Karrimor Hybrid Jacket Review

Choosing the right down jacket can be a confusing process. There is a multitude to choose from, with prices ranging from under £l30 to well over £300. Fillings can be synthetic, feather, down or a combination of any of the three. Breatheability, water resistance and most of all insulation, many of these jackets promise a lot - but do they deliver?

Onto the Karrimor Hybrid Jacket... Hybrid jackets are designed to combine soft and hard shells in different areas to give more breathability and often come with little extras like taped seams, and stretchable elements.

The general idea is to achieve some of the protection of a hard shell, without some of the drawbacks. So what were my first impressions of this garment which promised to be warm, breatheable, and water resistant?

Initially, the jacket would appear to be aimed at the rambler and hill walker market, as it's slightly too long in the body to be used in conjunction with a climbing harness, and feels too thin for standing around on a high mountainside whilst on belay. For hiking though, it looked quite promising.

And that's exactly how Karrimor have pitched it - for hikers and walkers, water resistant to withstand the odd February shower, and breathable.

It's certainly incredibly light, weighing in at well under 400g, and feels very, very thin. Just how well would this narrow band of synthetic Primaloft actually perform in the field?

Another immediately noticeable design feature of the jacket is the stretch panels down the sides of the body of the jacket and inner side of the sleeves. Whilst these stretch panels ensure a snug fit, the only form of insulation on them is a layer of fleece on the inside. Whilst completely eliminating the bellows effect you can sometimes experience on a looser fitting jacket, could this be the garment's major weak point?

Time for a road test!

I decided to take it out on the High Peak Trail starting at Cromford on a decidedly cool (at around 5 or 6 degrees), slightly breezy day, with the promise of rain definitely in the air.

Standing in the car park, the jacket seemed reasonably wind resistant and the stretch side panels didn't seem to be producing any noticeable cold spots, which was reassuring. The jacket also has a dropped back to eliminate those nasty cold gaps you can experience with other shorter jackets when you bend over, which is always a bonus.

The Karrimor is a very close fit due to the stretch panels, which may not be to everyone's liking, but it I found it very comfortable nonetheless. The main zip and the ones on the three pockets were of good quality and functioned easily without any snagging at all.

As for the pockets themselves, the two side pockets are roomy and lined, and the left hand on has a little loop inside for clipping keys, etc. on.

The chest pocket is too small to take an OS map, but it's a handy size for your average smart phone or GPS unit. The overall quality and finish of the jacket is as you would expect from a reputable manufacturer like Karrimor.

So far so good!

Anyone who has walked up Sheep Pasture Incline on the High Peak Trail will know that you don't have to spend long slogging up that fierce gradient before sooner or later you start to sweat, whatever the weather. This was definitely going to put the jacket's claims of breatheability to the test.

I'm happy to report that it scores highly in this respect. The stretch panels on the sides and arms appear to dissipate excess heat and moisture quite effectively, and at no point did it feel uncomfortably hot, clammy or sweaty.

When we got to the top of the incline and onto Black Rocks, we were met with a light rain shower which the jacket seemed to repel quite adequately too. Synthetic filling is reputed to maintain its insulating properties even when soaking wet, but that's a test for another time maybe!

The breatheability of the jacket means that it can be worn comfortably all day in the right weather conditions, but perhaps not while offering the same level of warmth as other down jackets on the market. The Karrimor is quite stylish too, so it wouldn't look out of place down the pub either.

A quick clamber around Black Rocks proved the mobility of the jacket is good and it doesn't feel restricting or ride up noticeably when you raise your arms above head level. This means it could be worn by anyone considering undertaking a grade 1 scramble, obviously, its incompatibility with a climbing harness would preclude anything more ambitious than a grade 1 or perhaps an easy grade 2.

The light insulation makes the jacket ideal for cool Spring or Autumn day hikes at no more than moderately low level. An advantage of its thinness is that it would make an ideal mid-layer under your hard shell in more severe conditions though, if you feel you needed something a bit more substantial than a fleece.

The temperatures I tested the jacket, around 5 degrees, would probably be about the minimum I would consider using it in. For use in winter, at higher altitude or sitting around camp in the evenings, you would probably want something with more insulation than the Karrimor provides.

So how does it compare against my other down jackets?

Firstly, the synthetic filling makes it easier to wash and quicker to dry than a down jacket, which is probably its major advantage. However hybrid jackets do have a drawback on price. When compared to my big mountain down jacket from Trespass (which is rated down to -15 degrees and costs roughly the same), it feels quite expensive. Also my Quechua X-Light, which weighs only slightly more, has a real down filling, features a hood, two additional internal pockets and also came with a stuff sack. And that cost less than half the price of the Karrimor, but would do a similar job for me without the 'hybrid' label.

For a £70 price tag, I would expect a detachable hood, adjustable cuffs, slightly thicker insulation, at least one internal pocket and at the very least a stuff sack. Little things like that matter to me, so there is definitely room for improvement here.