HAGLÖFS Proteus Vest

RRP: £130 Target price: £90 At a whispery 146g and without arms, the Proteus (women’s Aran Valley) clearly isn’t meant to be your outermost layer on sub-zero days. But it is highly effective as a winter mid-layer, and in spring and summer it works as an outer layer for milder days or airy summits. It’s lighter than most of my fleeces and soft shells, and makes a superb alternative to them when it comes to core warmth. The interior lining is a fluffy, pile-like fabric akin to Muppet skin, and it’s wonderfully warm around your core despite being so slight. It also breathes brilliantly – I’ve walked and even run up steep Lakeland hillsides in this without feeling the need to take it off. And it has a nicely copious chest pocket. The face fabric is DWR-treated and it holds out light drizzle, but realistically I don’t think you’d ever grab this for its waterproofing properties. You’d grab it because it’s light, warm and adaptable to different levels of cold, depending on where in your layering you wear it. Plus, if you like the concept but aren’t sure about the whole gilet thing, there’s a jacket version, with hood, for the same price. NH

INFO: Sizes: XS-XL Weight: 146g Insulation: QuadFusion polyester loft Colours: Navy, charcoal, black Contact: 0808 234 9190, www.haglofs.com/gb + Highly adaptable and breathable, fairly priced, super-light. – Not designed to be an outer layer in deep cold. BEST FOR: Layering. Outer layer in summer, mid-layer in winter.