Hailing from New Zealand, Icebreaker have been championing the use of and natural fibers ever since they launched their first line of in 1995. Since then, they’ve grown to become one of the leading brands in the space with thousands of proponents swearing by their kit, especially when it comes to warmth, quality and eco-friendliness. Which is why I jumped when I was offered the chance to test their new Icebreaker Merino Blend 200 Realfleece Descender Hoodie earlier this year.
A built on the same ethos of all-natural quality, it’s designed for fast and light adventures promising to keep you warm in cool to cold conditions – and with a ton of runs planned through British fall conditions, as well as an extended fastpacking trip pencilled in for November, it couldn’t have come at a better time. Before it even arrived, however, the first thing that struck me about his jacket was its price. Coming in at $180/£160 when bought directly from Icebreaker it’s by no means cheap.
In fact, when you compare it with other jackets in its class, it sits relatively lonely at the top of a very broad spectrum, coming in £20 more expensive than the beloved and £25 more expensive than the excellent from The North Face. But as this jacket is designed from a blend of all-natural fibers comprising 40% Merino and 60% Tencel, the Descender is a far cry from the man-made polyester blends you’ll find in much of the competition, promising to keep you warm and cozy while doing minimal harm to.
