’s a sacrifice they made to make them waterproof. The jacket is comfortable to wear and the mobility is good. You can really notice that they have used a lot of time, effort and expertise in designing this jacket.

Time to summarize!

Let’s start from the very few matters of complain. Fully tightened the hood doesn’t cover my face as much I’d like it to, but I reckon that’s just because of my enormous head. I found this out in a blizzard, but I also proved that it holds very well against high winds. From hiker’s perspective I’d want the collar part of it to cover my chin a bit and that the hood wouldn’t leave my cheeks so exposed as it does because of its design/cut. I think they decided to go to this direction to maintain better field of view. If you think about packability the small and slightly reinforced visor is clever, but I would’ve gone with a slightly bigger one.

The second real concern I have is the durability of the fabric against abrasions – and I mean this from active hikers point of view. I’ve noticed a bit of wearing out on the front of the jacket where my backpacks belt is usually strapped across. But it’s barely noticeable – it just looks like it’s a bit frizzy. It remains to be seen if this will become a problem and that part of the fabric will start to loose its water resistance. Of course I do know that hardshell can be more vulnerable to abrasions than softshell. At the moment I’m not too worried about it, but it’s something that you should be aware of. Notice that Särmä products are covered by a 12-month warranty against defects in materials and workmanship.

Other than these things, I can’t find anything negative to say about the Särmä Hardshell jacket, no matter how hard I’d try! The quality-price ratio is incredible – and I’m not talking about the price I got it for, but the normal price which is only 99,99€. It’s high quality, comfortable to wear and it even looks good! I think the bluish grey looks stylish and classy in real life. The jacket brings protection against the harsh elements of the Nordics and by doing that it builds up your self-confidence and comfort on hikes. Hiking in the North your outer shell pretty much consists of your most important hiking gear. That been said, Särmä Hardshell has become a trusted companion for my outdoor adventures!

Thank you Varusteleka for sending me the jacket!

4.5 / 5 – Highly recommended!