The Bergans of Norway Slingsby 3L Jacket is a lightweight and packable rain jacket or hardshell that uses Dermizax to make it breathable and waterproof. Read the review!
The Bergans of Norway Slingsby 3L Jacket is a lightweight and packable hardshell jacket that uses Dermizax to make it breathable and waterproof. The Dermizax 3-layer construction makes the jacket suitable for use with a heavy backpack or alpine climbing. If you want to know more about how a hardshell can be waterproof and breathable at the same time, read the Expert Advice article I wrote about hardshells.
Details
2 waterproof pockets with zip on the chest / belly, 1 small pocket in the left outer pocket, 1 inner pocket on the left (not in the ladies version), cuffs with Velcro closure, pitzips with two-way zippers, hood with flap, one-way zip front closure. The jacket is equipped with Recco technology increasing the chance that you will be found in case of an avalanche accident. I weighted the jacket at 396.4 gr (size S). 440 gr is specified for size L and the ladies version is specified at 380 gr for a size M.
Fit
The Bergans of Norway Slingsby 3L Jacket has an athletic fit that fits rather tight to the body, especially around the torso. Because the jacket is made of stretchable material, there is room under the jacket for a medium thick insulating layer. Much more does not fit under it. The arms are off an excellent length so that the sleeves don’t crawl up when stretching out the arms. The front is significantly shorter than the back, so when bending over the lower back remains protected. One last remark on the fit: it is pre-shaped.
Pockets
On the front are two pockets halfway the chest /belly. The pockets have a waterproof zipper. With a backpack they are great to use. The pockets have pull tabs that can also be used with gloves or cold hands. The pockets are made of stretch mesh material on the inside so you can stow a lot in them, and they can also serve as ventilation openings. In the pockets you will also find the drawstrings of the hip cord. The extra pocket in the left outer pocket is large enough for a smartphone. This also applies to the inner pocket that is closed with a zipper. Remarkable is the high placement of the inner pocket: a smartphone is squeezed with the shoulder and chest strap of your backpack. Pay attention! The ladies’ jacket does not have this inner pocket. Bit strange.
In practice
The comfort of the Bergans of Norway Slingsby 3L Jacket is high. This is mainly due to the smooth and soft fabric of which the jacket is made. Because the material is rather stretchable, the somewhat tight fit is not a problem. You do feel some pulling around the shoulders in particular when you put the arms forward. The jacket is made of two different Dermizax materials: the main part is made of a thinner material (polyamide). Shoulders, neck, and a part of the back – where a heavily loaded backpack touches the jacket – are made of abrasion-resistant polyester. The inside of the fabric feels nice and soft to the skin. Great if you only want to wear a T-shirt under the jacket in warmer weather.
The front zipper of the Bergans of Norway Slingsby 3L Jacket has coarse teeth and a good pull tab. Closing it should be easy, but the zipper runs quite stiff, and you need two hands. With the hood off, the zipper needs some guidance at the collar, otherwise it will get stuck in the extra flap behind the zipper. The fact that it has a one-way zipper is no problem. The front is short enough not to get in the way at a toilet or wearing a climbing harness. At the bottom, the Slingsby3L Jacket has a good drawstring to prevent draft from below.
The cuffs are constructed on the outside in such a way that they cover the outside of the wrists nicely. They are also very spacious, so that the shaft of a glove fits well underneath. Placement of the soft part of the Velcro is for thin wrists not perfect: both parts touch each other only in a small area, and therefore it releases too quickly.
The Bergans of Norway Slingsby 3L Jacket has a zipper garage. 
The Velcro adjustment reach on the cuffs is too small.
The collar of the jacket merges into the hood. It is quite high and closes quite well. At the chin, the zipper is stored in a zipper garage. We miss soft comfort material on the inside. The hood itself is spacious and a climbing helmet can be worn underneath. It is also possible to wear a helmet over it. The hood has only one real adjustment cord, so you can pull the hood around the head. With the drawstrings on the left and right of the front zipper you pull the collar and flap together. This is hardly possible with one hand. In addition, the buckle to release everything is on the inside and you have to open the jacket. This is downright clumsy.
The hood itself is spacious and a climbing helmet can be worn underneath. 
The hood has only one real adjustment cord.
Sustainability
In 2020 Bergans of Norway took the initiative to put the seasons on the UNESCO World Heritage list. The main motive is that the winters are slowly disappearing. Nice initiative, but I would also appreciate some more sustainability information on the website about the Bergans of Norway Slingsby 3L Jacket. It is not stated which DWR coating is used. Elsewhere on the website you can find that Bergans of Norway still uses PFC’s in their coatings but that they replace them step by step by environmentally – friendly alternatives. In addition, Dermizax NX and the PU membrane are recyclable. Bergans of Norway is an EOCA member.
Waterproof, breathable and water-repellent
The jacket has proven to be 100% waterproof in practice including the pockets. The hood is doing well in rain and the reinforced hood keeps the eyes and glasses pretty splash free. Breathability is definitely good. More ventilation can be achieved by opening the pockets and the long pitzips on the sides. The pitzips have a two-way zipper with drawstrings. Regrattably the zippers don’t go down far enough to also use them as access to pockets under your jacket. The DWR coating was still like new after three washes.
The DWR test on the new Bergans of Norway Slingsby 3L Jacket. 
After three washings the DWR is like new.
Care instructions
Wash inside out at 30 °C on a normal program with normal detergent. Do not tumble dry. You can iron at low temperatures.
Verdict
With its athletic fit not everybody will like the waterproof Bergans of Norway Slingsby 3L Jacket. It prevents a lot of flapping in a lot of wind, but it also wears fairly tight. The stretchy Dermizax NX material is wonderful in flexibility, so you always have sufficient freedom of movement. Next to that the jacket has a very low weight and a small pack size. The outer pockets are fine, the inner pocket messes with the shoulder straps. The ladies jacket is missing an inner pocket.
Collar and hood provide good protection in foul weather. The adjustment of the hood can be improved and above all more user-friendly. The adjustment of the cuffs is too little for narrow wrists. Too bad is that the DWR not PFC-free is. Furthermore, more sustainability information is needed. The price is on the high side and therefor I rate the Bergans of Norway Slingsby 3L Jacket at 7.5 out of 10 points.
Information
- Price: € 500.00
- Weight: Men (S) measured 396.4 gr (440 gr specified L), ladies specified 380 gr (M)
- Sizes: Men S-XXL, ladies XS-XL
- Material: Dermizax NX 100% polyamide and Dermizax NX 100% polyester
- Membrane: Dermizax NX, polyurethane
- Construction: 3-layer laminate.
- Country of origin: China
