Meet the reviewer
Haglöfs LIM ZT Trek GTX PRO Jacket: first impressions
Sideways sleet? Stinging rain? Bring it on, says Haglöfs LIM ZT Trek GTX PRO Jacket. Specifically designed for Nordic hiking in the most challenging conditions, when the rain and sleet is coming in sideways, the LIM ZT Trek is a serious piece of wild weather kit, with an equally serious price tag attached.
• List price: £590 (UK) / €700 (EU)
• Gender specification: Men’s / Women’s
• Sizes: Men’s: S-XXL; Women’s: XS-XXL
• Waterproof rating: HH 28,000mm
• Breathability rating: RET: 6, 121g/m²
• Materials: Gore-Tex Pro 3L ripstop, 100% Polyamide, 40 Denier, PFAS(PFC)-free DWR, 134 g/m², bluesign approved
• Weight: Men’s 460g / 16oz; Women’s: 420g / 14.8oz
• Colors: True Black & Zenith Red
• Compatibility: All conditions hiking, hill trekking, mountaineering, backpacking, snow sports
Made with a combination of Gore-Tex materials (including Gore-Tex Pro stretch – the toughest type of Gore-Tex available) the Haglöfs LIM ZT Trek GTX PRO Jacket is made to supply super high-end performance paired with excellent comfort.
According to the brand’s blurb, lab test data proves that the LIM ZT Trek is highly water- and windproof, while remaining really breathable.
But that’s the lab. How does this jacket perform in the real world? The rainy, windy, icy cold world?
To find out how the LIM ZT Trek measures up against the best waterproof jackets currently on the market, I put it to the test in the most challenging terrain I could find.
Haglöfs LIM ZT Trek GTX PRO Jacket: on the trails
I trail-tested this jacket in the worst conditions I have ever trekked, while hiking along the West Highland Way in Scotland, with near near-continuous horizontal rain. Paired with the also excellent, matching Haglöfs LIM ZT Shell GTX Pro Pants, (easily the best waterproof trousers I’ve ever tested) this jacket kept me dry throughout the whole four days.
It’s not only highly waterproof, but also very breathable. And when I worked up a proper sweat, striding up steep hills while battling the elements, I was really appreciative of the jacket’s excellent (and enormous) underarm vents, which allowed me to quickly dump excess heat. The double-zip design of these vents also allowed me to keep them open while I walked, without a load of wet weather working its way in.
This jacket also boasts one of the best hoods I’ve ever had the pleasure of trialing, with an excellent stiff peak and multiple adjustment points. The zip goes right up to your nose level when required, providing face protection and leaving just a little ninja window too look out of. The hem and cuffs can, of course, be pulled in tight too, to keep the breezes and rain on the outside where it belongs.
Very few things are completely perfect, though, and my frustration with this jacket is with the pockets, or lack thereof. There are two on the outside, positioned roughly where you would normally have hand pockets, but with horizontally positioned openings. They’re not especially large, and one failed during testing – as in the backing came away, and anything placed inside would fall through and onto the ground. Frankly, I was disappointed and somewhat amazed at this failure – it’s very poor for such an expensive garment.
On the upside, the enormous side vents enable you to easily access the pockets in any fleece or puffer you’re wearing as a mid layer beneath the LIM ZT Trek (this might be – must be – Haglöfs’ thinking). However, I would still like to see at least a chest pocket on the outside, and ideally one on the inside too.
