Last year, I wanted to get a warm Jacket that I could store
and pack easily, was lightweight and wasn't going to break the bank. I can’t
really afford down and actually prefer the synthetic materials as they dry well
and the insulation doesn't get ruined after being wet.
I’m a big fan of Snugpak gear and have quite a lot of other
stuff from them (which I’ll review at some point). The Sleeka jacket looked
like it ticked all the boxes.
It’s a nice lightweight jacket and packs away into a decent
compression sack. Something to note with pretty much all Snugpak gear is that
you get a high quality compression sack included. I can stuff it into a gap in
my rucksack and just forget about it knowing that I have my cold weather layer
sorted. A final note on storage is that Snugpak claim that you can store it
compressed and it won’t have lost any of its thermal properties.
The jacket is reversible (although I think there’s a non-reversible
version too) with an olive and black side. The olive side has nice
reinforcement running up the arms and onto the shoulders so you won’t get any
abrasion here. The black side doesn't have these so I would be a little more
careful if wearing it this way round. That said, I tend to wear mine under a soft shell
jacket which protects it nicely. I don’t think you would have to worry anyway
as Snugpak’s gear (made from paratex) is deceptively durable and strong despite
feeling so light.
The cuffs are elasticated and the neck and base have elastic
draw cords so you can tighten it up to your liking and kind of create a
sleeping bag for your upper body. Once you have this configured to your liking
you will warm up fast. I was out recently in the South Downs on a very clear
cold windy night and the Sleeka was great. The jacket is comfort rate to -5 and
rated down to an extreme of -10. The zip is also good and is a big chunky YKK one
which makes zipping up with cold hands or wearing gloves really easy.
Whilst the jacket is water repellent, I wouldn't want to
wear it in the rain as an outside layer. I always wear mine under my Berghaus
RG1 soft shell.
Overall, I can’t fault this jacket. Its light, compact,
technically very good and proper warm. If I was being really picky I would
perhaps want the same reinforced patches that the olive side has on the black
side but that’s really looking for faults. 10/10 for me. I would highly
recommend this.
There's more info on Snugpaks site here: http://www.snugpak.com/outdoor/sleeka-elite-reversible
