The Scandinavian outdoor clothing company Norrøna has really shaken up the freeride market in recent years with many sensational models and styles. This is the first time a Norrøna product has made it to PG Gear of the Week, and it's likely that this won't be the last time.
But now to the facts: Gear of the Week this time is the warm4 up-cycled jacket!
The fleece jacket is called the warm4 up-cycled jacket because it is made from around 40 recycled PET bottles. So you're wearing recycled waste on your body and not only does it wear well, it also looks really good - typical Norrøna!
How does the recycling work? In collaboration with the companies Unifi and Polartec, the plastic bottles are processed into fleece. This means that even fleece fabric that has already been recycled can be reused. According to the manufacturer, energy consumption is reduced by 20% compared to normal production processes. Another advantage of the up-cycled Jake: the fleece fabric made from Polartec Wind Pro is relatively thick and therefore very windproof, as the fibers are knitted very tightly together, which means the jacket can also be worn as an outer layer. The fabric is even water-repellent to a limited extent.
The jacket has a high-quality finish and offers many well thought-out features, such as the obligatory snow and heat catchers in the sleeves. All in all, a great product that has the potential to become a cult jacket. Only the price of around 250 euros makes investing in the jacket a costly, albeit worthwhile undertaking.
Note: A long-term gear review - focusing on how the recycled fleece material compares to conventional fleece - will follow in late winter 2013!
