You may have seen a review I did a few weeks ago on the Harley Racewear sunglasses. If you did I am here to tell you that they ain't no one hit wonders as Harley also have a superb range of fleeces. Available in jacket or smock style, these windproof and spray resistant garments make the perfect outer layer in summer and a brilliant thermal in winter, retailing at £60.
The jumpers are constructed with a trilaminate microfibre fleece with a microdot PTFE membrane built in. This gives them good wicking and breathability, but blocks the incursion of wind and spray. Their laminated structure provides up to 2.5 times the thermal properties of a conventional fleece. Water just runs off the garment like a duck's back. A small amount of moisture does get absorbed into the top layer of fleece, but it doesn't sink through the fabric so your skin stays nice and dry.
Even on the hottest day of the year, there can still be a bit of wind chill in the breeze. By far my favourite feature of the jacket has to be that it's windproof. I know I harp on about how cold I get on the water in most of my clothing reviews, but when you get cold out at sea it can be extremely hard to get warm again. You most certainly won't get cold with this. Even the strongest of gusts didn't penetrate the fabric and I didn't have anything to whinge about.
The Harley Racewear Windproof and spray resistant trilaminate fleece is available in black, navy or khaki, in sizes M to XXXL. I was sporting one of the black ones, which attracts white dog hair like you would believe - but that is a criticism of my Dalmatian-Collie cross rather than the jumper. The clean and simple design gives the garment an air of elegance, so you don't feel like a walking bill board. There is the company name embroidered down the left arm, but if you prefer you can have your own logo there at no extra cost, as long as you purchase more than five items.
The only criticism I have concerns the thin translucent material the pockets are made of. It is firmly sewn in, but I am not sure how well it would cope with sharp objects, such as keys, rattling about in there. This is only something I would be able to comment on after an extended period of use, but I would have liked to see more substantial pocket material. Other than this the construction is very good over all.
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The simple things in life are always the best, and the Racewear Windproof and spray resistant trilaminate fleece most certainly fits into that category. It's clean design looks good and performs well. But just make sure you don't carry your bosun's knife around in your pocket. |
For more information on Harley Racewear, visit www.medinatextiles.co.uk
Article amendment - 14th September 2006:
Since this article was written Harley Racewear has modified the pocket lining of their fleeces.
