Craghoppers Bear Grylls Climaplus Jacket

Excellent lightweight, compressible mid-layer that provides a lot of warmth for not a lot of weight.

I purchased this jacket from a deep discount website as I was needing a good midlayer that wasn't going to break the bank. I couldn't find very much information online about the jacket before the purchase, but since it was so cheap, I had to take the plunge. I'm very glad I did!

Pros:

The first thing I noticed is how light it is for a synthetic jacket. Coming in at about 11.5 oz, it definately fits my criteria of trying to lighten my load while still staying warm. It compresses almost as well as down, fitting very nicely into my pack for camp. The jacket seems to breath really well, and the synthetic materials wicks the moisture right from me. I'm not sure if it is going to hold onto smells yet.  The fit seems to be just about perfect, as its not too bulky that i couldn't put another jacket over it if needs be, but not too tight that I can't layer under it. I haven't gotten to test this jacket at the coldest temps yet, but for cool evenings it has been overly adequate. 

I know I may be vain, but I like my clothes to look good! This jacket passes the eyeball test. I got it in black, and it looks like something I could wear around town.

Cons:

There are some things that keep this from getting 5 stars. First, the main zipper got stuck on the wind flap the first few times I tried to unzip it. Hasn't happened too many times since, but still a slight irritation. Also, it is a lefthand zipper, which is just odd. There were a couple of loos stitches on the jacket, but nothing seems to be pulling. Haven't really snagged the jacket on anything yet, but the outer shell doesn't seem to be the strongest material ever.

There is no drawstring on the hood, which some may find as a con, but the hood fits snuggly, and hasn't blown off my head yet. I like the lower weight.