Fjällräven Anorak No.8

Coming back from months of field work in Greenland, I noticed the new Anorak No.8 by Fjällräven. It is the 8th anorak they make and it is part of their so-called "numbers series".

I really like anoraks and this new model is very nice. Fjällräven is using a new heavy duty version of the G-1000 material on parts taking more abbrasion. Also, it has a very spacious hood with a closed foam filled rim - looks like they got some inspiration from the also Swedish outdoor clothing company Klättermusen on that one. The very long pit zips could also be inspired from Klättermusen. They go all the way from the pits to the lower rim of the anorak like on the Klattermusen Froste jacket. The side zippers seem to be very easy to replace should the need arise - it often does with zippers!

Another very nice detail is the big front pocket with side zippers. Fjällräven had a similar design on the Mårma Anorak (now seemingly only available in the US in some colours and sizes). Having side access to this main pocket, I find so great that I modified my latest Fjälräven Gutulia Anorak (see photo).

I was not satisfied with having the lower pocket (with side access) on the original design obstructed by the hip belt of my big backpack. After all I am carrying some sort of a backpack most of the time when in the field and very rarely a small one without a proper hip belt. Therefore, I was very disappointed to see how low the big front pocket was placed on the new Anorak No.8. If you look at the video bellow, you can see how part of the pocket fall under the hip belt after Johan Skullman takes off his backpack. Notice the marks of the belt above the lower seam of the pocket.

Another big criticism of this anorak is it's prize tag. It is clear that a lot of effort has been put into the design and details of this anorak but 3499,- DKK is a lot of money! Although I really like this anorak, I will probably not buy it.

Barents Pro - Fjällräven's weird mistake

Today I went to have look at the trousers from Fjällräven: Barents Pro. I have used Fjällräven's trousers made of the wonderful material Original G-1000 since 1998 and worn up models like Greenland, Iceland, Vidda and Barents. All of them variations on the Greenland model. Barents has become my favorite in recent years. It has a roomy fit. The leg ending is raw length (check it out here). It has double layer on the rear (like Vidda) and the so-called knife pocket (mysteriously placed at the knee joint!) of Greenland and Vidda is left out.
This year Fjällräven came out with a revised model: Barents Pro (they also makes a Vidda Pro)! The main difference being that the reinforcement of the knees is now actually the length it should always have had, so it is also useful when you are kneeling! In addition you can put knee pads in pockets under this reinforcement! Some nerdy people customized the previous models to cater for this but the pads were placed too high. If this was all but no, Fjällräven seems to have wanted to "improve" even more! The fit is changed. The Pro version has narrower legs and a lower waist. Last thing is that the joint down the rear is no longer a simple one stitch that made it really easy to modify the fit!! All in all they are a totally new design and in my opinion they should have come up with another name. They (or Vidda Pro) may become a new favorite like Vidda is for many but to me there are too many steps back.
Luckily, the regular Barents is still available…