Ortovox Pala Jacket Review (Men/Women)

The Ortovox Pala Jacket is a thin softshell and is suitable for activities with a high intensity. Thanks to the wool, the jacket is extremely comfortable to wear directly on the skin. Read the review!

  • Price: € 199,95/ £169,95/ $240,00
  • Weight: Men (M) measured 356.7 gr (360 specified), ladies 328 gr.
  • Sizes: Men S-XXL, women XS-XL

The Ortovox Pala Jacket is a thin softshell and is suitable for activities with a high intensity.  The thin fabric mainly explains the low weight of almost 360 grams. This makes the Ortovox Pala Jacket also very compact to fold and therefore it always fits in a backpack or bicycle panniers. 

The Ortovox Pala Jacket for men (below) and women (top).
The Ortovox Pala Jacket for men (below) and women (top).

Materials

The jacket is made of a mix combining synthetic fibres on the outside and merino wool on the inside. This is a fine example of beautiful weaving technique. The Ortovox Pala Jackets consists for 64% of polyamide, for 15% of Merino wool, for 11% of elastane and for 10% of polyamide. Washing the jacket is done on a anti-wrinkle program at 30 °C. The jacket must be air dried since tumble-drying – and ironing – is not allowed.  A technical detergent should be used according to the Dutch supplier, but it doesn’t say so in the washing label.

The Ortovox Pala Jacket can be washed at 30 °C.
The Ortovox Pala Jacket can be washed at 30 °C.

Comfort

Thanks to the wool, the jacket is extremely comfortable to wear directly on the skin. It also nicely regulates moisture. The arms and shoulders are slightly reinforced with durable Cordura thread in the fabric. The fabric is very flexible which means you – despite the sporty tight fit – have a lot of freedom of movement. This makes it extremely suitable for climbing, but certainly also for a normal forest walk. It is a bit unfortunate that the back on the men’s version is not longer than the front. The women’s version is a bit longer preventing draft when bending over. On both the cuffs are a little too wide. Due to a lack of adjustment options, they do not close nicely. Around the waist of the jacket there is a good drawstring to secure it around the hips.

The Ortovox Pala Jacket has merino wool on the inside.
The Ortovox Pala Jacket has merino wool on the inside.
  • A drawcord is provided for the waist.
    A drawcord is provided for the waist.
  • The cuffs of the Ortovox Pala Jacket are a bit wide.
    The cuffs of the Ortovox Pala Jacket are a bit wide.

Zippergarage

The front zipper is a two-way zipper and that is useful when taking a pee or wearing a climbing harness. The zipper runs smoothly and thanks to a good guard flap behind the zipper snagging is prevented so that there will never be any fabric between the zipper teeth. Also the zipper has a good pull-tab and operating it with cold hands or gloves is no problem. At the chin the zipper has a zipper garage and that is very comfortable. 

At the chin the zipper has a zipper garage.
At the chin the zipper has a zipper garage.

Pocket

The jacket has only one pocket and that’s a shame. That pocket is large enough for a large smartphone. 

The jacket has only one pocket but it is big enough for large smartphones.
The jacket has only one pocket but it is big enough for large smartphones.

Hood

The hood closes tightly around the head and moves nicely when you turn your head. It is not adjustable but the elastic around the face works great. The hood has no cap and is therefore less practical for people that wear glasses. A baseball cap fits under the hood but a helmet must be warn over it.

  • The elastic around the face works great.
    The elastic around the face works great.
  • The hood fits snug around the head.
    The hood fits snug around the head.

Waterproof and breathable

The water-repellent layer on the outside performs a little less well than average and after 3-wash cycles there is hardly any water repellency left. Large wet out patches are visible. The jacket is pretty windproof.

With the DWR-Spray Test I used the male version of the jacket.

Sustainability

No recycled materials are used. The merino wool is mulesing free. The DWR coating is not PFC free. Ortovox has its own – very transparent – wool standard, but is not affiliated with the Responsible Down Standard. No sustainability information about the product. Ortovox  is member of the Fair Wear Foundation and the EOCA. No Rank-a-Brand score yet.

Ortovox doesn't use recycled materials.
Ortovox doesn’t use recycled materials.

Verdict

The Ortovox Pala Jacket wears thanks to merino wool inside comfortable while outside the synthetic fiber is very durable. The tight fit is comfortable thanks to the stretchy fabric. Well windproof, great breathability. It’s a pity that the DWR coating is not PFC-free and that it has virtually disappeared after three washings. Light weight and compact to fold. Because of the thin fabric not suitable for colder days. Elastic cuffs can be better. The price of € 199,95/ £169,95/ $240,00 is on the high side. I rate the Ortovox Pala Jacket at 7.3 points out of 10 total.

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