The Haglofs LIM Gram Jacket is a lightweight, waterproof shell jacket made from Gore-Tex Paclite material.  It has seam-free shoulders to minimise chafing from pack straps and is also reinforced with contrasting colour material on the shoulders and arms.  It is described as '3/4 length', and has a longer or 'scalloped' back section.  It has a full length zip at the front which is covered by a storm strip which fastens with strips of hook and loop tape and underarm 'pit zips' to facilitate ventilation.  The hood has a volume adjuster and a 'semi-stiffened' peak.  The jacket sleeves are 'articulated' and the cuffs are part elastic and part hook and loop fastener.  There is adjustable elastic running around the rim of the hood as well as around the hem of the jacket.  

Field Information

I have been using the Haglofs LIM Gram jacket in a variety of locations over the last 18 months.  The French and Spanish Pyrenees up to elevations of  2700 m / 8860 ft, The English Lake District, the Welsh/English Border area and the south-east of England.  I have worn it most consistently on weekly day walking but also on a number of backpacking trips, the longest continuous trip being three weeks.  I've also worn it on night and weekend orienteering events.  Temperatures during the testing period have varied between -5 C and 35 C (23 F and 95 F).  Weather conditions have been everything from torrential rain to light snow, blazing sunshine to heavy frosts.

Background

Haglofs clothing and equipment first provoked my interest when I received one of their catalogues.  All of their products looked to be of high quality with a certain 'style' which exuded an air of attention to detail.  I was, however, dismayed to see that weights were given on only a few of the items, notably those in the lightweight category, the LIM (Less Is More) range.  I entered into some correspondence with the company's UK representative, which resulted in them: a/ agreeing to include, in their literature, weights for all their products and b/ generously making this jacket available to me for the purposes of testing.  I fully appreciate, from my discussions with Haglofs UK Marketing Manager, that this jacket is what might be regarded as a 'first-run production model'.

Materials and construction
 
The LIM Gram jacket is made from Gore-tex Paclite, (the current model is listed  as Paclite 254, the lightest of the Paclite range).  The inside surface of the material is covered in a series of small, raised, PVC-like dots, the function of which is to minimise surface contact between the wearer and the Paclite material. When I received the jacket, all these dots appeared to be intact with none de-laminating away from the material (as is the case now, after 18 months of fairly regular wear).  All stitching also appears to be neat and intact.  The jacket seams are very flat and any through-stitchings are all neatly sealed on the inside with what appears to be Paclite material [see photo right].  Even the sewn-on Haglofs label is sealed on the inside.

The front zipper is reasonably heavy duty and is covered on the outside with a double storm flap (which is fastened with three strips of hook and loop tape), and on the inside with a narrow strip of un-stiffened fabric.  The pocket and pit zippers are less heavy duty, but they seem robust enough, work smoothly and all have puller tabs. The elastic used in the hood and hem drawstrings is of approx. 4mm (.16 ") diameter and all cord-grips fitted work well and do grip, with little or no 'slippage'. This is obviously a jacket put together with weight in mind, so Haglofs have not gone overboard with heavy duty fittings.  The jacket is supposed to be reinforced over shoulders and arms and it's possible to discern a difference between the grey and black materials that are used in the jacket (the grey has a 'ripstop' weave, the black is plain).  The construction of the jacket is not simple; the shaped hood alone is made up of six separate pieces of material. There is an elastic volume adjuster cord and cord-grip fitted into the back of the hood and elastic around the rim which has a cord-grip at either end. The hood also has a semi-stiffened peak [see photo right].

The sleeves are 'articulated', in other words shaped.  They have a slight curve to them, which means that 'in repose' (so to speak), they conform to the curve of a slightly bent arm.  The sleeve cuffs have two, sewn-in strips of flat elastic in part and part hook and loop fastener.  The pit zips are 45 cm (18" ) in length, run from just above the elbow through the armpits and have storm strips covering them.  The pit zips are un-zipped from the elbow end first. The elastic in the hem of the jacket can be adjusted by means of a cord-grip on each side, these being positioned on the inside of the jacket at the bottom of the side seams.

Fit, field use and Impressions  

When I initially received the jacket and tried it on, my first reaction was 'It's too small'.  I had asked for a large size and on checking, that's what I had but it felt 'skimped' and not what I was used to in a shell jacket. After trying it with several different layers underneath, up to more than the maximum I might wear (base layer, mid layer fleece and two fleece jackets !), I realised that it did actually 'fit' me and that's the key word.  The jacket is shaped and close fitting rather than loose and baggy but because of the shaped sleeves and upper body, I still had a perfectly good range of movements.  Being used to shell jackets of a more traditional length, I was at first uncomfortable with the jacket's just-below-waist length, it actually reaches to my wrists rather than finger-tips, but I appreciate that this lack of length helps to make up some of the weight saving.  Every time I wear the jacket I find myself tugging at the hem in an effort to pull it down further but to no avail; it stays the same length.  The slightly longer back is some small compensation but with a jacket this length it really doesn't make a vast difference.  The back length, from base of hood to hem is 81 cm (32"), while the front measurement is 73 cm (28.7")

The sleeves are perfect for me.  The length is just right and the shaped elbow section means that I can bend, stretch and use my arms without feeling the material dragging whatsoever. Neither do the cuffs ride up when doing any of these movements.  The elastic/hook and loop of the cuffs themselves is really easy to adjust from loose fitting to tight and either way, the cuffs don't seem to chafe my wrists as they don't move up or down with arm movement.

