Klättermusen is one of my favorite outdoor brands and I´ve been using their products since the late 90’s. Klättermusen make some things that are absolutely crazy good, but they also have the other end of the scale with things that are a bit bonkers and difficult to understand. Klättermusen Draupner is one of the products that I really really like.
Background
When my wife turned 30 over twenty years ago, I gave her a shell jacket from Klättermusen. The jacket was called Klättermusen Bifrost, the model is no longer in Klättermusen’s range, but my wife’s Bifrost jacket lives on and delivers.
Bifrost is a sturdy shell jacket with a really nice hood. It’s a jacket you feel comfortable in the winter mountains regardless of the weather. I’ve always been quietly jealous of my wife’s Bifrost.
A couple of years ago I found the Klättermusen Draupner at a reasonable price and realized that this is a modern alternative to my wife’s Bifrost. I jumped at the opportunity and bought it. These are my thoughts on the Klättermusen Draupner.
Requirements
When I bought the Klättermusen Draupner, I was looking for a shell jacket for winter trips only. In three points, these were the requirements I had for the jacket:
- A jacket that is sturdy and that make you comfortable and feel safe in exposed winter mountain terrain.
- A jacket that is simple in its design without a lot of bells and whistles.
- Last but not least, I wanted a really really good and protective hood.
About Klättermusen Draupner
Draupner is a waterproof 3-layer Cutan® men’s shell jacket with all the features you need for alpine mountaineering. This jacket is made to withstand the toughest abrasion and abuse, while it’s still light and well suited for vertical missions.
– Klättermusen
- Waterproof jacket with taped seams.
- A sturdy and adjustable hood with integrated “screen” (Windvisor®).
- Ventilation in the armpits with zippered openings.
- Two chest pockets.
- RECCO® reflector.
- Adjustable ends at the waist and wrists.
- Emergency compass.
- The jacket weighs almost 900 grams.
How do I use the jacket
I have exclusively used the jacket for winter trips. For example, on ski trips in the mountains or on the winter ice in Luleå.
Plus
- Sturdy and solid jacket. You feel safe in it.
- Simple design with few functions but the necessary functions, i.e. not a lot of extra stuff, flags and balloons
- A great hood and I think that is almost the most important thing when you are in exposed environments in winter. And when folded down, the hood also forms a very nice and high collar at the neck.
- The jacket goes down just right over the butt.
- There is space in the jacket for warming clothes under the shell. I also bought my jacket in a size larger than I usually wear just to be sure to get enough air into the jacket and space for warming clothes under the jacket when it is really cold.
- Simple adjustable end of the jacket at the wrists that fits well with winter gloves on top.
- Sturdy zippers, not some lightweight variant that looks neat and delicious on a jog or in an urban environment.
Minus
- The weight and that it is a bit bulky. But on a winter trip when you often have the jacket on or in a sled, it doesn’t matter at all.
- The price. It is an expensive jacket but if you expect it to last a long time and if you can find it at a reduced price, I think it is ok.
- A bit tricky to find the right setting on the hood but if you take a little time, it is done and you have a really nice and protective hood.
Betyg
As a jacket for winter trips in exposed environments, I give the jacket a solid five out of five rating. As a jacket for everyday use or summer trips, well, then I would say it’s the wrong jacket and you should look elsewhere in the store.