Sprayway Anakin Pro Ladies Gore-Tex Jacket

Sprayway Anakin Pro Ladies Gore-Tex Jacket

This is quite a different garment to my usual antique wardrobe of memorabilia. How things change. The jacket has a lot of good points, but several not-so-good details as far as I am concerned.

 Let’s do the good bits first:

- It's amazingly lightweight; it feels as though it wouldn’t be capable of repelling the elements, but it certainly is.

- It's also totally waterproof; no condensation or leakage was noticed. The hood-visor suited me very well, being a glasses wearer; all too often a snug fit means glasses are pulled or skewed.

- Two capacious zip-closure pockets which close bottom-to-top. (I prefer top-to-bottom; a minor quibble.)

- It's sleek-fitting and quite smart enough to wear about town.

Now the not-so-good bits:

- It’s just too short. I’m told on what should be good authority that that’s the fashion nowadays. I just prefer being able to sit down without getting my bum wet.

- The front closure zip looks very different to any I’ve come across before, and is probably fully waterproof in its own right. There is an internal baffle, which means that it is fiddly to get the zip started, and it would be bordering on the impossible to do up with mitts on. Or with cold fingers, come to that.

So would I use this jacket in really challenging conditions? I’d certainly give it a go, but would have to keep a trusted back-up in reserve in case. Would I stuff it into a day sack as a lightweight waterproof layer? Certainly. I’d even wear it to the shops, too.

Review by Anne Heason

www.welshcottage.org.uk