As a spectacle wearer, I find I have more than a passing interest in jacket hoods and for me a peak to the hood is essential, preferably wire stiffened.  The LIM Gram jacket hood, as already mentioned, is made from six individual pieces of material which give it a good shape with enough volume to wear a woollen or fleece hat or balaclava under it.  I've not tried wearing a climbing helmet under it, but I suspect that it might be a little too tight for comfort and freedom of movement.  The small peak is semi-stiffened; it has what feels like a piece of thin, dense foam in it which gives it enough stiffness to maintain its shape but it doesn't allow for bending to different angles to combat, say, rain being driven at the wearer at an angle.  In this respect, I'd prefer a wire stiffened one.  The volume adjuster is fairly simple, just an elastic cord at the back, running from the base of the hood 19 cm (7.5") up to the crown, with a cord grip adjuster. Taking in some volume, in effect, pulls the hood further back from the front of the wearer's face.  Unlike the hoods on some jackets I have, it's not possible to operate the volume adjuster with one hand but it's still fairly easy; just pull the end of the elastic cord with one hand whilst holding the cord-grip with the other.  Releasing it is more or less a reversal of this, hold the cord-grip  with one hand, the hood against the head with the other and nod the head forward.  Tightening the elastic cord running around the outer rim of the hood, closes it in around the face.  There are inner and outer storm flaps at the front of the hood which cover my chin, the inner one being faced with a piece of soft material to minimise chafing.  There is also a snap fastener on this outer chin flap.

I have to confess that I have hardly used the pit zips.  They are so flat and unobtrusive that I tend to forget that they are there.  They are fairly easy to access and operate but any time I've felt overheated in the jacket I've un-zipped the front to get some ventilation.

The two pockets on the front at sternum level, are a bit of a puzzle.  They're big enough to take a pair of liner gloves, a thin hat, a compass, GPS or something of similar size but they won't take a standard UK map or anything bigger, unless it's folded in half.   They also access from next to the front zip and run from the front towards the armpits, so they're of little or no use as hand-warmer pockets and anyway they're right where the sternum strap of a pack would be.  I've found that the only thing I've used them for is my liner gloves.

By far and away the most irritating and disappointing feature of this jacket is the main zip.  It's 'chunky' and solid enough but the storm flaps on the inside and outside are far too small and un-stiffened, so they're continually getting snagged whenever the zipper is operated, either opening or closing.  I find it quite frustrating to want to move the zip a few inches up or down, only to struggle with a snagged zipper and ending up not bothering; it's probably the main reason why, on a few occasions, I've chosen not to take this jacket out on a walk with me, even though I really like most of the other features.

Wearing the jacket is quite a comfortable experience (once one gets used to the short length and the front zipper), because of the cut, fit and arm shaping.  I've never felt constricted or hampered in my movements and ascending, say, a difficult gully where 'hands-on' is required, even with a full backpack, it's a much safer undertaking than it might otherwise be.  When wearing the jacket with any pack, from a daypack to fully loaded backpack, it's very comfortable over the shoulder area because of the lack of shoulder seams but I find that the pack hipbelt only just holds the lower hem of the jacket with very little to spare.  In reality, this is not really a problem, it just takes a little getting used to, especially if one has been used to quite a bit of the jacket hem projecting below the hipbelt.  What I've found this also means is that, in all but the lightest of rain, I'm more ready to put on overtrousers than when wearing a longer jacket. The very first time I wore the jacket, I got caught in a summer thunderstorm.  Wearing shorts and without any overtrousers with me, I soon got soaked from the waist down; had I been wearing a longer jacket, some of this rain would have been shed clear and only the lower part of my shorts would have got wet.  As it was, the rain not only hit the exposed part from the waist down but also ran off the body of the jacket and drained into my shorts.  I always make sure I have my overtrousers with me now.  With only a short sleeved base layer on under the jacket, the material can sometimes feel a bit cold and 'clammy' next to the skin and this is because it's unlined.  With a long sleeved  base and/or mid layer it's very comfortable and the light weight of the jacket adds to the feeling of freedom of movement.  

I've certainly not had any problems with waterproof-ness; I've worn it all day in torrential rain and sleet and not found any leaks or areas where water has leaked in.  Once the hood volume is adjusted and it's cinched in tight around my face it's pretty well proof against all but horizontal driving rain.  So far, the outer surface of the Paclite material doesn't seem to 'wet-out' and absorb water much and as a consequence there's not much weight difference wet or dry and it dries fairly quickly. 

Breathability is a contentious issue.  It's very difficult with any rain shell to get good breathability when the precipitation is at 100% but after wearing the jacket all day in the rain, backpacking quite strenuously with a full pack, I've only found a light residue of moisture on the inside surface of the jacket, never enough to get through the mid layer.  Paclite has a  good reputation for breathability, and I'd have no hesitation in considering it for another jacket.

The durability of the jacket seems to be fine up to now.  There are no areas where abrasion is showing, especially over the shoulder and elbow areas.  Had I the choice, I would not have chosen the grey/black colour; the grey is very light, almost off-white and this has started to show the dirt and look a bit 'grubby' (which doesn't really bother me), but nowhere is it showing any sign of wear or fraying.  I've not had any real reason to wash the jacket yet, and it is still as waterproof as when I received it, so I'll cross that bridge when I come to it.
I have found that over the period I've  used the jacket I'm more confident that it affords better protection in wet weather than an ultra-light nylon shell would, however, due to it's light weight I'm more inclined to take it with me 'just in case'.

So far, I have been unable to examine a current version of this jacket but my understanding, from my discussions with Haglofs UK Marketing Manager, is that the few faults that I mention in my review have been addressed.  The zipper storm-flap has been re-designed as have the pockets, but at the moment I don't know in which ways.

My thanks to Andy Williams of Haglofs (UK) for giving me the opportunity to use this jacket.