Fjällräven has made a series educating video with Johan Skullman also known as the man in the Fjällräven shirt. Johan is a former officer thatnow works for Fjällräven and are testing their gear. He is also in a series of videos were he teaches som of the basic outdoor skills. I like the way he teaches, since it straight on and no bullshitting around, just as it should be.
This is one of my favourites, packing a backpack and it´s disciplined and arranged and everything has it´s place.
In the beginning of this blog I made review of the jacket and trouser set Fjällräven Fält. Now 3 years has passed since I wrote this review and looking at the stats for the blog, the post of my review is visited more or less daily.
I still have the set and I have used quite a lot and it has gone through survival training in both summer and winter, been on weeklong hikes up in the north, several canoe trips and loads of daytrips and my most used jacket on courses. It works best in autumn and spring when it tends to be cold and wet or when not being too active since it feels to warm. It has held up very well but it now has the usual holes from sparks from old campfires. The jacket is equipped with many pockets but is not used much. The big pocket in the back I have for example never used, but the mesh pockets on the inside of the jacket has been great to keep my wool cap and gloves or similar items. I have met Lars Fält and of course I had to ask him if he thought that this was the best jacket around, and of course he said yes =)
The things that I think need to be changed with the set are firstly to skip the liner, remove the seat pad on the jacket and the built in belt on the trousers. This would probably make the set a lot cheaper because on my mind the jacket was not worth the 3000 Sek I paid for it, the set is no longer sold. I have told Fjällräven about the changes I would like to have made for it to make it a better jacket, at least remove the liner. Apparently there has been a normal G1000 of the jacket in the past and Fjällräven has said that it´s not impossible that it will come back in the future. Maybe I will buy that then as well and make a new review.
The Fjällräven Fält is a jacket and trousers developed cooperation with survival expert Lars Fält. The outer fabric is made of the classic Fjällräven G-1000 fabric that is made of 65% polyester and 35% cotton. They are then lined with Hydratic which is a material that is waterproof but still let bodily moisture escape. This makes for a tough outer layer that will protect the Hydratic liner.
The jacket has a total of 11 pockets, 2 breast pockets that is equipped with the click in system which allows you “click in” a map case for example. It also has a large back pocket that can be used as a small rucksack to carry the little bigger heavier items in. The jacket also has 4 lower pockets were 2 of them can be closed by a button and the other 2 are more of hand warmer pockets. There are also 2 large mesh pockets on the inside of the jacket which are really good to store mittens, woollen cap or maps/documents in. Finally there are 2 smaller pockets close to the zipper in breast height; these are often referred to as napoleon pockets. The right pocket has small pocket inside made for your mobile phone or similar.
The inside of the jacket has a orange colour that makes it possible to turn it inside out if you want to attract attention in a survival situation. Even the inside of the hood is coloured orange but can easily be rolled into collar. There is also a built in sit flap.
The trousers are no fuss kind of trousers with a simple design. They have 2 leg pockets that are really huge and will fit most of what you need to keep on the trousers. There is also a back pocket with a zipper and of course it has the traditional side pockets. The trousers are also equipped with a built in belt that do not chafe while carrying a backpack. The knee’s has a pockets for knee pads, that are great to use when you are canoeing for example. The trouser also has strap adjustments in the leg endings.
I have used the trouser for about 18 months and the jacket for soon 12 months. They have been used all year during different activities ranging from day walks in the woods to weeklong survival course in the arctic. So I can honest say that these garments have been well used and that I have learnt about their strengths and weaknesses.
I really like this jacket and especially it is coloured orange on the inside which makes it possible to turn it inside out. This has been used to attract attention during survival training and has proven to work really well. The lower pockets had been better if you could close them with a zipper instead of the button it has now. Something I really missed is small pieces of string on the zippers making them easier to handle with gloves or cold hands. I have personally tied on small pieces of paracord and it has made a big difference. The build it sit flap feels unnecessary and have hardly been used and only makes the back warmer while carrying a rucksack. I have often used the inner mesh pockets for maps or wool cap or gloves or similar and they are really great to store things like that in them. It had been nice if the jacket had been slightly longer in the back so it would have covered my bum, especially on cold windy days. To be able to use it during the winter it would have been better with a larger wired hood and maybe even buttons on it prepared to use with one of Fjällrävens fur collars. I have one of these on a Fjällräven anorak that has bigger hood and it’s a big difference during windy winter days. The jacket has been used during long cross country skiing days and long hikes with a backpack and it becomes way too warm. But for easier activities during the year it is really great and even during a whole day of heavy rain it kept me dry even though is was soaked. I would say that the jacket is perfect for people who like to be in the wilderness and around live fires. People like hunters and Bushcrafters will love this jacket and if you ever end up in a survival situation you will be happy that you have orange coloured inside. The jacket is pretty expensive but if you are after a jacket to use during the colder time of year this is a good jacket, but try it out first since some people have found it a little bit too tight, something I personally liked on this jacket.
The trousers design is just perfect and I can’t understand why Fjällräven does not make these without the liner. The liner makes them way too warm to use when active like hiking with a backpack. Even during warmer part of the year they are way too hot to use even during low activity. But they have really good leg pockets and the built in belt is perfect along with suspenders. The knee pocket intended to put in knee pads does not work for me at all since they are too high up to and end up wrong when I am kneeling. But I do like the idea since it would be great when canoeing for example. The trousers are perfect during the winter since they are wind and waterproof and will give you some extra warmth. These trousers are perfect for use during the colder time of the year since they get too warm during summer, but for a cold and rainy autumn day these are really good.
Written by: Johan, Nordic Bushcraft