The icebreaker Hyperia Lite Hybrid Jacket is no softshell in the traditional sense; it is rather an insulating outer layer for colder days. Read the review!
- Price: € 249.95/ $300.00/ £210.00
- Weight: Men (S ) measured 305.7 g (claimed 380 grams, size L), ladies 340g, size M .
- Sizes: Men S-XXL, women XS-XL
Materials
The icebreaker Hyperia Lite Hybrid Jacket is no softshell in the traditional sense; it is rather an insulating outer layer for colder days. The outer fabric of the jacket is made of Pertex Quantum Air Nylon (100 % nylon) and the lining is also made of 100% nylon. In between is what icebreaker has become famous for: a layer of merino wool. This intermediate layer exists for 88% of wool (partly recycled) and for 12% of polylactide. You can wash the jacket with an anti-wrinkle program at 30 °C. Afterwards you can iron the jacket but you cannot put it in the dryer.
Comfort
The jacket has a sporty fit. Due to lack of stretch there is some tension on the fabric on the back when stretching the arms. The front and back are of the same length and nice and long, which means that the jacket falls considerably over the hips. Yet the jacket tends to creep up a little. At the bottom there is an elastic material all around; a set cord is missing. The sleeves are great in length and elastic closes the cuffs perfectly. On the inside the nylon lining is soft to the skin, but gives a somewhat plastic-like feel.
Zippergarage
The front zipper cannot be zipped open at the bottom. Sometimes this is easy if you have to go to the toilet and you don’t want to loosen the entire zipper, something that certainly applies to insulating jackets. The jacket has a nice high collar that closes around well. At the chin the zipper is covered by the zipper garage, so that the chin and zipper don’t touch each other. Behind the zipper is a filled ant draft flap. This also prevents the zipper from accidentally snapping into the fabric of the jacket when zipping up.
Pockets
Both pockets on the belly are very deep and a great place to warm up your hands. They are closed with a zipper with a good pull-tab. The disadvantage of the pockets is that they are so low placed that they are practically unusable if you wear a backpack with a hip belt. On the other hand, the inner pocket – with zipper – is spacious and a plus-size smartphone fits with ease. Nice feature is that the inner pocket also serves as a storage bag for the jacket.
Hood
The jacket has no hood but the collar, on the other hand, is nice and high and closes well.
Waterproof and breathable
The jacket is completely windproof and breathes well wicking sweet or moist away from the body. The DWR layer – PFC free – on the outside is doing well; even where the outer fabric is stitched with the wool and the lining. A small wet out spot was visible after washing the jacket three times.
Sustainability
The icebreaker Hyperia Lite Hybrid Jacket has a Merino wool lining. icebreaker indicates that up to 10% of this lining is made from recycled wool. Exactly how much is guessing. The DWR layer is free of PFCs. On the icebreaker website you will not find it in the product information, but under the heading Producers and in the icebreaker Transparancy Report it is stated that the wool is mulesing free. Anyway, a good document to read because icebreaker has specific thoughts about the environment, production and working conditions. icebreaker is not a member of the Fair Wear Foundation, but is of the EOCA. A + status Ethical Fashion Report 2019. Rank-a-Brand score D.
Verdict
The icebreaker Hyperia Lite Hybrid Jacket is an interpretation of the softshell phenomenon. Although the outside and lining are made of nylon, the heart is made of merino wool. It is nice that a small part of this wool comes from reuse. The jacket is comfortable, but has a sporty fit with little stretch. The pockets on the front are unpractical in combination with a backpack but the inner pocket is big. It is windproof, breathes well, and the DWR layer which is PFC-free does its job nicely. I do miss a hood but that is a choice you have to make yourself. The price is what I what expect to pay for an icebreaker jacket; they are always a bit pricy. I rate the icebreaker Hyperia Lite Hybrid Jacket at 8.1 point out of 10 total.
Information
- NL: www.icebreaker.com
- UK: www.icebreaker.com
- US: www.icebreaker.com