The Salewa Agner Polarlite Hooded Jacket is thoughtfully designed and feels high quality. The hybrid construction includes Polarlite to provide a fleecy and insulating inner, plus Durastretch inserts, which form soft shell areas for abrasion resistance.
Rating: 5/5
Price: £140 (available from Salewa)
Weight: 370g (UK12)
Pros: fabric, fit, features, quality
Cons: price, sizing
Materials: Duratretch PFC-free bluesign 151g/sqm – 85% Polyamide, 15% Elastane – and Polarlite Pontetorto bluesign 225g/sqm – 94% Polyester (recycled), 6% Elastane | Hood: Yes | Front Closure: full zip | Pockets: 2 | Hem: Plain | Cuffs: Elasticated | Men’s version: Yes | Sizes: UK4 to 14
The jacket is also “body mapped” so that different fabrics match the needs of various parts of the body. The fabric has an added anti-odour treatment.
A plus point for the environment is the fleece is made with recycled polyester and bluesign-approved fabrics.
The jacket feels wonderfully soft inside, especially where there are fleece panels on the chest, arms and back. It works really well as a mid-layer between a baselayer and an outer jacket on cold days and also an outer layer for general outdoor days. It is the most windproof of the mid layer jackets I’ve tested.
The Agner is also easily smart enough for casual office wear and for going the pub, so it’s really versatile.
Other features include a neat-fitting Durastretch hood that has side openings for helmet straps and two high-set zipped pockets that can still be accessed when wearing a rucksack with a waist-belt or a climbing harness. The full front zip is a chunky plastic, smooth and easy to use.
Salewa’s sizing is a bit hard to fathom and after measuring myself I ended up with the UK12, which is subsequently a little too roomy on me. The jacket is designed to be “athletic fit”, which means slim-fit, but the four-way stretchy fabric allows for great freedom of movement.
Although this is the priciest of the jackets I’ve tested, it is the one I would choose to buy.
See how other mid-layers fared in our expert gear tests of the best fleeces for hiking.
